While I

think of

it . . .

‘What does dad actually do?’ has to be one of the most commonly asked questions of the modern day, and yet it is the one with the least answers. I don’t think any of my friends know what their dad’s jobs entail. Until this week, I was also in the same situation. I knew my dad worked in PR, but I was completely clueless as to what it was, even after extensively Googling ‘What is PR?’ - which did left me with even more questions. Work experience Work experience week has definitely been the most-anticipated week of college. Finding a placement proved more difficult than excepted, until my dad suggested that I could work with him for a week if I needed to. I agreed, not really knowing what I would be doing. If someone were to ask ‘What did you expect?’, I really wouldn’t be able to answer, because I was so unsure of what PR was. Following this week, however, I can semi-confidently give you a rundown of ins and outs of PR. Throughout the week I worked on a variety of press releases and blog posts for different companies, as well as providing my dad with my expert (young person’s) opinion on updating his website. For some, this may seem boring, but I can assure you that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I suppose that could be partly to do with the fact that I picked English language as an A-Level, but who knows? Challenge For the most part, I’ve been focused on writing all week. I can tell you now that it is a lot harder than I expected. Each piece has to be well-researched, has to have a good structure, has to reach the word count, and so on. Whilst it was a challenge, I found it extremely interesting, and actually learned a lot about a variety of topics. Another thing I found with PR is that it is a lot more flexible than I expected. Yes, there are deadlines to be met and there is a lot of work to be done, but I found that I wasn’t constantly sitting at a desk all day in silence. Switching tasks offered me a break if needed, and I could easily revisited a piece after half an hour if I needed to – with a fresh focus. My dad also provided me with lots of support: if I was stuck on how to begin a piece, I could always ask and almost immediately I’d have an opening paragraph and would be able to continue the rest. New experiences This week has definitely opened my eyes to the world of PR. Even though it isn’t the career path I was looking to go down, I think that a lot of the skills I’ve gained and rehearsed this week are skills that are useful and are completely transferable, regardless of the career. Understanding how to run successful and engaging social media platforms, and practising how to write for specific target audiences has proven to be useful and has provided me with a skillset that I can now take into whatever I pursue next. So, whilst I may not be fully able to explain exactly what my dad does (and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure he could either – see his blog from October 2020) I’ve enjoyed my week working with him and have found it extremely beneficial.

