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Once again, it is difficult to comprehend what is going on in British companies that customer service has become anathema to many of the staff. Not just customer service but basic knowledge of the law, particularly with respect to visually impaired customers.
EasyJet is currently taking the rap for yet another example of lunacy when common sense is overridden by red tape from within companies. The full story of tonight’s refusal to allow a guide dog onto a flight to Northern Ireland is not yet available, and undoubtedly there will be no-one in the office until Monday am to give the EasyJet side of events.
UPDATE at midnight: The comments on the Facebook page are being removed and Easyjet Twitter account has begun to tweet the following:
This story in itself highlights the importance of monitoring your online presence for reputation management, as well as ensuring that staff training includes using common sense to ensure that such stories do not break late on a Sunday evening. Monday mornings are inevitably dead news time and it should come as no great surprise for the PR and marcomms people at EasyJet that this is the first story they face this next week.
The young lady involved, @joannejacobs1, has kept everyone up to date with what has been happening on Twitter, since her guide dog, Orla, and herself were refused permission to board their RETURN flight to Belfast. Easyjet’s excuse that they had the incorrect paperwork is actually doing more harm than good, particularly because it is only 4 days since the pair flew in on an Easyjet flight, without said paperwork.
EasyJet’s own site and policy is clear:
Normally the guide dog harness and tag are deemed sufficient evidence that the dog in question is a service dog, as harnesses and tags cannot just be purchased on eBay. However, we understand that an email was sent to Joanna at the EasyJet desk at Gatwick prior to the flight leaving confirming that Orla is indeed a guide dog.
Meanwhile, there is an ongoing case in France against Easyjet for discrimination against wheelchair users.
All in all, this is yet another sorry tale from the B2C world which highlights (just as the Paypal story with Regretsy did last week) that companies need to put people before profits. Or take on the wrath of Twitter. Whilst Easyjet may well only lose a small number of sales from this particular action, these negative stories add up against any company and should be avoided at all costs.
It is very difficult for any company to manage its staff, reputation, social media, and so on. However, when you are as large as Paypal, it is extremely important to get it right. Or you risk the wrath of a worldwide community. As has happened in the last 24 hours.
Social media can be used as a force for good, as Twitter’s Stories of 2011 clearly shows. 
However, there are times when it can all just seem to go wrong for business. This time it is Paypal, who have got entangled in a story rapidly going viral involving Regretsy, who took donations via a Paypal Donate button to buy gifts for under-privileged children for Christmas.
As you can see from the post below, someone at Customer Services in Paypal decided that the Donate button was inappropriate. At that point, everything began to unravel.
The results? It is too soon to tell but it could irreparably damage the brand that is Paypal for some users.
The Regretsy side of the tale. As yet, Paypal have failed to delete the ever-growing number of comments on the Facebook page, nor post an apology on Twitter (which you would think would be the first step in damage limitation and reputation management).
UPDATE: Paypal has issued a statement, apologised, and made a donation
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As you know, we have been trying to buy Christmas presents for kids in the Regretsy community.
We took many applications, vetted them carefully and set about creating a giant gift exchange program, where you could buy a gift for the over 200 children we’re helping.
We raised so much money that we found ourselves in a position of not just being able to send toys, but to send a monetary gift to the families as well. We hoped it might help them make their holiday dinners more special, or maybe pay a pressing bill.
PAYPAL SHUT IT DOWN
Apparently we made the mistake of using the “Donate” button, which Paypal is now claiming is only for nonprofit organizations to use. They froze the account, which also includes Zazzle money that we use to make emergency gifts. That money isn’t in issue, but what the hell! Might as well keep everything!
So last night, I decided to go about this a different way. Since these toys are already purchased, I decided to offer them up for sale on this site, just like any other retailer would. You could buy them according to what you wanted to spend, and we would send them on to the recipient of your gift, just like any other retailer.
PAYPAL SHUT IT DOWN
After a very long and jaw-dropping conversation with an incredibly condescending representative, they have decided that I must refund all the donations and purchases that have not been processed. If you don’t get a refund, it’s because we got your money before they got smart and kept us from helping children at Christmas, which is really the best move any corporation can make.
Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
YOU CAN ONLY HELP CATS
PAYPAL: Only a nonprofit can use the Donate button.
ME: That’s false. It says right in the PDF of instructions for the Donate button that it can be used for “worthy causes.”
PAYPAL: I haven’t seen that PDF. And what you’re doing is not a worthy cause, it’s charity.
ME: What’s the difference?
PAYPAL: You can use the donate button to raise money for a sick cat, but not poor people.
YOU HAVE TO START A NEW WEBSITE
ME: The problem is I’ve already bought all of these toys, so now I’m really in a position like any other merchant – which is to say, I have inventory I need to sell. Why can’t I sell them as gifts, like any other retailer?
PAYPAL: Don’t you think it would look suspicious if the same people bought them again?
ME: Why? These are my customers!
PAYPAL: If you wanted to do that, you’d have to start a new website.
ME: What? Why would I start a new website?
PAYPAL: I’m not going to argue with you.
