You work hard for your clients, spending countless hours
trying to represent them in the best way you know how. Most of the time… in fact, the vast
majority of the time, your clients are extremely appreciative of your efforts.
Some give you repeat business or send you referrals or post an online comment
attesting to your legal proficiency.
But then, there are those times when someone determines,
rightly or wrongfully that your efforts are not enough, that your turnaround
time is too slow, that you made a mistake, etc., go online to a blog, or a
legal directory or some other site to review, complain, criticize, and perhaps,
even insult. Now when a potential client does an online search, up pops less
than flattering content about you, your work or your law practice.
What should you do?
But before we address that, let me advise as to what you
should not do… and that is, to let your emotions get the best of you. Social
media and all the good and the bad that go with it are all part of the business
landscape now. Hence, it is the wise professional who understands this and
approaches negative comments with the cool, detached demeanor with which he or
she would address any other challenge.
This means first taking the time to analyze the validity of
the complaint. If it is
legitimate, the best thing you can do is publicly acknowledge the criticism and
offer a way of making good on your mistake. Oftentimes, the best relationships
are borne out of a problem or misunderstanding. By recognizing your part in the
matter, those reading the posts will bear witness to the fact that you are
trying to do the right thing – and are doing so in a rationale, calm and professional
manner. In private, you may also wish to communicate with the individual who
wrote the comment and offer to make amends. You never know. You may just be surprised to see a follow up
comment that is more “glowing.”
If the complaint is not legitimate, the process is not all
dissimilar. While you do not necessarily need to concur with the post or the review,
you should still convey your interest in resolving the matter. This is not the
time to get defensive, but rather an opportunity to show that the interests of
your clients are paramount to you. Again, the goal here is to offset the
negative by communicating empathy.
A well-crafted response that takes the edge off the
negativity is the right way to approach such matters. This is true even if the
other party has resorted to nasty comments and name-calling. That being said
however, it is generally not a good idea to engage in an extended
“back-and-forth” online exchange with the other party. Get across what you want to get across
and then let it go. Otherwise it may take on a life of its own and blow up into
an increasingly difficult problem.
Once you have determined the legitimacy of the complaint,
addressed it publicly (and perhaps also in private), there remains another,
albeit ongoing task to perform. In order to drown out the negative comment, it
is always a good idea to generate positive content. Ask clients you know are
satisfied with your work to post comments online. The more, the better. The
rationale for this is simple. If you want you and your firm to be optimized
online, you want it to be for good reasons. And few efforts are better for
search engine optimization than content that is relevant and recent.
In addressing negative online ratings, evaluations or
comments, it is really no different than addressing them elsewhere. Take an
honest look at yourself, acknowledge (where appropriate) your role in the
problem, convey understanding and empathy, and offer to make good. Then drop
it.
One other thing… As with everything else, when dealing with
these kinds of situations, common sense almost always applies.
