Week 2 Part A: Communication Between Business & Consumer

 Social media not only increases your chances of being heard or helped by a company, it increases the visibility of the businesses’ problem solving skills and customer valuation. You can tweet, for instance, about a business and due to the social visibility via tags, mentions, and following businesses aim to turn negative feedback around. “Dirty Laundry” so to speak greases the squeaky wheel of feedback replies. In the past, business transactions and experiences were very private. Even a customer sharing with a small circle of their closest friends and family wouldn’t seriously cause any problems. Now your business can quickly show up to hundreds, thousands, or even millions negatively. 

I think business reviews, ironic compared to what I wrote above, are more often than not used incorrectly and abused by customers. Customer’s are not always right, we live in an age of instant gratification, and we as people tend to forget the humanity of others once money is passing hands. A lot of reviews I read for complaints that a preference wasn’t met at a restaurant, for example, or that a customer felt entitled to concessions for minor reasons. I think its incredibly important to peruse all reviews available critically, as well as use the ability to review so publicly with discretion and understanding. 

I always leave positive reviews if my review is positive! I love point out things that are memorable or worthwhile and sharing those with others. Not exactly a business once could argue, but I seriously enjoy leaving book reviews after I finish them. I can get so many of my thoughts out, connect with others, and even help the author with sales potentially. If I do have a negative experience, I try hard to highlight what was good and what I think could be better. I refrain from being demeaning or disrespectful. 

I think that calm, consistent, positive, and helpful tone are all vital when responding to one’s own business reviews. Harsh language, aggressive behavior, or rude interactions can cause you to lose customers who may of otherwise had a great experience. I think its important to strive for and encourage positive reviews as well as by addressing the concerns if the negative ones.