Online Reputation Management

Author: Jawahn Thompson

Imagine it’s your first time ever in first class on an airplane. You’ve used a combination of frequent flyer miles from your spouse’s business travels and points earned through a rewards program with your credit card to book the two of you on a nonstop flight to a romantic destination for the weekend. You’re excited about your first time in first class having enough room to be comfortable and getting the extra perks that come along with the prestigious seating.

as the flight attendant walks by for the first time you ask him, “Excuse me, do you have any magazine’s I can look at.” He turns and says, “I’m sorry. Haven’t you heard about 9/11, airlines in bankruptcy, employee layoffs, overworked flight attendants? Of
Course, we don’t have any magazines. You should have brought your own.” You think to yourself, “But I thought I was in first class. I thought I’d get waited on hand and foot.” Then your spouse, who is a very frequent air traveler, lets you know that first class isn’t what it used to be.

Next, you try to put up your tray only to find out that it’s broken. It sits right in your lap, making it useless. When you point this out to the same flight attendant (actually, the only flight attendant it seems), he tells you that you must be doing something wrong. It’s not broken. When you show him it is broken he says, “Huh,” and walks away. You spend your flight with food in your lap and a huge disappointment over your “first class” treatment.

this, of course, is a true story that was relayed by a friend of mine, and one many air travelers can probably believe and most likely top. It seems that the service you get on an airline truly isn’t what it used to be, and most air travelers have learned to adjust. But what should you do if you’re met with rude airline employees or unacceptable amenities on the plane?

Complain.

it would have done my friend no good to complain to the flight attendant. He clearly didn’t care and most likely wasn’t in a position to change anything even if he had cared. So who should you complain to and how should you go about doing so?

Situations like this are best left to filing a formal complaint with the airline after the air travel experience is done. The best way to file a formal complaint is in writing either by written letter or e-mail.

before writing your complaint, attempt to get a hold of the airline’s passenger’s rights statement, often called a “conditions of carriage” or “contract of carriage” statement. It will spell out the airline’s policy on how passengers are to be treated. If you can find that your treatment or situation was against what is mentioned in their statement, it is best to include that in your letter. Copy the specific wording from their statement in your letter and relay exactly how your situation is in violation of their policy.

your written complaint should be professional and to the point and include the following information :

* Your flight information so that the airline knows exactly which flight you were on and which seat you were sitting in

* Focused details about your complaint. Explain what the situation was and why it was specifically a problem for you. Include the names of any airline employees who were rude, disrespectful or just plain made the situation worse. Also, if there were any employees who tried to make the situation better, but couldn’t, include their names also. Sometimes, your complaint has nothing to do with employee conduct.

* Choose which aspects of your experience to complain about and keep your letter to the point. In my friend’s case, the rudeness of the employee was much more of a problem than the fact that there were no magazines available for the passengers. The rudeness of the flight attendant should have been the focus of the incident.

* If you are a frequent traveler with that airline, state it in the letter. If the experience has made you rethink your relationship with the airline, state that also. It will get their attention.

* Send a copy of your complaint to The Department of Transportation and the Aviation Consumer Action Project and let the airline know you’re doing so. This will also get their attention. The address for the Department of Transportation is 400 7thStreet SW, Room 4107, Washington, DC 20590. Address the letter to the attention of the Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The address for the Aviation Consumer Action Project is P.O. Box 19029, 589 14 th Street NW, Suite 1265, Washington, DC 20036.

* A detailed explanation of how you would like the airline to go about remedying the situation. You could ask for monetary compensation, frequent flyers miles added to your account, discounts, free travel, or perhaps just an apology. Don’t get greedy, however. Is an overworked, disgruntled employee’s snip about no magazines really worth a free ticket?

* You may wish to include a photocopy of your tickets, but don’t EVER send your original documents.

Before writing a formal letter of complaint, you may try making a phone call to complain and remedy your situation, but most experts agree that writing a formal letter of complaint is a much more effective way of getting satisfaction from the airline.

By: Alyic Edrich

Customer complaints are never easy for small businesses.  Many small businesses are run from a staff of five or less, which means a lot of heart, soul, and pure sweat goes into every order or service.  So how can small businesses handle customer complaints without taking them personally?

The first step towards dealing with customer complaints is to acknowledge how the complaints make you feel. Once those feelings are acknowledged, it will be easier to look at the customer complaints from an objective standpoint. After all, customer complaints immediately put you, the small business owner, on the defense which makes it difficult to be objective.  Customer complaints can also make you feel as though you have failed in some way. And finally, customer complaints can leave you feeling quite frustrated.

Since customer satisfaction is key to building customer loyalty and repeat sales, it’s important for you to make sure your customers not only feel, but believe, that their complaints are being taken seriously. When they feel as though you respect them, regardless of how petty their complaints may or may not be, they’re more apt to return to do business with you again and to praise your company instead of dragging it through the mud.

With that in mind, here are a few tips to help every small business owner handle customer complaints in a productive and non-offending way.

For online businesses:

You’ve just opened your business email and you’re confronted with a customer complaint, how do you handle it?

1. Let the initial shock take place as you read the email.

2. Once you’ve read the email, take a deep breathe and tell yourself, “Okay, there’s a problem here that needs to be addressed, but first I am going to step away from the computer for ten minutes and let the problem sink in. Then I’ll come back and look at it from an objective point of view.”

3. Walk away from the computer for at least ten minutes.

4. Go back to the email and re-read it again.  Then ask yourself, “What exactly is the problem?  How can it be handled?  What would satisfy the customer without hurting my pocket-book or the company’s reputation?”

5. Write your thoughts down in a word document, check for grammar and spelling and then let it sit there for a few minutes while you read and answer a few more emails.

6. After you’ve give your response a cooling off period go back to the email and ask yourself, “How does it sound?  Am I short-tempered with my words or was I apologetic? Did I offer a reasonable solution to the problem?” If you’re not sure, ask a business associate or friend to read it over for you.

7. Once you feel the email is ready to be sent, send it out.

8. Give the customer one day or two to read over your email and respond.  If your customer has not replied, give him a call.  Let your customer know that his (or her) satisfaction is very important to you.