Week 2 Part A: Communication Between Business and Consumer

 Social media has given the power back to consumers and allowed businesses to connect in a more meaningful way with those consumers and create new ones. In the past, if you had an issue with a company, your options were to make a direct complaint to them (with hopes they would fix it) or complain to friends and family. That type of word-of-mouth marketing was pretty effective but not nearly as far-reaching as what we have today. Instead of your complaint making it to a few ears in your small circle of friends and family, a post on social media can reach tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people, making a company sit up and listen.  It can also be a powerful tool for small businesses or individuals just getting started since it has taken away the traditional power structure a company needs to be seen by the larger public. Now startups, bands, artists, fashion designers, etc., all have access to powerful tools to reach and engage their audience and grow their brands. It has never been easier to be seen and heard all across the globe if you have a unique product or voice. 

We all look at reviews for one thing or another, and a business's response can really make an impact on existing and potential customers. A simple answer to a customer review, complaint, or suggestion can either endear or enrage people. I checked out reviews for several of the locally owned businesses my husband and I frequent and found two that stood out because of the difference in the owner's responses. Ben's Barketplace (a pet health food store) has primarily positive 4 and 5-star reviews. The owner of Ben's responded to almost every single one on Google. He thanked customers for their positive reviews and responded respectfully and calmly to the few negative ones. He didn't make excuses or try to shift the blame to the customer for their bad experience and always invited them back so they could make it right.

Our local mechanic, Garage 47, also has excellent reviews, which is how we found them when we first moved to the area. The owner responded to a few good and bad reviews, but not many. Some of those were in response to reviews he thought were made in error or ones he suspected were fake, which was a little cringy to read, to be honest. Savvy consumers can usually spot a fake review. They typically sound like the person left it out of spite or pettiness. (As an aside, my husband and I actually get a kick out of reading 1-star reviews, and this podcast segment called '1 Star Heroes' is pretty hilarious - https://youtu.be/aXaOJ7B0D1M?t=3206). Anyway, responding to these feels like a waste of time. If this were my business, I'd concentrate on replying to legit reviews - good and bad. Doing that can foster loyalty by making your customers feel heard, plus a company can learn from their customer's grievances. Was there something they could have done differently, or was this an instance where things were simply out of their hands?

The first review I left for this assignment was for my favorite local car wash, Sunrise Car Wash. I tried this place out after being constantly frustrated by Quick Quack. While the wash was acceptable at Quick Quack, it always seemed like there were never enough vacuums for the number of customers. I stopped into this other carwash one day and was totally sucked in (pun intended) by their vacuums! There are always plenty of open vacuum stalls, no matter how busy they are, and they are impressively powerful. They were so good I was able to get the sand out of my car after a trip to the lake with our dogs, but I also managed to suck up my car key in the process -- oops! Their customer service was excellent. While they couldn't guarantee they'd find my key, the attendant and I shared a laugh about my mishap. They ended up finding it two days later and, even if they hadn't, they still would have won a loyal customer. The other review I left was for one of our favorite eateries, Mehfil Indian Restaurant. After moving to Sacramento, we hunted for months to find those flavors we'd become so addicted to after living in Asia. In my review, I raved about their food but also commented that their lunch buffet wasn't nearly as flavorful and spicy as what we get for dinner.

While I don't leave reviews often, when I have, they are always positive. I can't even recall being so disappointed or angered by a business that I felt the need to leave a negative review. We've all had unfortunate experiences, but I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt because anyone can have an off day. My husband and I really relied on Google and Yelp reviews when we first moved to California because we didn't know anyone in the area. Still, for some reason, I hadn't really thought about my lack of reviewing before this assignment. I'll definitely be making a more concerted effort from now on to leave reviews for the businesses we love. 

Leave only pawprints...and sand everywhere you go