- Appco Group Services
- Reputation management for Hotels – ‘Home away from Home’
- Reputation Management Online Through Right Response!
- Kingfisher Airlines gullibility banking on SBI
- Pfizer pill recall – botched up reputation in wrong pack
- Twitter to lose its reputation as a free speech platform?
- IIPM worried about Google Suggest, why is it so?
- Reputation Management Tip for 2012: Brands need to tap into social media search!
- Facebook Timeline and Reputation Management
- Apple Siri gender bias or glitch?
Product Reviews
Google Places with Reputation Management to local business owners
August 9, 2010 | 
Author Google’s local business listings now called Google Places has come up with a chance for local businesses to respond to customer reviews! This is great news for businesses and for reputation management, business owners can now respond directly to reviews both negative and positive.
Local businesses can now deal with the reviews in a positive way and not to mention get a chance to keep in touch with customers and their feedback. Customers on the other hand get to hear from the people behind the scene directly. Google Places has verified business owners and this way you can get verified and respond to customers.
This is, if you look at it Google’s endorsement of reputation management and here at Reputation Management For.com we’d advice you to get into Google Places get listed and verified, and then respond to reviews when they show up. Google Places even illustrates how to respond to reviews with examples!
As for the annoying reviewer who is just there to make some noise, the best thing a business owner can do is filter them out and look into the ‘real’ customer concerns.
Reviews, Consumer Reviews, Product Reviews… Hows Yours?
Reviews are a company’s best friend or worst enemy. It can dramatically increase your sales or totally devastate them overnight. Nowhere is better than the Internet to see the results or how affective they can be.
Hotels, where would you research to find out if a hotel is any good? Tripadvisor? Electronic goods where would you check? Which.com, Iphone apps, before you download them or even look at them in details do you look at the review rating first?
Reviews can kill a movie, a sports player’s career, a company’s product and yet still people tend to come to a company like ours when negative reviews and comments have already hit the top of the search engines. Consumers don’t really care what you have to say as a business, they are more interested in what other users or previous customers have to say as they believe them to be more honest.
Recently I have been involved in a medical marketing site, it astonishes me how ignorant manufacturers and resellers are about the internet and how much they still don’t get. When we conducted a survey at a conference we asked buyers how many primarily researched on-line before they came to the conference. 95% of people put their hand up, 95% not 10% not 25% but 95% but still many businesses think that attracting negative comments online about them or their products don’t effect them?
Companies are still hawking their products with meaningless marketing speak, consumers and customers are turning to other customers for their opinions before making purchase decisions. Capturing customer opinion and reviews is now a critical task for companies as they compete in the market. Capturing them and publishing them must play a central role in the marketing plan for any product or service that a company offers.
Seeing Red with Orange
Orange launched its brand as a soft fuzzy, the future is orange. Well, not with me after spending a morning on the phone trying to understand a bill that includes charges for phones lost two years ago, “orange care” for a handset that does not exist and payments made that have been lost… it is apparent that if the future is orange then it is pretty bleak.
What is clear from 90 minutes on the phone is that the Orange experience has changed substantially from those early optmistic days when they promised to look after you to becoming a large corporation with set in stone processes that we the customer have to follow. The experience got me thinking about how a brand and a reputation interact and how the one can affect the other.
Trying to work out the meaning of an eight page statement is the first problem. The second problem I encountered is that I get phoned by Orange to try to upsell me, but they did nothing to save me money or warn me about charges being incurred that made absolutely no sense – for example having an insurance package for a handset that does not exist. I also realised that I had to follow their processes if I wanted to get things done. In other words they break the central tenet of being customer-centric: instead of folding their processes around me, I have to work around them. When you have been charged for two years for a phone that does not exist you would expect them to have documentation, but no they dont…. but this is my fault and not theirs. In other words I had to prove that I did not want the phone as they could not prove that I did want it.
Most reputation issues start with failing processes in a company and those processes most frequently fail as a company’s internal processes get structured around internal efficiencies and cost savings and increasingly not around the customer. Some times it can more malicious than that as company’s deliberately processes to confuse customers (known in business theory as “confusion pricing”) such as when a company sends you an eight page statement which is difficult to understand or follow. So I could be malevolent and say that Orange is running a business scam (aka headline Orange Mobile Phone Scam) but it is not that. It is simply a growing culture where customers as a group matter, but as an individual you don’t matter any more. Of course as individuals we matter much more than the group, since it is not the group who complains but the individual as I am doing right now.
Few consumers believe brand advertising anymore and we rely on friends for advice. It is to our tech friends that we turn for advice on what we should buy or not buy. As one of those early adopter types, I often get asked what I think. Well, Orange does not get my vote now.
