4 Things That Will Destroy Your Business Reputation

Ignoring Social Media

Social media is a real-time barometer of how your business is performing, given that people can post their feelings instantaneously. Social media can be a positive, but when there are gathering storm clouds above your business in this realm, they must be addressed. Customers make up their minds much quicker than they used to, and any social media firestorm that’s unaddressed for too long will take an immediate toll. Businesses must engage on social media, even if it means that they have to have unpleasant discussions because all it takes is a day to destroy your brand.

Not Investing in Customer Service

While customer service may not be a revenue-producing function like sales, it’s an integral part of the equation for your business. Customer service isn’t just about processes and campaigns, but it’s also about people as well who sometimes have the task of delivering bad news. When you invest in customer services, it means putting resources into agents and giving them the necessary tools to do their jobs. Great customer service agents will know how to deliver bad news, which sometimes must be given to customers.

Trying Too Hard

For lack of a better analogy, businesses that try to be the proverbial “cool kids” never seem to be in step with the customers who they’re trying to serve. When a business tries too hard to be trendy, it risks going a step too far. For example, while you should engage on social media, when you attempt to be ubiquitous, it can come off as annoying. There’s a proper amount of engaging and businesses shouldn’t exceed it.

Inconsistency

Your business should be maintaining a consistent and unified message. In other words, this is its brand. All messaging should be done with an eye toward the overarching picture that your company is trying to convey. A scattershot message will send out conflicting signals. This could lead to the worst-case scenario in which your business loses the trust of its customers.

The world of business is fraught with potential landmines. While you should be trying to get ahead, your business must also think in terms of potential mistakes.