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Comcast​ ​hates​ ​customers.​ ​At​ ​least,​ ​that’s​ ​been​ ​their​ ​reputation​ ​for​ ​as​ ​long​ ​as​ ​anyone​ ​can remember.

When​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​online​ ​reviews,​ ​it​ ​seems​ ​like​ ​no​ ​one's​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​wheel.​ ​No​ ​one​ ​seems to​ ​be​ ​managing​ ​or​ ​responding​ ​to​ ​their​ ​nightmarish​ ​reviews.

A​ ​customer​ ​service​ ​rep​ ​changed​ ​the​ ​name​ ​on​ ​Ricardo​ ​Brown's​ ​bill​ ​to​ ​Assh*le​ ​Brown​ ​after he​ ​terminated​ ​his​ ​cable​ ​TV​ ​service. Comcast​ ​ignored​ ​Brown​ ​until​ ​the​ ​press​ ​got​ ​involved.​ ​Then,​ ​they​ ​were​ ​apologetic,​ ​offering a​ ​refund​ ​and​ ​two​ ​years​ ​of​ ​free​ ​service. Mary​ ​Bauer's​ ​name​ ​was​ ​changed​ ​to​ ​Super​ ​B*tch.​ ​Other​ ​customers​ ​were​ ​called​ ​names​ ​like whore​ ​and​ ​dummy. Yikes.

No​ ​wonder​ ​customers​ ​believed​ ​Comcast​ ​hated​ ​them.​ ​What's​ ​worse,​ ​David​ ​Cohen,​ ​a Comcast​ ​VP,​ ​admitted​ ​company​ ​officials​ ​were​ ​"​deeply​ ​disappointed​ ​in​ ​their​ ​customer service​".​ ​Later​ ​​Comcast​ ​stated​ ​that​​ ​"​it​ ​may​ ​take​ ​a​ ​few​ ​years​ ​before​ ​we​ ​can​ ​honestly​ ​say that​ ​a​ ​great​ ​customer​ ​experience​ ​is​ ​something​ ​we’re​ ​known​ ​for.​" Ouch.​ ​Did​ ​you​ ​catch​ ​the​ ​problem? No?

Comcast's​ ​negative​ ​reviews​ ​show​ ​a​ ​disconnection. From​ ​the​ ​executive​ ​to​ ​individual​ ​departments​ ​(including​ ​customer​ ​service)​ ​-​ ​they're​ ​all disconnected​ ​from​ ​the​ ​customer.​ ​Which​ ​is​ ​where​ ​things​ ​get​ ​dicey.

Comcast's​ ​review​ ​strategy​ ​isn't​ ​intentional.​ ​Their​ ​reviews​ ​happen​ ​​to​​ ​them.​ ​As​ ​a​ ​result​ ​they have​​ ​​4,010+​ ​one​ ​star​ ​reviews​ ​on​ ​Consumer​ ​Affairs​​ ​and​​ ​​thousands​ ​more​ ​on​ ​Amazon​. They've​ ​been​ ​listed​ ​or​ ​mentioned​ ​as​​ ​​the​ ​worst​ ​company​ ​in​ ​America​ ​21​ ​times​. Brutal.

Online​ ​reviews​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​managed​ ​by … No​ ​one? Or,​ ​anyone​ ​and​ ​everyone?​ ​Maybe​ ​it's​ ​by​ ​one​ ​person?

When​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​managing​ ​online​ ​reviews,​ ​many​ ​organizations​ ​aren't​ ​sure​ ​how​ ​to approach​ ​their​ ​reviews.​ ​It​ ​can​ ​be​ ​a​ ​challenge​ ​for​ ​a​ ​small​ ​business,​ ​let​ ​alone​ ​an​ ​enterprise with​ ​hundreds,​ ​even​ ​thousands,​ ​of​ ​locations.​ ​Do​ ​I​ ​hire​ ​a​ ​dedicated​ ​rep​ ​to​ ​handle​ ​and respond​ ​to​ ​reviews?​ ​Should​ ​it​ ​be​ ​a​ ​team?

It's​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​move​ ​forward​ ​when​ ​you​ ​don't​ ​have​ ​a​ ​plan.

