Start by understanding these three home truths:
1. You’re not wrong… some people’s online behavior can be antisocial
If, like the restaurant owner, you don’t want to look at reviews of your local businesses because they just don’t make you feel good, know that you’re not alone in being sometimes upset by people’s behavior on the Internet. You can post a photo of cute kittens curled up in a bed of roses, and surely some stranger will come along and post, “I hate all kittens and all roses, and I hate you for posting this photo!”
To varying degrees, we all encounter extreme behavior on the web every day. Some of it comes from people in personal crisis, some of it is the result of individuals being paid by entities to harass anyone with opinions that oppose a particular agenda, and some of it isn’t even human but is automated spam.
As a small business owner, try to think of your version of this statement:
“I recognize that it is unpleasant to encounter vulgar language. A stranger’s account that contains abusive/rude/rude/insensitive/antisocial words is not my ideal customer. Their language is a reflection of them, not me. I am building as many good relationships as I can with the neighbors I want to serve.”
2. You’re not wrong… review platforms limit the control entrepreneurs have
It is an ethical dilemma that the business model of review platforms is to earn money by representing and promoting the opinions of brands without being authorized to do so by the companies whose names they trade. But this phenomenon is not new: the Michelin Guide is now more than a century old, and Duncan Hines published his first book of reviews in 1935. Money is made by telling the public what he thinks about companies, and professional reviewers rarely let brands know that they are secretly under review. At least in the online world, it’s all out in the open. But the worrying thing is that local business owners don’t have enough resources when the review content isn’t real.
Major review platforms want to earn profits, not mediate disputes between business owners and customers. The platforms send you traffic, phone calls, web visits, and real-world visits from neighbors who might not have otherwise found your business, but there’s rarely any kind of live support for when things go wrong. That’s not what you have NO control over your reputation damaged by online review platforms, but it’s true that your control is limited.
Try making up your own words like these if they fit the bill:
“I recognize that the lack of control scares me. This is a very common experience for most people, and all of my local competitors are in the same boat on this, with limited responsiveness from the review platforms that represent us. Given this reality, I would like to be more open to learning what I Candies check. I bet the more I learn, the more control I will have over my reputation.”
3. You’re not wrong… your livelihood is at stake in how you run your business
Your company’s reputation is not a game. It’s the roof over your head, the food on your family’s table, and, in the United States, medical care for your staff. No one should discount any fear you may have that a damaged online reputation could have a serious negative impact on your bottom line, your company’s longevity and You personally. You’re right to worry about this, but luckily, if you’re like most small business owners, you already have the skills to deal with this scenario.
Resolve complaints in person every day at your place of business or when you’re out in the field serving customers. The good news is this the best way to resolve complaints online is to turn them into offline resolutions, inviting the dissatisfied customer to come back to you to make things right. This resets the stage in your home, where you will often be given a second chance to demonstrate how excellent your customer service is in the real world rather than through the cold glass wall of the Internet.
Try to find your own wording for a statement like this:
“I recognize that I work hard every day to resolve complaints in person. I have developed skills in this area and, if a customer complains online, there is a good chance of bringing them back to a state of satisfaction by offering an offline solution. My online response is just a heads up that I want to make things right for them in the real world. I want to be more open-minded in learning how to master this online-to-offline customer service transition.”