Dealing with online reviews quickly and constructively is a key message from The Wedding Guy's Peter Duncan.
The Wedding Guy won the Trustpower Customer Service category of the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards in 2009 and 2010 and Duncan said online reviews and social media comments had huge potential to influence potential customers.
"With today's android phones, with their GPS features, you can search for a place to get a coffee and it won't just come up with a list of cafes. It will also bring up any online reviews."
He points to the importance of monitoring media like Trip Advisor, Jasons, Facebook and Twitter for comments about your business and responding in a prompt and positive way.
"I was talking to somebody the other day and pointed out to them that they had a horrible review online. They knew about it, but just didn't know how to respond in a constructive manner."