"Do I Need To Defend My Online Reputation - And How Do I Do It?"

Q: A disgruntled customer recently posted a complaint against me on a consumer forum. It's there for everyone to see. Do I need to defend my online reputation - and how do I do it?

A: With consumers increasingly turning to the web to research their purchases, the answer to the first question is "yes"! You do need to defend your online reputation, especially if you plan to succeed in the online marketplace.

This can be a daunting task. It's now much easier for online prospects and clients to dig up the dirt on your business. It's also much easier for anyone to publicly air their complaints and negative reviews about you.

Online forums for consumer reviews run the gamut from wide open to strictly moderated. Some of these online services, such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or Angie's List, actively try to resolve or clarify consumer complaints.

But many other online sites let anyone upload their opinions about your business. Two of the most popular open review sites include Yelp and CitySearch. On top of that, Internet-savvy consumers can set up a personal blog in under 3 minutes and immediately start unloading on your online reputation.

The web is so wide open that in three minutes, someone can ruin the reputation you built years building. That's the bad news.

The good news is that there are tools and methods available. Here's a 3-step process for dealing with online hits to your reputation.

1. Client service

More than 150 years ago, Charles Dickens wrote that "charity begins at home." Well, today, so does your online reputation.

Managing your online reputation starts with a client service process that addresses customer complaints before they explode on to the web.

The importance of client service is nothing new. Successful insurance agents have known for decades that client service is crucial for word-of-mouth referrals. And these referrals have traditionally been the key to long-term success.

But even businesses with exceptional client service get complaints. Yes, many of these complaints may seem bogus. But they all still have to be properly addressed.

Do you have a policy for addressing customer complaints? If not, it's time to put one together. It doesn't have to be a 500-page book. But you need to make sure you cover the basics:

• People
  Of course, this point is moot if you're a one-person agency. But if you have more than a couple of people in your office, you should identify the specific individuals who will be tasked with and authorized to deal with complaints.


• Documentation
  Paper trails can be your friend. Make it a hard-fast policy that you document all conversations with your clients. You may even want to create a separate complaint file for each case, with copies of all contracts, applications and previous conversations. If the complaint ever grows into a full legal case, documentation will also help you win the day.


• Equality
  As much as possible, you’ll need to treat all customer complaints equally. If you give in to one customer, you’ll have a weaker position when dealing with another client with a similar complaint. Otherwise, you may expose yourself to allegations of discrimination.

2. Monitoring your online reputation

The first step to defending your online reputation is to know when someone is attacking it.

For starters, many people make it a habit to conduct an "ego-surf" on a regular basis. This entails using search engines to check for webpages that mention your name or business.

You can then go through the listed search engine results to see if those pages are portraying you or your company in a negative light. You should also join forums that deal with your specific industry. Run periodic searches in these forums for mentions of your agency or name to look for posted reviews.

Unfortunately, these "manual" searches can get tedious. A more efficient solution is to use free services such as Yahoo Alert or Google Alert.

These alerts will monitor online news, groups, videos and blogs for the keywords you indicate. They'll then send you an email whenever a webpage containing those keywords appears in a search.

To set up your alert, I recommend starting with http://www.google.com/alerts. If you already have a Google or gmail account, you can login using your existing username. Otherwise, you'll need to create a free account. Once you're in, you can create multiple alerts based on different keyword variations.

For example, you can set up an alert using just your personal name as the keywords. You can then set up a second alert using your agency name as the keyword. Whenever Google spots a new web page with those keywords, they'll send you an email warning.

For a more thorough alert system, larger businesses will use paid services such as trackur.com or brandseye.com. In addition to conducting deeper searches for online postings about your business, they'll also help you to address serious attacks.

3. Addressing complaints

Once you do find negative comments about you or your agency, you're first step is probably to stop yourself from posting an immediate reply!

Give yourself some time to.

• Get a grip on your emotions!
  Anger is a natural and common response to negative reviews - especially when it's being broadcast to the public. But it can only make your situation worse if you don't acknowledge and control it.


• Get the facts.
  Before you reach out to the consumer, gather all the documentation and information you have about the complaint.


• Formulate a plan of action.
  Come up with potential solutions you can offer the client before you even contact them. I also recommend disarming the client by taking a "let's solve this problem" approach, whenever possible. Be prepared to invest some time for active listening on your part, because many disgruntled clients may just need to vent.

Of course, not all complaints can be resolved. Some clients just have no interest in finding a solution or even listening to reason.

If you run into such a situation, don't lose your cool or lash out. You may have to chalk it up as one of those battles that are just not worth fighting directly.

Isolated complaints usually won't hurt you as much - especially if you can document your attempts to find a resolution. If the complaint is in a forum that allows comments, you could post a professional response that doesn't insult the client.

But sometimes, the best course of action may be to just ignore them.

The key point that consumers will appreciate is that you tried. And that shows you really do value customer service.

Don't underestimate the importance of customer service - and satisfaction. In fact, many companies who participate in consumer forums often find that their companies' biggest defenders aren't employees. Rather, they find that it's their satisfied customers who are actively defending their brand.