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Managing Your Reputation While Surviving the Daily Grind
By: Chrissy Hugyez | 08/14/2008
At Standing Partnership, a reputation management firm, we are regularly advising our clients on creative and effective ways to develop and maintain a positive reputation in the community.
Recently, on my trek to work – a wonderful 45 minutes or more thanks to the Hwy. 40 closure – I was hit (almost literally) with how challenging it can be to maintain a positive reputation every day. A man driving a branded truck from a local plumbing company cut me and two other drivers off while changing lanes. My immediate thought was: What kind of message is his reckless driving sending to the drivers around him? Does his company not care about public safety, and are they bound to be as rude to you as a customer as they are to other drivers?
In a related instance, I was asked to contact a local company via phone to gather information for a client. I was greeted by the receptionist with a not-so-friendly attitude. When I asked to speak with someone within the company, she insisted on knowing my name, company and the reason for my call. While the information requested of me was understandable (I'm sure she was screening calls for this person), her attitude certainly was not. How would her rudeness have affected a potential customer's decision to conduct business with her company?
By one employee choosing to act in a manner inconsistent with a company's values and mission, they can be damaging public perception of that company. It is important for all employees and management within an organization to understand the value of a positive reputation and work collectively to reinforce and retain positive public perception.
Posted in Reputation Management, Reputation Management
comments
Maya says:
Thu, August 14, 2008 at 4:40:pm
Agreed! It goes to show how we don’t always understand the many “touchpoints” that our customers experience throughout the day… from an e-mail to how we answer the phone. It’s definitely something that employers need to address with their employees - especially the ones on the road 
Justin says:
Thu, August 14, 2008 at 10:59:am
You’ve put into words something I’ve thought about many times. In fact, I keep a mental list of companies I’d never use due to the poor driving of their employees. One time, I was so fed up after a near-death experience at 75 mph on Interstate 44 that I actually called one of those “How’s My Driving?” numbers to issue a complaint. If a company is going to put it’s name out there on a vehicle, it really should work with the drivers to ensure they realize they are the public face of the company; that their driving has as big of an impact on the company’s reputation as advertising, public relations, etc.