Corporate reputation matters (just ask Toyota!).
It takes very little effort to keep customers happy; yet many companies seem to have such disdain for their clients that they just can’t be bothered to solve little problems effectively.
But the customer is fighting back. Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook, blogs (like this one) and peer-to-peer company review sites, there’s ample opportunity for customers to vent their spleen.
Does it work? Oh yes. Especially when the company’s reputation is based on quality and safety. Like KwikFit. KwikFit is of course the nationwide tyres-to-exhausts-to-servicing car care company that prides itself on beating the image of backstreet garages; championing the vulnerable customer and sending people off with a smile, a safe vehicle and a reasonably full pocket.
However, they messed up with my friend and colleague Chris Street, who just happens to be a PR consultant and social media expert. Hey, everyone messes up sometime- that’s not the problem. But KwikFit’s inability to put things right has got Chris incensed; and the result is an extraordinary social media campaign.
This post on Chris’ blog has (as I write) over 40 comments; and it’s a blog which is read by several hundred influential journalists every month. He has also begun a Facebook campaign which has gathered some serious momentum.
Again as I write, KwikFit seem to be dragging their heels; which is fairly typical of big companies in a state of disorganisation. You, however, as a small company, can be far smarter:
- Stamp on customer problems with religious fervour. Get them fixed. Fast. Happy customers will usually recommend you; but guess what: disappointed customers who get their problems fixed fast are even more likely to recommend you; precisely because they are so surprised to have their problems solved easily.
- Be seen on social networks. For example, check out the user reviews for a bar I have recently been ‘frequenting’. A one-star review has been answered in person by the management- nice job.
- Put your point of view across. Don’t just sit there hoping for the best. Some customers are intolerant pains-in-the-butt, who genuinely don’t deserve your attention. So explain your situation effectively if it becomes a public relations issue; otherwise you’re guaranteed a bad press.
- Apologise. Politicians don’t apologise; because they don’t have to. They get paid anyway (!!!). But you need your customers; so a well placed apology will go a long way to appeasing Mr Angry of Tunbridge Wells. As KwikFit is finding out, customers don’t expect perfection- they just want a decent resolution.
Filed under: PR, current affairs, finance, marketing, people skills, retail, sales, service | Tagged: blog, brand values, branding, business, crisis management, crisis PR, crowdsourcing, customer service, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Facebook, KwikFit, PR, public relations, reputatin management, reputation, run a business, social media, start a business
Hi Nick
Hope you’re well.
Great post and some fantastic hints and tips on maintaining a positive business rep.
To date, the Kwik Fit ‘death trap car’ blog post is costing them in the region of 100 customers per day, judging from the blog stats, as well as the Google repercussions on Kwik Fit-related search terms, of course.
There are now more than 50 comments on the blog post, and the Facebook anti-fan page is growing, as you noted.
All because Kwik Fit chose to disappear into silence and not resolve the issues. Issue which are still not, for the record, resolved. I’ll let the public decide online.
Many thanks for your highlighting of it here – much appreciated.
Best wishes as always,
Chris
It’s really important in social and online media to react quickly to any negative sentiments against you. Try a social media monitoring tool like whostalkin, radian6 or brandwatch to monitor online conversations about your brand. This way you can step in and respond quickly when you need to.
Barry
The problem with social media for a company like Kwik Fit is the need to be open and honest. There modus operandi is totally at odds with the culture of a firm which could make good use of social media.
The modern company embrassing Social Media is open. Hi-tech companies in the US often share their IP, ideas and business directions with other likeminded companies to actually develop their businesses, looking for synergies. In this country most companies would try and grow their ideas from within and protect their ideas, making progress slow.
Now look at a company like Nestle, a compay that used to take its company for granted but also a company that is positively trying to use Social Media. Their initial reaction to a cleverly worked Greenpeace campaign to preserve the rainforest from palm oil plantations was to be protectionist and criticise Greenpeace. This caused major problems on their SM sites.
To their credit, Nestle have changed their tactics and reacted well by strengthening their policy on palm oil purchase and ensuring supplies are from responsible sources.
Jump to Kwik Fit. A company that broadcasts a cuddley image of the friendly fitter who can also teach you Spanish, juggle and keep your kids quite. The one way broadcast doesn’t match the experience of hard sell, problems, a refusal to take responsibililty for ‘issues’ that occur with cars fixed on their site, a management who seem to be have been taking lessons from Paul Daniels on disappearing and re-appearing elsewhere.
How does this openess match their Social Media offering? Well they have a poorly updated twitter feed. The links are often nothing to do with the company – about the fact roads have potholes, nitrogen filling of tyres. In fact little about them, but when it does it spouts propaganda like Lord HawHaw in 1943. One tweet suggested an unwitting individual who had not checked his tyres were balding would lose their licence. After talking to police officers and motor specialist solicitors I’ve been informed, although technically possible, could never happen.
The reason for the tweet? To scare people into kwikfit to check their tyres aren’t in need of replacing. And from my personal experience, they are likely to suggest all four tyres need replacing and they have none of the advertised tyres they purport to stock. They will then announce they have tyres they ‘don’t stock’ which cost more per tyre than replacing the whole lot. I tweeted to them to suggest this was scarmongering. I had no response.
I also noted they have stopped engaging. In the early days of their account, they did reply to people. EVERY one was an appology, with no help, but an astonishment that anything could have gone wrong.
Does this strike you as an open company? Happy to engage – organically changing to meet the needs of their customers? One willing to let people take a look at their business, warts and all, in the hope of sharing some ideas and improving?
But they have over 185 followers on Twitter? Someone must like them? Compare that to another twitter account that started the same week as Kwikfit. Seabrook has over 1000 – and follows about 1000 people two. The site is dialogue and discussion, inviting people in to learn about what they like, and don’t like, about the busines. It rewards followers with competitions and exclusive content. You look at the following and followers lists and its based on genuine brand loyal advocates.
Look at Kwikfit and its general ‘motor company’ lists, spammers, following celebrities and disengaged with the person who might actual use the kwikfit site. Lets face it, people come to Kwik Fit as a distress purchase and tweets on car modifications is hardly the audience.
So what is the point of their Social Media and is it going to change the way they operate. My view is no to both, but a twitter or facebook storm could errupt purely by the fact they refuse to engage whilst having a SM presence.