When
Crisis Response Draws More Attention Than the ‘Crisis’ Itself!
‘Cancel culture’
is increasingly rife, especially with online reviews and ‘people power’ when it
comes to sharing negative experiences.
Sometimes feedback
is unfair and unwarranted; other times it is a necessary wake-up call for an organization
to examine their product and service delivery to their clientele.
Recently,
an interesting case came to light in Malaysia when a ‘resort’, well,
accommodation provider, did not like feedback posted online about their
services, or lack thereof. Instead of a little soul searching to determine what
feedback from the customer they should address, they announced to the world
that they would sue the customer.
The
accommodation provider made the comment that the customer never approached them
to complain. From the online reviews, sounds like the duty staff weren’t exactly
responsive anyway. Too bad for the hotelier! Customers who pay are under no
legal obligation to express their dissatisfaction directly to the service
provider. They have every right (except in a few very backward societies) to reflect
on their experience via social media and other platforms. The photographic
evidence certainly suggests they had a less-than-ideal experience, and did not
receive the ‘services’ that they were led to believe. All for the benefit of
others when deciding whether to enjoy the services of said provider.
Now here’s where
it gets interesting though!
Every
business has the right to sue for defamation if it can be proven that the
customers online narrative is malicious and/or false.
But by
responding in such a negative threatening way, and publicly too, the
accommodation provider has drawn even more attention to themselves and invited not
only online hatred for their approach, but other customers are stepping up and
sharing their negative experience too. It’s beginning to spiral!
What was
one piece of feedback (rightly or wrongly) which was dying naturally in the
news cycle suddenly got thrust back into the limelight and has opened a bigger
can of worms for the service provider.
So, what is
the lesson here?
Responding
to feedback is important. Acknowledging that not everyone received a ubiquitous experience
anywhere is important, and working with unhappy clients to address issues is
paramount.
Be more involved
in your business.
Perhaps the owners aren’t around enough to see the reality of the situation?
They certainly haven’t gauged the pulse of reflective experience or public
opinion in this case.
Knowing
when to take something offline. Having an honest discussion with the customer would have helped to
mitigate this issue. Always try to take complaints offline for a solid
resolution opportunity. Playing out drama online never ends well.
Knowing
when to shut up and not draw further attention to yourself. By threatening a paying customer
for leaving an honest reflection of their experience certainly makes the
accommodation provider not only look like a bully, but guilty too. This action attracted
further negative attention to their business, and their own actions of publicising
this further is actually doing real harm. Rather than being swept into
obscurity, they are perpetuating the negative sentiments and showcasing to all
potential customers that they are vindictive. That will affect the chances of
success of any legitimate lawsuit too. Oops.
People want
a hassle-free holiday; why would they want to go somewhere where the service
provider threatens you with legal action when you express an opinion?
Be strategic
in how you address a potential crisis or reputation issue. Your response may
end up biting you harder than the initial issue!
Check out the story this post is based on!
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