WE WILL TRACK YOUR SHIPMENTS
PAYPAL: The only way you’d be allowed to sell these as gifts is if you sent them directly to the person who bought them. And we will track your shipments and make sure it goes to the buyer.
ME: That’s discriminatory! You don’t make other retailers send purchases to the buyer only, especially not at Christmas.
PAYPAL: No one but a nonprofit would send gifts to someone else on buyer’s behalf.
ME: What about Amazon?
PAYPAL: We know what you’re doing and we’re through playing games with you.
YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS
PAYPAL: You say you’re selling these as gifts but there is no information as to what the gift is.
ME: People sell mystery gifts and grab bags all the time. What about sites where they say, let us choose for you?”
PAYPAL: It doesn’t say that on your site.
ME: Is that the problem? If I say it’s a mystery gift would that be sufficient?
PAYPAL: You aren’t going to be able to get around this. It’s too late, we know what you’re trying to do and we’re not going to let you do it.
ME: But there are hundreds of toys! Do you think it’s reasonable to create a drop down menu for hundreds of gifts, all of them different, and create an inventory for each as “one?” So that every time one sells, it’s sold out, and the customer has to keep choosng options and going through check out to see if they can find a gift that’s still available?
PAYPAL: Yes, I think it’s reasonable.
Then my brain exploded.
At this point, I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that “No one above me will talk to you. No one at my level ever makes phone calls. We’re only doing this to help you.”
When I asked how to close my account, he said I had to “refund everything, write a letter saying you understood what you did WAS WRONG AND YOU WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, and then request permission to close your account.”
Then, for good measure, they froze my personal account, which has revenue from my book sales, e-books and all the other Finnish Folktales Swag. They’ll be holding that money for 6 months.
So to recap:
$ They allowed me to use a donate button, and got a portion of the donations
$ Then made me return the donations, and kept a portion of the fees on the donations
$ They allowed me to use a Buy Now button to sell gifts individually, and got a portion of those sales
$ Then made me return the sales, and kept a portion of the fees on the sales
$ They processed the toy purchases, and made fees on that
They have made a fortune for not doing anything but making me manually return thousands of $2 sales and contributions.
I have been able to guarantee purchase and shipment of the toys, so that part is happening, as are the letters from Santa (most have already been delivered).
However, I am very sorry to say that at this point, I am not able to make a monetary gift to the families. They have frozen everything that was not already spent or donated, and I have no more funds to make a gift of that size.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
There have been so many tales of businesses getting the social marketing angle wrong – posting poorly thought out updates and tweets, in particular, and it often leaves a rather sour taste in the mouth for customers and can damage a company’s online reputation. But what do you do when your customers band together to publicly lay into you on a social media site? For instance, setting up a group for dissatisfied users who are determined to hang all your dirty washing out in public.
1) Be aware of all activity regarding your company, brand, product names. You can do this by setting up alerts on Google, and it is also wise to actively monitor Twitter (using tools such as Twilert or SocialMention, or the in-built tools in Hootsuite and Tweetdeck), and Facebook (more difficult to monitor but one of the most likely places for a group with negative comments about your company to spring up).
2) Don’t ignore negative comments. You are more likely to feed the fire by pretending that it is not happening. It is more important to get to the bottom of why you have dissatisfied customers and resolve the issues. This does not have to be wholly in public, but it is wise to make sure that people reading or posting to any such groups know that you are at least aware of the issues and are endeavouring to resolve these with the concerned parties. Claiming to not understand how social media works in this day and age is no excuse for not replying to concerns on social media sites.
3) The customer is always right. Even if they are now an ex-customer. Listen to their concerns and address them without becoming defensive or going on the attack. It may well be that the issues are a genuine problem within your company and by solving them you are ensuring that future customers will be more inclined to deal with you and stay with you. Be honest about problems that have occurred, humble, and offer a form of compensation, even if this is only a public apology. (Note: if you want any of these customers back, you should look at more than just an apology, especially if they are out of pocket or have been seriously inconvenienced).
4) Antis can become advocates. If dealt with correctly, even the most ardent non-supporter can be turned into an evangelist for your product. Mastering customer service is vital for healthy long-term relationships, even if the initial road has been a little rocky. Ask questions and LISTEN to the answers. There may well be some gems of advice from even the most unhappy customer – after all, that person could be a hugely successful Customer Relationship Manager in their day job!
5) Try to nip these issues in the bud as soon as you become aware of them. It is simple for these things to spiral out of control, or go viral, and you only need one customer to create a parody of your logo, a Youtube video about their experiences and suddenly your reputation can sink like a stone.
6) Keep the channels open for customer complaints at all times and build social media channels into your email, telephone, post and in person complaints. Let your customers contact you through the route that suits them best, not just the processes you are happy with. It is by ignoring Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags designed to scupper your reputation, and forums specifically set up to complain about you that these ripples of discontent become waves, and even tsunamis.
7) Love your customers. Talk to them. Engage with them. Take every complaint seriously before it gets out of hand. Be the best at what you do.