These experiences are wake up calls, so now I am studying my account online and also thinking about how I want to use mobiles in future. Of course like a lot of mobile users in the UK, I am signed into a long account (in my case 18 months!) which severely limits my leverage over the company.
What did Orange do wrong? They simply treated an issue as my problem and not theirs. Junior members of the team were responsible for managing the account and I had not way of speaking to anybody more senior ( an increasingly common problem with telecoms and contact centre based companies) and so there is no easy way for me to resolve the problem. Solution is to scale back my account and then actually close it at the first opportunity. So in a few months time, it is is bye bye Orange and I will choose my new supplier carefully.
Apple’s iPhone 4 Antenna Fiasco
You bought an Apple iPhone 4 and now you walk into one of their stores and say “My iPhone doesn’t work when I hold it in my left hand on the corner of that street.” Pat comes the reply, “Don’t hold it in your left hand and avoid going to that part of the street. That leaves you with the only option, hold your iPhone as suggested by Apple.
The antenna misery of the iPhone 4 has enraged many customers, but denial mode seems to be the norm in Apple camp. Steve Jobs’ rather arrogant response seems he is asking customers to think if calling and receiving calls on their iPhone is really important. Another taunting tone from Apple is like ‘We are working on it.” so chill down relax, enjoy your holidays it’s just a phone and not a big deal.
Steve needs to analyze why every time Apple introduces a new product, it results in more pissed-off customers. Look at the billions you spend only to develop some kind of crap or you think customers are stupid, and they don’t know to hold the iPhone?
As always it’s clear, Apple’s handling of this antenna thing is awful, it reminds me of how Steve handled his illness. If Apple’s customers unite and force them to fix the issue will that look good for the company?
Reputation Management For.com- conducted reputation survey on Google top 20 searches only to find Apple’s Reputation Ranking in a poor picture. Steve needs to wake up and smell the coffee, you messed up the whole issue by not respecting your customers. Though you are one of the few who never admits when you are wrong, this time it’s serious. Face it, tender an apology! Ensure your customers that you will do whatever needed to address customer worries.
Some Companies Pay Attention… Land Rover & Quality
Do Land Rover fit together right?
Following the post of the weekend on Land Rover and the JD Powers IQS Survey, Jaguar Land Rover North America (the company name) responded with a more detailed rebuttal which I have quoted below in part (which I hope is okay with them). Two things interest me: they responded that fast which shows that they are paying attention to commentary and they responded in person. In other Jaguar Land Rover are reaching out to people who might be influencers.
I wanted to acknowledge reading your blog post on the J.D. Power quality ranking. Given our ranking, I guess we deserve random shots from afar, so no argument from me. I do want to share with you our position on the matter and give you some background on the survey itself.
The IQS survey measures customers’ reactions to how their vehicles’ function, such as in our case, the ease of closing and opening of a rear trunk, hatch and glove box, as well as items that require fixes, such as software updates for the Hands Free Communication System. Issues raised by owners do not specifically indicate malfunctions or build quality issues, but do represent a concern or dislike. There was no indication from J.D. Power that there were actual mechanical or driving problems, such as transmission failures. Frankly, the issues that arose were more annoying, than impactful on their reliability. Nothing to be proud of, but certainly the light-hearted imagery you portray of customers constantly driving to garages is misleading.On a positive note from this year’s survey, the Range Rover model was actually honored as a top rated quality vehicle in its segment. And in 2009, Jaguar placed tops in the industry for J.D. Power three year reliability (VDS). Also, our brands generally score well on J.D. Power’s APEAL survey, as well as overall sales and customer satisfaction surveys. Which basically means that while our vehicles might have some issues that pop up on this survey, those are strongly overshadowed by their overall great performance and design, as well as the desirability of the ownership experience. Nonetheless, we strive to do better.
In terms of the actual issues reported in this IQS survey, be assured actions are being taken. We have measures in place through the dealers to address most of the “fix” issues highlighted in the survey. In relation to the design issues, our team is committed to analyzing the comments and flowing these into future product considerations. Some criticized design items are already scheduled for improvement.
Delivering wonderful automobiles and ownership experiences is our top commitment. We can do better, but we also know that our customers generally love their automobiles and the service they recieve.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about our company. …
There is some sense of humour in the opening which is great as so many companies respond to criticism with a blank denial or a no comment. (Given our ranking, I guess we deserve random shots from afar, so no argument from me.) They also have a positive take on the survey and a rebuttal in terms of quality as in top rated quality vehicle in its segment.
