Dell Hell resulted because a one, single blogger had a very bad experience. His name was Jeff Jarvis. In true blogger style he documented his experience with Dell Computers on a blog and word spread fast.
When Dell failed to respond to his rant, he wrote more. And what happened next was hell for Dell. Their reputation around the world was hit hard. A coveted reputation for great customer service turned quickly into fodder for late night television humor.
And the cost to their shareholder value was also astounding. A study reported on responsesource.com showed that Dell sustained long-term damage to its brand and that the culprits were bloggers!
So, what if this happens to your business? If it's negative, but true, then find a way to present your side of the story, and try to keep it offline.
Then get a plan so that you aren’t caught off guard again. Set up a blog or profiles on social online networks to present information about you that reflect true character. Unless the bad publicity and false information is countered, the assumptions that will be made are likely to cause you long-term injury.
And you may never know exactly just how much injury. Most people just “google” someone, look at the information on page one and draw a conclusion without double-checking the source. But by proactively addressing bad information, you can protect your online reputation now and in the future.
–Steve Wyer
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