Some​ ​organizations​ ​rely​ ​on​ ​their​ ​marketing​ ​teams​ ​to​ ​craft​ ​and​ ​control​ ​their​ ​image;​ ​others rely​ ​on​ ​management,​ ​or​ ​PR.​ ​Or​ ​founders. Job​ ​titles​ ​and​ ​departments​ ​don't​ ​matter. Title​ ​isn't​ ​as​ ​important​ ​as​ ​the​ ​responsibility.​ ​If​ ​you're​ ​responsible​ ​for​ ​reviews​ ​-​ ​dealing​ ​with perception​ ​issues,​ ​responding​ ​to​ ​customer​ ​feedback​ ​-​ ​you're​ ​on​ ​the​ ​front​ ​line.​ ​Which means​ ​you​ ​should​ ​take​ ​the​ ​lead. But​ ​you​ ​can't​ ​do​ ​it​ ​alone.

Healthy​ ​organizations​ ​treat​ ​customer​ ​reviews​ ​like​ ​a​ ​barometer.​

People​ ​in​ ​small​ ​businesses​ ​are​ ​forced​ ​to​ ​wear​ ​many​ ​hats.​ ​It's​ ​common​ ​for​ ​the​ ​people​ ​in​ ​a small​ ​business​ ​to​ ​spend​ ​their​ ​days​ ​running​ ​from​ ​one​ ​fire​ ​to​ ​the​ ​next. Believe​ ​it​ ​or​ ​not​ ​that's​ ​a​ ​good​ ​thing.

Small​ ​businesses​ ​&​ ​startups​ ​tend​ ​to​ ​provide​ ​individual​ ​workers​ ​with​ ​more​ ​autonomy​ ​and control.​ ​Your​ ​team​ ​is​ ​far​ ​more​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​trust​ ​you​ ​to​ ​​get​ ​things​ ​done​.​ ​But​ ​that​ ​autonomy fades​ ​as​ ​businesses​ ​grow.

Isn't​ ​it​ ​better​ ​if​ ​one​ ​person​ ​handles​ ​everything? It's​ ​a​ ​great​ ​idea​ ​if​ ​that​ ​person​ ​has​ ​the​ ​autonomy​ ​and​ ​control​ ​they​ ​need​ ​to​ ​get​ ​things​ ​done. One​ ​person​ ​isn't​ ​enough​ ​if​ ​they​ ​lack​ ​the​ ​freedom​ ​they​ ​need​ ​to​ ​act​ ​on​ ​positive​ ​reviews​ ​or resolve​ ​negative​ ​ones.

Employees​ ​at​ ​Comcast​ ​lacked​ ​the​ ​autonomy​ ​they​ ​needed​ ​to​ ​get​ ​things​ ​done.​ ​They needed​ ​to​ ​form​ ​a​ ​committee​ ​and​ ​decide​ ​on​ ​a​ ​course​ ​of​ ​action​ ​to​ ​prevent​ ​employees​ ​from hurting​ ​customers.

Comcast​ ​used​ ​the​ ​wrong​ ​strategy​ ​and​ ​it​ ​hurt​ ​their customers. Each​ ​of​ ​their​ ​departments​ ​-​ ​sales,​ ​marketing,​ ​support​ ​and​ ​finance​ ​-​ ​were​ ​disconnected from​ ​customers.​ ​Support​ ​reps​ ​were​ ​forced​ ​to​ ​swim​ ​against​ ​a​ ​never​ ​ending​ ​sea​ ​of customer​ ​frustration​ ​and​ ​despair. This​ ​disconnect​ ​caused​ ​a​ ​breakdown​ ​in​ ​quality,​ ​creating​ ​wave​ ​after​ ​wave​ ​of​ ​negative reviews.

This​ ​doesn't​ ​have​ ​to​ ​be​ ​you.

Wouldn't​ ​it​ ​be​ ​wonderful​ ​to​ ​have​ ​positive​ ​​and​​ ​negative​ ​reviews​ ​work​ ​in​ ​your​ ​favor?​ ​They

can​ ​if​ ​your​ ​reviews​ ​and​ ​company​ ​image​ ​are​ ​managed​ ​carefully.

Partner with Digital Lately and allow us to handle your reputation management.​ ​You can handle the rest of your business​ ​as​ ​your​ ​review​ ​strategy​ ​takes​ ​off.

Let's get started: visit reviews.DigitalLatey.com for more information.