What can we understand from the two sides? The IQS reveals that Land Rover owners are affected by lots of little niggles with their vehicle which LandRover assures are being addressed with a proviso that underlying design faults or mechanical faults are few are far between. Do Land Rover buyers expect too much from their vehicles? Interesting that Porsche was at the top of the survey when they have never been considered especially reliable, but then owners expect the car to be a bit of handful. Is there an issue with build quality or is this dealer delivery for Land Rover?
Is it coincidence that Jaguar and Land Rover are at the bottom (with Mini and Mitsubishi)? Remember that this is a consumer survey so Land Rover Reputation Managers will be aware that this is their customers’ doing the talking which suggests that maybe they need to reach out to them more and shape their perceptions more. If the faults are small and nebulous, how can Land Rover ensure that their owners are unconcerned by them. Furthermore the issue is critical for Land Rover: the design is excellent, cachet undoubted, brand positioning spot on, but continued issues with quality will undermine all that excellent work. Land Rover has been plagued by issues of mechanical failure and poor dealer and service (see landroverhell.com for an especially angry example from continental Europe, my business partner experienced some of this as well in Scotland.)
End of Term Report for Land Rover: your communications team is on the spot, but service and customer perception needs work.
Posted in Automotive, Company Reputation, Product Reviews, Quality | 
Tags: JD Power, Land Rover | 
2 Comments »
Another Day, Another Car Recall… How very 2010!
It seems like every other car manufacturer is discovering new flaws in their vehicles this year. There is a strange coincidence to it, almost, dare I say it, as though they have all known this all along but only now is it okay for the car companies to admit to the problems.
Latest to recall vehicles is Chrysler with the recall of 600,000 jeeps and minivans throughout North America. Obviously their owners will notice, but will the rest of us? If this had been 2008, it would have taken as evidence of US manufacturing failure, but mid 2010 it hardly warrants a shrug after all the prestigious Japanese marques have undertaken even more serious recalls. Once upon a time safety was a given, but now we are waking up in a world where even cars behave like Windows OS.
How badly will the Chrysler reputation be damaged? Very little most likely as we all have other reputations to trash such as BP or President Obama. There is a certain fatique for car recalls. It goes to show that timing is everything when it comes to reputation fallout from product failure. By holding on six months, Chrysler has ensured that few will really notice their failings.
Posted in Company Reputation, Damage Limitation, Product Reviews | Tags: Car Recalls, Chrysler | 1 Comment »
Air India flying low
Battling with a damaged reputation and internal unrest!
The national carrier of India, “Air India” seems to be in a complete disarray after a series of recent incidents jolting the reputation of the nation’s oldest airlines. Even before Air India could resurrect its image from the tragic crash in Mangalore which killed 158 passengers, another blow came with a strike called by Air India employees unions.
The internal unrest among the employees and management is due to faliure of the management to follow through on its latest verbal agreement to pay the lowest paid employees by July 3. The lowest paid unionized employees make less than $100 a week. Employees were angered with their pay being delayed at a time when the airline continued to buy new planes. This sorry state highlights the distorted image of the national carrier being plagued by chronic indiscipline. They lost credibility and with the mounting pressure to stay ahead in the race, Air India seems to have lost its track. This series of crisis exposes Air India’s inability to deal with crisis management. Here is what Air India’s spokesperson had to say to CNN IBN :
“We will not tolerate any strike. Striking employees will be subject to loss of wages and productive incentives.”
Left with a cumulative loss of about Rs 8000 crore, a battered reputation, and unsatisfied employees and customers, the international carrier will have a hard time to regain its respect. Absence of a solid PR is something they need to bring in to salvage their reputation. With competition and competitors looming high, Reputation Management For.com does not think Air India can afford to take this luxury to give PR a miss. High time they mend and sort the crisis before its too late to fasten their seat belts.
Posted in Company Reputation, Damage Limitation, Online PR, PR / Public Relations, Product Reviews, Reputation Management, Reputation News, Reputation Online | Tags: Air India, Air India Reputation, Airline, crisis management, India, Labor, Online Reputation, Reputation Management, USD | No Comments »
Corporate Reputation Management – Your business needs it!
Your brand is the most essential part of your business. Have you ever thought of how people view or value your brand? You may be running a big company, or may have a team of professionals, and generate a lot of revenue, but everything falls short when you lack sound corporate reputation management.
You may find it odd, but its true that external factors affect your business, it can be either a negative effect or a positive one. Corporate reputation management helps you to have a control over your business.
Studies suggest that only 9% of companies in the Fortune 100 list have control over their respective business or brands. This was based on the top ten listing shown on the first page of search engines and on how many of those top searches were owned by the said company.
