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No company is perfect. Missteps take place. But a company’s true colors are displayed when it responds to inevitable missteps. Of course, one way that criticism is both received and responded to is through social media channels. Before booking a trip to a hotel or making a restaurant reservation, I pay particular attention to how management responds to criticism on social media sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp. Do they accept accountability when things go wrong? It’s not me, it’s you… Here’s one admittedly extreme example of a company’s refusal to accept any criticism of either their customer service or food quality during and after their appearance on a national TV show.
Two restauranteurs became the subject of Internet ridicule due to their wild attempts to repair their reputation after being abandoned by Gordon Ramsay on Kitchen Nightmares. Samy and Amy Bouzaglo argued with the TV chef after inviting him to critique their Arizona bistro. Then they took on the entire Internet of “punks” and “haters” after the episode showed the married owners of the Amy’s Baking Company bistro in an unflattering light. Much of this exchange was captured on Facebook. First there was an implausible denial that anyone could possible question the quality, service or reputation of Amy’s Baking Company:
Then the insults started to fly as the owners lashed out at any and all criticism, even threatening to report names to the police:
As you can imagine, this small Arizona restaurant is now being besieged with negative reviews not only for their service and food quality but for their extreme and unacceptable reaction to criticism. I can’t share all of the details as there are several profanity-laced tirades but you can learn more by clicking on the following link: How Not To React To Internet Criticism: The Epic Facebook Meltdown Of Amy’s Baking Company . Taking it on the chin A much more positive example of accountability comes from a unique waffle sandwich restaurant in Chicago called BEL 50. This restaurant has clearly earned its 4-star reputation by accepting accountability when customer service is not at its best, as the following excerpt from Yelp highlights (click to enlarge image):
After working for a hospitality database marketing firm earlier in my career, I can tell you that this type of admission and response to criticism is surprisingly uncommon. But it is this type of accountability that earns loyalty and a reputation for service excellence, proven again and again on media sites such as Yelp. BEL 50’s owner won over several previously unsatisfied customers and turned them into brand advocates by taking this approach. Both examples cited above are small businesses with one retail outlet. But being big doesn’t excuse accountability. The Twitter handles @VerizonSupport and @VZWSupport provide fast and effective support and information for Verizon and Verizon Wireless businesses, respectively. The responses and accolades from customers speak for themselves. @EMCSupport, EMC’s Twitter handle for customer service related issues, has begun to gain traction from both reactive and proactive standpoints. It also serves as a way to gain direct recommendations from customers and partners in areas such as our online support site. One of my favorite marketing thought leaders is Scott Stratten, author, speaker and Founder of UnMarketing.com. I’d like to end with a recent tweet from Scott: “Customers complaining about your business on Twitter is not a social media issue.” Some companies, especially Amy’s Baking Company, haven’t learned this important lesson. “The opinions expressed here are my personal opinions. Content published here is not read or approved in advance by EMC and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of EMC nor does it constitute any official communication of EMC.” |
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