Nov 21, 2007
Most businesses don't have 100% customer satisfaction. Even if your service is fantastically good, there will always be people who didn't use the product as it was supposed to be used, or who weren't really the target market anyway.If, by some amazing chance, you did have 100% customer satisfaction then this claim just isn't all that believable anyway. Reading user-generated content where everything is 100% rosy just reads like spam, or affiliates promoting a product they have never used.
This post is about using that negative feedback to make yourself look better.
Which is more credible?
- A product that everybody loves to bits, best thing ever? or,
- A product which most people really like, and any concerns were promptly addressed by the business owner?
This concept came to my attention a while back when I added a blog module to a website for a client. By default, comments were turned on. Unfortunately, the first comment on the blog was negative, and the client was thoroughly unimpressed at this negativity on his own site.
He deleted the comment, and we disabled the comment module.
I have 2 problems with this:
- Whoever wrote the comment with the criticism will be unimpressed at being censored.
- This is a lost opportunity - a chance to prove in public that you deal with complaints quickly and efficiently, resulting in a happy customer.
Turnaround quick
A good review / comment adds value to a site / brand, sure. But a bad review / comment that is subsequently turned into a good one adds far more value, and offers great believability.Rather than trying to hide the negative comments, look a ways to fix the problem and make the same customer say something nice.
If all your customers hate you, then maybe rethink adding a forum or blog onto the site.
2 Comments
- Dec 24, 2007
Negative comment is not always bad. If your article attracts attentions it's good enough. IMHO
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I completely agree with you here. Several clients I have had have issues allowing outside critiques of their products, and paint the rosiest of pictures through their marketing.
I wish they would listen when I recommend similar approaches to the one you've outlined here. Negativity isn't always bad.
In my experience, it's almost always a cry for help with your product, or could highlight a key flaw.