Friday 24 September 2010

Blackpool Hotel Owner Ejects Guests over TripAdvisor Review

It seems that hardly a day passes without angry businesses 'fighting back' against review sites and customers who write unflattering reviews about their businesses.

C'mon people, if you have a problem that you want resolved, either talk to the business directly or use a site like HelpHound who will act as an intermediary and help resolve it for you.
It will probably save you from the police being called and finding yourself thrown out on the street.
Read full article

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Negative diner reviews more damaging than critics

According to research from Livebookings, over half of diners will avoid a restaurant after seeing a bad review, with a third trusting the view of their peers over the professional critics.

David Norris, chief operating officer for Livebookings, says, “Restaurateurs can no longer dismiss the importance of the internet in shaping how their business is perceived by the general public. They must take note of the feedback they are receiving and where necessary, act on it.”
Livebookings suggests restaurants follow these steps to manage their online reviews:
  • Identify which websites your customers are posting reviews to
  • Regularly monitor the websites to see what’s being posted
  • Engage with negative reviews to show you value a customer’s comment and explain how you will address the problem
  • If you are unable to post a reply, contact the website
Read full article

HelpHound too has a variety of tools to help businesses market themselves and manage their reputation online.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Online Reviews - Reading between the lines

We like to think that HelpHound's moderators and buster software can pick up nearly all 'fake' reviews and deal with them.  Other sites however do not always work on this principle so here is are some good tips on how to spot reviews that may have been written by friends and family and public relations people.  Or by a business' competitors.