Keeping the Customer Satisfied

I've posted entries earlier here about the importance of customer service - and how a bad consumer experience can override any ads that a company may put out touting its great products and services. Bad news spreads much faster now, with social networking and web-based communications, than it ever did before, and that can really hurt you.

Now, there's some research which may help convince those uncaring managers of the importance of good relations with their consumers. The Center for Media Research points to a new Deloitte Consumer Products Group survey which finds 62 percent of consumers read product reviews online that were written, not by "experts," but by other consumers. And eight out of ten from that group say those reviews have directly influenced their purchasing decisions - either for or against.

I'll say it again: advertising is important. Of course it is. But a brilliant ad campaign may not overcome the negative impact of a bad review from an unhappy customer. Companies ignore that fact at their peril.