How do companies protect their reputations in the age of Twitter?
We live in a time when bad news travels like
the plague thanks to digital communications and online networks. Almost anyone has the power to cause damage: unhappy customers, staff with a grudge, or unscrupulous rivals.
A couple of years ago Domino's Pizza, the home delivery chain, suffered a mini-crisis when two cooks uploaded a video on to YouTube of them doing disgusting things to Domino's food. Fairly swiftly the company fired the miscreants, and posted their own film
of the CEO apologising. He
made the right moves: a rapid,
firm response, being honest and transparent.
On a somewhat more trivial scale, I learnt just before giving a speech a while ago that a 'friend' had tampered with
my Wikipedia entry, and added details of a purported prosecution in my youth for inappropriate relations with badgers! My oration was not up to scratch that evening,
I have to report...
But such issues can be serious matters. Websites, blogs and social media do great harm
to any business that deals
with the public by creating false impressions. Genuine complaints deserve to be heard, but the internet is largely unregulated, and so
no one knows how trustworthy posted comment is.
In traditional media such
as print and broadcasting,
libel laws apply, and there is normally a thorough editing process. The digital universe
is the Wild West by comparison. Of course, authentic opinion
is entirely fair. But often companies find lies or exaggeration. The only solution is for every business to police
its e-reputation, and notify
the website owner to correct inaccuracies. Specialist advisors can be hired who
are experts in this field.
Sometimes it is better to ignore such defamatory material, because talking about it can raise awareness. But generally it makes sense to take action and stop the rot.
A more subtle approach may have to be taken with customers who use their Twitter accounts to complain about service. Companies are increasingly using sophisticated software
to scan the online world for negative tweets and then
send direct messages to the individuals concerned in a bid to take the issue offline. In an age when bad news can go viral in an instant, eternal vigilance pays off.
Luke Johnson is chairman of Risk Capital Partners, part owner of a number of restaurant chains, and author of Start it Up: Why Running Your Own Business is Easier Than You Think (Portfolio Penguin, £12.99)
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