We ate dinner at a local restaurant last night. It’s not something we do very often. Dinner out is a luxury, especially for a self-employed couple with two growing businesses!
It didn’t start well. We waited over 20 minutes in a not-crowded restaurant for a meal that was presented poorly. The 7 oz. sirloin was accompanied by about 1-1/2 sliced mushrooms and a huge gob of garlic mashed potatoes that weren’t all that warm. Ten minutes after we had our meal, our salads arrived … with the wrong dressing.
Anyone can have a bad day, and I’m not usually critical when the waitress or the cook make an honest mistake. But this particular waitress wasn’t interested in getting it right … she wanted us to know that it wasn’t her fault. She actually said it “wasn’t her job” and “I didn’t make the salads.” After which my husband said, “we’d like to talk to the manager.”
Here’s where the story changes. The manager apologized for the poor service and offered to make it right. He made no excuses, thanked us for bringing it to his attention, and credited us for both of our meals. We left the restaurant feeling like we had been listened to and hopeful that our dining experience was just a temporary glitch at an otherwise decent place to eat. We’ll be back.
Now here’s the thing: As my husband and I were waiting for our meals, then waiting for our waitress, we both had the same thought … service this poor deserves to be recognized.
We’re living in what many call a Web 2.0 world. We are more connected now than ever before. Look at the proliferation of business review sites … and how reviews are integrated into search results. Before we ever visit a restaurant, a hair salon, the local mechanic, etc., we can see what others have said about their service. Does the contractor show up on time and get the job done right the first time? We base our buying decisions on what others have said about a product or service.
The quality of your customer service is your brand, especially in today’s interconnected online world. Any business that ignores this fact, does so at its own peril. Excellent customer service is your most important marketing activity.
Talk back to me. Do online reviews impact your buying decisions? Have online reviews helped or hurt your business? Do you review local merchants and service providers? Why or why not?
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I don’t actually look for reviews for local businesses but I do sometimes try to find the business’s Website. Sometimes, it is a review of disgruntled customers blog that shows up in the search.
It can be hard for a business to counteract even an isolated incident in the current online world. If you had not talked to the manager above, what would have been the impact on his business? Had this post been a negative one about the particular restaurant, he might not even find out about it for months. On the other hand, not all glowing reports about a business (online especially) are unbiased or unpaid. It is also easy to sabotage a business with false reviews (I have no doubt about the existence of these either). There is a need for bloggers to be honest in reviews both free and paid.
I have seen the management of a couple locally owned restaurants actively check to see how customers feel. Oddly, these businesses also seem to be doing very good business. Perhaps, being proactive is the best solution for businesses?
As you said – those negative reviews do show up in the search results, especially for small businesses. That’s just one of the reasons why I believe it’s imperative for the local business owner to be proactive, monitor how his business name is showing up online, and build a strong online presence.
Thanks for your insight!