Corporate reputation management rolls out a strategic plan to establish a control over the search results shown on the first page and even makes sure that the contents shown are all positive. It is very important to have a control over your business to maintain that positive online reputation. But it was also noticed that many big companies including the Fortune 100′s have negative comments about their products in the top page of Google. Beware! This will dampen the value of your brand in the long run, if not dealt properly.
Many business houses remain ignorant about the importance of online reputation management and bad press. But there are firms that deal with the company’s reputation and provide concrete SEO based reputation management solutions to overcome their reputation crisis and restore the lost sheen.
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Posted in Bad Press, Company Reputation, Damage Limitation, Online PR, PR / Public Relations, Product Reviews, Reputation Management, Reputation News, Reputation Online, RM Commentary, SEO | Tags: Bad Press, corporate reputation, Corporate Reputation Management, Fortune 100, negative comments, Online Brands, Online Reputation Management, ORM, PR / Public Relations, Reputation Management | 3 Comments »
Toyota faces refund claims
After a massive global recall, the Japanese car giant ‘Toyota’ is yet again feeling the heat with the car owners demanding for full refund of their cars. Adding to the already grief ridden recall saga, Toyota invited loads of criticisms followed by legal battles ever since the revelations of their car’s tendency to accelerate out of control. The technical glitch seems too hot to handle for Toyota, and now the customers are out of control.
Thankfully, the recent recall by both Honda and Toyota has let the consumer’s to lose their confidence for Japanese vehicles. Has this change in consumer preference exposed the grey area for Toyota or other Japanese car makers? Blessing in disguise, the American car makers, ‘GM Motors’ and ‘Ford’ are finally ready to capitalize on their once undisputed Japanese competitors.
Lately the Attorneys Toyota Actions Consortium (ATAC) added rackerteering claims on Toyota for its number of lawsuits. Tim Howard,who is coordinating the ATAC even said that :
“It’s become increasingly apparent that Toyota profits were not built on quality products, but on a willful pattern of deception, fraud and racketeering.”
Undoubtedly all these development has tormented the reputation of Toyota globally. The growing list of enraged customers proves how PR was never considered at the first place followed by the absence of a strategic reputation management. Setting an examples how things can slip off your hands, if not dealt the way it has to be. Toyota has lost its reputation and number one position for being the most favorable customer loyal car maker in US. But its only matter of time before we know how grave the scar is for Toyota and other Japanese car companies.
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Posted in Company Reputation, Damage Limitation, Product Reviews, Reputation Management, Reputation Online, RM Commentary | Tags: company reputation, Online Reputation Management, PR / Public Relations, Reputation Management, Toyota, toyota crisis management, Toyota Problems, Toyota recall | No Comments »
What can reputation management do for you?
Reputation Management services has become a key aspect for almost all companies. This dynamic service is coming to be regarded as a major boon for all businesses, brands, individuals and products who were victims of this so called reputation crisis. Your company’s reputation might be immaculate at present, but one can’t predict when the situation turns around.
Reputation management services might be something new, but in such a short span of time it has proven its mettle and has got recognition globally. From politician, sports personalities, celebrities, companies to doctors have all embraced it as yet another aspect or PR. It can’t be denied that many companies and brands are benefited with the effective tools of reputation management. No matter its a small business or a Fortune 500 company, reputation management service is meant for all.
It is debated that, the results of these reputation management services comes gradually and not in a haste. Well, to bring your reputation up is a systematic process needs patience, as this is a sensitive area. To promote a brand or key phrase and to optimize it correctly asks for time, and to further push down the negative results and at the same time bringing up positive contents needs a concrete strategy and proper allocation. Meanwhile the use of a pro-active SEO campaign is a smart way to bring up your brand image and reputation in search engines.
Many companies argue that, its really pain staking to sit and watch all negatives about the business, even after resorting to these reputation management services, but they have to understand the sensitivity of the issue. Reputation management campaign works as a process and it slowly weaves a positive image for your brand, making sure the credibility of your brand or company is never lost.
How it works :
After analysing the position of the company online, with the help of the articles, web pages, blogs and pictures, the reputation management plan is designed. After judging your present status online and by knowing how people perceive you, the repair works of your online reputation starts off.
As we all know ‘Google’ does an index of new pages fast, so by publishing blogs, web pages and articles about your company we can bring the positive side of your business. As your page gets cached by Google, you can work more stringently to rank those pages on the top searches. It can take a minimum of six months to get the results, but at the end of the day you are satisfied with what Google is coming up with about your company or brand . You have more control of your reputation and that makes all the difference!