Creating a reputation

The last post discussed the importance of a company's reputation and ways to monitor and measure reputation to become more reactive. As soon as a company begins it is important to establish it self and its reputation. Business in focus magazine again explains? 1.Establish trust – Keeping your word no matter what in terms of providing services, paying vendors when they are due, and keeping promises to customers. This will help solidify and build credibility with customers. 2.Be responsive – Return calls and answer emails promptly, letting the customer know their importance to you and your organization. 3.Resolve errors and mistakes – Never make excuses or place blame on the customer if it is an issue that is the fault of you or the company. An irate customer can become your biggest ally if you make an effort to resolve errors or mistakes as quickly as possible. 4.Offer value – Offering free services to loyal customers and paying attention to details and preferences of the customer can go a long way towards establishing your company’s reputation in the market. 5.Be sensitive to privacy – With rampant identity theft and hacking, being aware of the sensitive nature of financial information is more important than ever. 6.Become technologically savvy – Demonstrating a proficiency in technology can add to the reputation of a company and is critical to being perceived as a competent and capable business. Computers, software, voicemail, websites, and social media sites must be kept up to date. 7.Communicate effectively and transparently – Correspondence such as letters, emails, voicemails and other methods of communication should be direct and to the point. Use correct spelling and grammar and leave contact information for the customer and company information such as full name, address, phone, fax, website URL, toll-free number, hours and other vital information – is displayed in prominent location. 8.Maintain a polished and professional website – Having a clean, up-to-date, professional website is absolutely vital today, regardless of the type or size of business. 9.Community Service – Generosity to local organizations such as non-profits can go a long way toward building and establishing the reputation of your organization. Community service can include providing a service pro bono or donating money, time or food for an event or fundraiser.



There is extra needed to create an online reputation in the form of-
 Assigning responsibility – As a business leader, you must trust someone to have the ability to become the “face” for the organization on a social networking website. Choose someone who will have the time to dedicate toward updating and maintaining the social networking site as well as responding to customer inquiries or complaints.Keep your staff informed and educated – Give your staff an idea of what can and cannot be said on social networking sites as well as keeping them aware of the latest marketing and communication campaigns or any sort of company policy that will be implemented that will have an impact on the customers. Keep each division and all staff members aware of each other so the message that will be disseminated will be consistent to the mission and “voice” of the company. Be responsive in times of crisis – As Gemma Craven, EVP of Ogilvy PR’s 360 Digital Influence team says, “It’s no longer the Golden Hour, but the Golden Minute. Lack of a well-crafted, well-meaning response could cost you.” Creating numerous social media sites has given customers multiple options to voice their opinions – either negative or positive – about your company. Taking ownership of your social media sites will give you the control you need to manage the conversation and quickly respond to feedback. Monitoring and responding to customers and resolving issues quickly will go a long way toward establishing a positive reputation for your organization.
Establish your online reputation – When a potential customer searches online for the name of your company, your business should be on the first page. In addition, social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn should also be on there once those sites are created and established. Creating a strong online presence is essential for an organization to establish its brand and maintain its reputation.



http://www.businessinfocusmagazine.com/2012/10/the-importance-of-business-reputation/