There is a major difference that comes to mind when we are talking about defensive and proactive corporate response. A defensive response involves the company in question to respond to criticism or feedback in a negative way. This can include telling the customer that their comments are wrong/rude or making a general statement, on their social media, that does nothing to rectify the situation. This shows the attitude that the company doesn’t care about their customers, or the fact that the quality of their services is subpar. In some cases, the company may choose not to reply at all which is disrespectful to the customers that took the time to leave feedback in the first place.
On the other hand, proactive corporate response is the result of a company actively seeking to fix any company problems before customers get exposure to negative service. Proactive response helps to company to build a positive reputation with their clientele by fixing minor issues before they become major problems. This allows the company to live up to customer expectation. As a result, the company might receive positive reinforcement from current customers. This can open the door for the company to expand their customer base and interact with new clients. Proactive response can even be as simple as responding to a customers review. This shows people that the company is genuinely interested in what the consumers think of their products or services.
The differences between defensive and proactive corporate response are almost complete opposites. It is important to know these differences because any entrepreneur wants to make sure that they do everything in their power to run their company successfully. This includes simple practices such as responding to customer engagement, as previously discussed. The best way to go about it is with a proactive approach.
