You’ll never know the value of your company image until it gets tarnished. Typically, you will receive criticism from unsatisfied customers. Such issues are easy to resolve. But there is cause for alarm when the criticism comes from former employees. Responding publicly to people who know the ins and outs of your business can be a difficult task.
It would help to have a strong reputation management strategy. It will enable you to handle your most valuable business asset: your reputation. However, developing an effective reputation strategy is not easy. You might need to hire professionals, such as Status Labs, to help you create it.
How to Handle Negative Feedback From Former Employees
Don’t Retaliate
It can be tempting to hit back at the person who’s trying to spoil your name. But don’t react just yet. You need to calm your emotions down and act rationally. By doing this, you will be able to make wise decisions. Also, you will avoid doing things that you may regret later.
Understand the Issues Raised
You need to scrutinize the query or comment well before you formulate a response. For instance, is the complaint factual or not? Is it common feedback? And do you have the right means to respond?
Respond Professionally
Do not consider negative reviews from your former employees personal attacks. Act professionally, and do not get defensive, no matter how upsetting the feedback is. You should also give your response in public, since the complaint was made in public.
Create a Reputation Management Strategy
A tainted image can be costly to your business. The best defense against negative reviews is how to manage your reputation. A reputation strategy will provide directions on how to safeguard your company image among customers and former employees. It will also provide a response plan to be used in case the company is caught up in battles with unhappy employees.
What Is Reputation Management?
Reputation management is applying particular strategies geared toward creating the correct perception of a company to the outside world. It is a way of improving how others see and think about your business. Knowing how to manage your reputation is essential for several reasons, including:
- Increased credibility and trust among customers: Online reviews affect the way your customers perceive you. Positive reviews will help you create trust and credibility among existing and potential customers.
- Many negative reviews and low ratings can turn away customers: Negative reviews and low online ratings indicate that you are not the best in your industry. If you cannot manage your online reputation, customers will always pass you by and move on to your competitors.
- Business reputation affects revenue generation: High online ranking leads to high profit margins. This is because positive reviews will attract and retain many high-quality customers. And when you have a large customer base, your revenue will be high.
Hiring Business Reputation Experts
The surest bet for having an effective reputation management strategy is partnering with professionals. Status Labs, for instance, has exceptional knowledge and experience in developing high-quality reputation strategies. They will help you improve your online reputation in many ways, including by:
• Monitoring your company’s search results.
• Promoting your company brand.
• Investigating false feedback.
• Responding quickly to feedback.
• Suppressing negative feedback.
• Managing reputation crises.
When you are faced with a reputation crisis in your organization, you need to act fast. Negative reviews can cost you dearly. But with a professional reputation management company, such as Status Labs, you need not worry. They will help you maintain an incredible reputation, which will boost the growth of your business.
