Losing Sleep Over a Negative review? Part One

In 2016, Evolving Media wrote an article for Kitchen’s On Wheels Canada to address the issue of negative reviews written by unscrupulous people on Social Media. We addressed the issue of fake news and the #METOO movement and how it affects business. Now we’re 2019, and we decided to discuss this topic once again, with part two of our conversation.

In the age of social media, where everyone wants and needs to be heard, looking for their 15 minutes of fame. It can be difficult to weed out factual news articles, even more, difficult to determine if the review you just read, is legitimate.

You didn’t buy that widget you wanted because of a negative review placed by a bored, ten-year-old, at home.

Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Facebook, the largest Social Media platform to date, recently acknowledged that many news articles that people share on Facebook are fake. Granted, he seems to think the percentage is small, but he has no idea what the actual number is.

Mark Zuckerberg Addresses Fake News On Facebook November 19, 2016, at 5:21 PM ET NPR

We live in a time where there are no filters, and everything is instant.

Same holds true with websites that allow the general public to post comments, write bad reviews, slander a company, without fact-checking. The provider of the site assumes no responsibility, conducts little or no followups, and has no journalists on staff to weed out the noise. What’s worse, no one can get in touch with the owners of these websites.

In another, more recent event;

Wendy’s Serves Up A Takedown Of A Twitter Troll January 3, 2017, at 7:47 pm EST. The Huffington Post Canada.

Someone on Twitter claimed that Wendy’s Restaurants do not use fresh meat, only frozen. Wendy’s Restaurant Corporate, shut them down, by reinforcing the founder’s belief.

WHAT IS A COMPANY TO DO?
As you work on your business or your organization, what steps do you take to filter out the “Bad Reviews” and the “noise.” The first step, acknowledge that it’s impossible to avoid a “Bad Review,” even more impossible to prevent “false claims” by a disgruntled employee, an angry customer, your competition, who may be afraid of your success or who aim to tear you down.

ASK YOURSELF, WHAT DO YOU DO?
Do you arm yourself to the teeth with Lawyers, and go after every bad review you receive? Not likely, you wouldn’t be in business for long as your earnings would go to paying for the Lawyers new car, or their vacation to Hawaii.

Relax, take a deep breath. The second step is to acknowledge that it is impossible to please everyone.

The fact of the matter is this: likes, dislikes, and the accompanying opinions are subjective. No matter how much information you provide a client or how smoothly you operate, someone will be unhappy; do your best. Try to answer the questions to the best of your ability, stay positive, maintain a friendly stance and treat every customer as a new customer.

Serve them the best dish, give them proper service, be polite, and make sure to get paid. The third step. This one is important. Do not panic.

Take a deep breath, sip some wine, have a beer, or enjoy a nice cup of Espresso coffee or tea. Negative feedback is a part of life, and it’s not the end of the world. Nothing great was built in a day and success involves a few bumps on the road. If you live in Quebec, well potholes.