Customers can share both good and bad customer experiences on the Word of Mouth Online site and most reviews are immediately made live without being edited.
The site receives about 1.2 million page views a month and is growing at about 50% a year.
It has almost 100,000 members who have submitted 12,000 reviews in the last month. The site has been running since 2007.
Site co-founder Fiona Adler says the integrity of the reviews is assessed with several filters highlighting reviews that may need to be checked. Users and businesses can also flag reviews they believe to be suspect.
While most reviews are positive, irate customers do make their way to the site. “While some businesses don’t like it, review sites like womo.com.au are improving customer service standards in Australia,” Adler says.
We’re on our way to becoming a meritocracy, with the best and worst businesses being exposed online,” Adler says.
“Smart local businesses are tapping in to customer reviews as a more authentic and transparent way of promoting their business and many are seeing a corresponding surge in customer enquiries.”
While it may seem overwhelming to try to defend your reputation online, it’s a necessary step for all businesses.
The managing director of software and services company Listening Post, Leigh Thomas, says businesses can’t ignore what is being said about them online.
“Businesses need to be an active participant online so they can shape the outcome of particularly the negative conversations.”
The director of Sydney social media marketing firm Cloud Public Relations, Sonja Bertrand, agrees. Many businesses worry about threats to their online reputation, she says.
“But it’s vital for businesses to understand that this threat exists regardless of whether you have an online presence or not. Your customers are already using the internet and they will share their business experiences online – good and bad.”
The co-fonder of social media research and risk management firm SR7, James Griffin, says the best approach to dealing with a negative comment made online varies depending on the incident, but a genuine apology is a good placed to start.
“Many of the real world tactics in dealing with unhappy customers can be applied online,” Griffin says. “However, you should consider that the online conversation may be there for a long time.”
If the conversation starts to take a turn for the worse, then it’s time to take it offline, he says. “Suggest a private email or a phone number for the customer to call. You don’t have to put up with unrealistic or rude comments.”
Word of Mouth Online co-founder Fiona Adler agrees. The moment you become aware of a negative review is not the time to respond, she says.
“Yes, you should respond and address their feedback quickly, but you need to make sure you’re in the right mindset. Keep the review in perspective and don’t take it to heart.”
Source: Sonja Bertrand, director, Cloud Public Relations
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
