That's fairly vague, I don't understand what you are asking completely. Do you mean at the individual level, or as a company that provides the service?
I digress.
I've been lurking and reading on here for some time, albeit intermittently.
Excellent content here, far above and beyond the quality of content of other sites. (Frequency is a little light but I'd imagine it's because everyone is too occupied in this industry to frequent a board like this too often.)
After having enjoyed my popcorn over the course of 11 pages to gather context I'd like to chime in, from a couple perspectives.
Having exited a company that offered Reputation Management, and Social Media Enhancement packages, I can say I have always had a problem with them on a personal level, and refused to sell them.
That was one of the things that raised a red flag for me as to the moral compass, and stability of said company.
Technology is certainly a double-edged sword. The Internet has taken what was effectively word of mouth advertising, (arguably the most powerful), and given the individual the ability to self-publish and have an exponential impact on their network, giving power to good old Word-of-Mouth.
It's also invited the possibility of fraud into what's likely the oldest form of advertising by anonymizing individuals, and allowing for issues outlined in the previous 11 pages.
I'm going to address something that Mr Pickering mentioned above that bothers me and has bothered me for the better part of 10 years.
We all know that dealers live and die by CSI. I sold Acuras and Toyotas for the better part of a decade before findout my true passion in Advertising. I worked for VERY respected organizations that have great names in my community.
We were still told to ask for all 5's, given scripts, processes to handle customer issues etc. I was incentivized, because my store was incentivized to have as high of a CSI score as possible. It makes sense to this point. These dealers have a fantastic reputation and it is in fact deserved, but the process is still adulterated.
Now call me an idealist, but a customer survey should be left alone as a true litmus test of how the dealership is performing.
We do what we do make a living, so of course if we can control a controllable we will.
What I'm driving at is that even if a dealer uses manufacturer CSI information/ data that data has been compromised too. People are not left alone to give an honest review, they've all been coached to some degree, and it's pretty frustrating.
IMO "Reputation Management "should consist of a way to thank those that care enough of a positive experience to spread the word of their own volition, and a way to publicly acknowledge/ address negative feedback like the BBB and allow for investigations, full disclosure, all in the public eye.
That's where the credibility lies.
Ryan, and Yago, you both bring very valid points to the table intelligently, I can also see how both of you are correct from your perspectives.
Current processes are flawed, but through evolution of technology I believe these specific issues can be addressed. The inhumanity of the process will likely always allow for an opportunity for fraud.
I've no product in this regard, and I'm here for educational purposes on this particular topic, so I've little to offer but perspective, and gratitude for a great thread.
Here's to rockin it in 2012.
Josh
