Your Small Business Could be Losing Customers

13 Dec Your Small Business Could be Losing Customers

Just a few months ago, someone wrote a 1-star review about my company on Facebook.  With no monitoring system in place, I didn’t see this review until three months after it had been posted. The reviewer had confused us with another company who was using automated “robo” calls.

I replied to the Facebook review to clear up the misunderstanding, but I hate to think how many potential customers I may have lost in those three months before I responded. I have no idea how many potential customers read that review and had an incorrect perception of my company.

If something had alerted me, I would’ve replied within minutes of receiving the review. Quickly responding to the negative review would’ve positively affected other customers impressions of my business. Research shows that a single negative review can cost your business 30 customers, so it’s important to know what people are saying about you online and take control of the conversation.

Monitoring Your Online Reviews

Regarding reviews, I personally understand and appreciate the importance of maintaining a strong business reputation. I am proud that my business has earned a strong Google rating of 4.9 out of a 5-stars. But I don’t have time to scan and respond to every social media site that influences others about my business.

I recently came across this article on Forbes that highlights this very fact. In today’s world, the small business owner has to pay attention to the physical security risks and other new risks in today’s digital age. The scary part is that these digital risks can be “business-ending blows” if you don’t detect and address them in a timely manner.

These digital risks exist for all small businesses whether you have a website or not.  Did you know that 90% of global sales still occur in physical businesses, but 85% of customers use the internet to decide which local businesses to patronize? Customers are reading reviews about your business on websites like Yelp, Google, or Facebook to decide if they want to purchase your product or service.

While I was driving the other day, the “check engine” light popped up on my car’s dashboard.  From experience, I know that ignoring this warning can cost me a lot of money—even an entire car.

Using a Business Dashboard

Car dashboards are great at helping us stay on top of what’s happening to our vehicles. If there are dashboards for our vehicles, why not a dashboard for a business? In addition to physical threats like break-ins, the internet has totally changed small business and introduced new, subtle threats that are hard to spot. You’re too busy to keep up with maintenance, so you need a business dashboard to alert you of risks. I recommend using this business dashboard.