The horrendous events in Japan have created an unexpected problem for Microsoft and their search engine, Bing. Whilst trying to be generous and offering financial aid to Japan, someone in the marketing department thought it would be an idea to publicise the donation on Twitter, with a promise of a $1 donation per Retweet of the original message, up to a maximum of $100,000.
Whilst many Twitter users have been happy to RT, the inevitable has happened – the Twittersphere has erupted at the thought that Microsoft are attempting to cash in, and we are seeing a tsunami of bad PR.
Too many people feel that this is a somewhat crass moment to seek publicity, especially considering that the latest news appears to show that possibly many thousands of people have lost their lives. The growing feeling on Twitter is that Microsoft should just have donated the money, without seeking to promote the search engine at the same time as people are dying.
This is not the first time that a large company has attempted to cash in on a global crisis or breaking news story. It surely won’t be the last. But it should act as a salutory reminder to all marketing departments that it only takes 140 characters to create an unholy PR mess that could damage a brand reputation for a long time.
Many of us have experienced the results first hand of a website showing above ours in the search engine results that is less than complimentary about our business, products, employees, customer service and so on. This obviously can cause havoc with potential and existing customers, brand reputation, enquiries and sales figures, etc.
Generally what happens is that either your own SEO has not been sufficiently well-purposed to ensure that any fly by night website cannot knock you off your top rankings, or the perpetrator of such an ‘offence’ just happens to be better at SEO than your SEO company.
The times when this last most often occurs is when you are in a non-competitive niche and have held the top spot for quite some time because of lack of competition on your particular keywords. It is too easy to think all is well with your SEO and leave it for several years, but you must return to it regularly.
It is far easier to build a site from scratch that is optimised for specific keywords than to optimise an existing site for those particular keywords. The infiltrator may well have done some substantial research to ensure that his site attracts a top SERP position. After all, when was the last time many companies actually did a serious SEO appraisal of their website and took stock of what SEO was working and what wasn’t? Which keywords are driving the most traffic? Which require further optimisation?
We all know the story – there often just are not enough hours in the day!
However, there are some easy steps to take should a non-complimentary site gazump you at the top of the SERPS.
Firstly, it is always a good idea to take a long, hard stroll around the offending website, and take note of whatever grievances etc are being aired. If there are actually some solid reasons for the complaints or name calling, it is worth considering what you could do to address these and nullify the purpose of the website by presenting solutions to its owner. If there is no good reason for the site apart from Mr Angry from Acacia Avenue having too much time on his hands, consider a friendly shot across the bows…..!
If you try this and it doesn’t work, then it is time to take more direct action. And I don’t mean a scaffold bar, but rather some standard and out of the box Internet marketing.
Look at all the sites that come up in the top 10 -20 on your niche terms. If any of those are directories, who always have a decent marketing budget and tehrefore feature highly in the SERPS, then compose an entry for each of them. Many are free, and you will bring in long-term traffic with entries such as these.
See if you can swap a reciprocal link with any of the sites in the top 20. Remember: complementary not competitive so don’t try to link to your #1 competitor!
Then think about all the social media websites. Set up a profile for your company or name on each one of them. Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, Ecademy – these are all good places to establish a presence. You can even set up groups for your most popular products or brands. Make sure you include those allimportant keywords and phrases in your descriptions and copy.
Once you have profiles on these sites, search for groups or forums where you could join and post helpful advice. All these websites have places to promote and many are underused by companies, although they are cheap and effective solutions to marketing and enhancing your reputation.
Add photos to Flickr and include your company name, product and brand names in the tags. Ditto on Youtube – add a quirky video of your staff if you don’t have a promotional video to hand.
Find online forums that list highly in your subject area on the search engines and lurk on them until you get the hang of it. Ask questions rather than answer until you are confident that you have cracked the netiquette.
Search out blogs that are on topic and contribute to the comments section with a link back to your page. Although many ahve ‘nofollow# tags, it is surprising how many people will look up the best posters and land on your site as a result.
We will continue with this another day. Post your suggestions to for enhancing and raising your reputation.
Well, Google SearchWiki is still causing storms in the IM world about what it may or may not mean, or be intended to do. WebPRo News have a lengthy article on reputation management which goes into some of the issues being raised. The comments make interesting reading to see the differing views of SEO people, and it is worth watching the video.
Reputation management in the olde days meant using a press clipping service or similar to find all the newpaper column inches about your company and brands. And using press releases to cope with the bad press – crisis management, and also to get good news out there about your company.
The Internet has given us a huge variety of tools to track the many instances when our company or business gets a mention, be it good or bad. You do need to keep a weather eye on what is being said about your company and products, and one of your New Year’s resolutions should be to set up Google alerts for all the major keywords and phrases which might be used when someone is having a pop at your business, or saying something nice.
For those with an axe to grind, it is worth taking measured action ie don’t feed the fire, but you do need to try to damp down the flames. There are also people out there who have great things to say, and you should make sure you are aware of these potentially loyal customers, show them you have noticed, and reward them. This might just be “Hey, thanks for such a great review” in a comment on a blog, or you may find that there is the potential for a JV or similar.
So, set up your Google alerts today, and remember that great reputation management starts with excellent customer service, not web based tools!