Today is Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day which got me thinking about the lighter side of PR and how businesses can engage customers in less-serious ways. As a child in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I grew up with a host of adverts for alcohol, tobacco and plenty of other things which are banned today. Amid the fierce competition, the ones that stick in the memory to this day are those that made me laugh. Memorable I will always remember comedian Russ Abbot’s effort for Castella Classic cigars, which sees him fishing by a lake and the fish are not biting. He plays a Des O’Connor record and uses his fishing rod to lower a speaker into the water, at which point the fish leap into his net as he relaxes with a Castella Classic cigar and other luckless anglers look on in disbelief. Fans of Des, don’t worry … if you watch to the end of the link above, Des gets his own back when they go clay pigeon shooting! Then there were the Hamlet cigar adverts, which saw protagonists relax and enjoy their cigar while disaster unfolded around them. There was Rab C Nesbitt star Gregor Fisher in the photo booth sketch in which he repeatedly failed to get a decent pic, as well as the motorcycle side car which separates from the bike and all the helpless passenger can do is light a Hamlet as he hurtles down a side road towards a river, reassured that “Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet!” ‘Ave it! While many people today will be familiar with Peter Kay’s series of comedy ads for John Smith’s bitter, which included the famous ‘Ave it!’ football practice and ‘top bombing ’ with the comedian as an Olympic diver, the brand’s adverts were also leading the way in the ‘80s. Featuring Chas ‘n’ Dave-style soundtracks, there was the Mate Called Smith holiday , rugby and marathon ads. Carling battled back with a snooker advert featuring John Spencer who mis-queues the white and hits referee in the stomach. Without batting an eye and in James Bond Odd Job-style, the referee crushes the cue ball in his hand as the frightened players look on. Brilliant. There were too many ads to remember all the details after more than 40 years, but I have positive opinions of John Smiths and Hamlet from those adverts, even though I don’t like bitter and I don’t smoke. Trolling people for a laugh! Some brands are even going out of their way to get a viral laugh, with social media managers comedically trolling rivals and even their own customers. When Elon Musk rebranded Twitter as X, Aldi trolled the Tesla boss by suggesting a rebrand of its own. It said: 'Now launching....AldX, (It's the same as Aldi we just fancied a change)'. With the threat of legal action hanging over it, Aldi also had fun trolling Marks & Spencer over the Colin the Caterpillar vs Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake saga. Whoever won in court, Aldi definitely triumphed in the social media battle! When then Twitter user Chilly P took to the platform to complain to Royal Mail that hadn’t received any card for Valentine’s Day, a witty Royal Mail social media manager replied: "Sorry to hear that, when exactly did your mum post them and what service was used?? ;-D”. Very funny, but ouch! Personal side For those of us not blessed with the comedy aptitude of the aforementioned, showing the lighter or human side of a business can also endear it to customers. Show people you aren’t perfect, or give them an insight into what goes on behind the scenes so they understand more about your business and the people behind it. You can only have so many discounts and special offers to bring in new business, and for companies selling high-value items such as cars, furniture, and electronics, or even service providers such as mortgages, insurance and loans, it may years before customers return. I was reminded of this by a service-industry client this week who said: “We’re only relevant to each client for 10 minutes a year for renewals, but we have to make sure we’re always in the background so they think of us next time and recommend us if anyone asks.” Whatever approach a company takes, it’s all about giving customers and potential customers a positive feeling about a brand so that when the time comes to spend money, they choose a business they feel they know and trust. And remember, laughter goes a long way!

Mike Crutchley Media celebrates its fourth anniversary today and I’d like to thank all my clients, suppliers and partners for their ongoing support. It’s been a busy and challenging year, especially personally, after the death of my mum, but it’s made me more focused to the job I love. One of my favourite things about running a PR agency is the variety of what each day brings and that was the main aim when it launched four years ago. I’ve always been interested in people and when it comes to business, I love finding out what they are passionate about and what drives them. It is very difficult to run a successful business unless your heart and soul are in it – and I love helping people share their passion and show what makes them stand out from the competition. The most important thing is to do something you enjoy and can earn a living doing. When I was reassessing everything after losing mum, I decided to follow my heart and do what I enjoy – as well as stopping things I didn’t. Variety One of the most important aspects to running a business is to have several strings to your bow. But that doesn’t mean you have to play every instrument in the orchestra yourself. You have to know your limitations. There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself to those limits, but you have to know when to bring in the experts when you are out of your depth. It will deliver much better results for your clients and will ease your worries about things going wrong. I have spent my professional career writing and editing, so it was natural to continue with that, although now it takes a variety of forms from press releases to content creation for websites and social media. Almost 20 years of my newspaper career involved page layout, which I also loved, but for some reason steered clear of when I launched my own business. I think I was so focused on launching the business that I concentrated on writing and social media. Now I can once again enjoy spending hours immersed in InDesign, creating everything from leaflets and posters to reports and publications. Passion Photography is a real passion of mine and I have enjoyed picking up my camera again. As well as offering a release, it means I can give clients an even more bespoke service – but I still know when to turn to the big guns. While I enjoy my time behind the camera, I also know my capacity and capabilities. I might get a great shot which the client is happy with, but I can’t spend all day trying to capture it. I have worked with many talented photographers over the years and I am spoilt for choice. They are real pros who deliver on demand. Thank you On International Cat Day, I must also pay tribute to Lilly and Freddie, the original Mike Crutchley Media cats, both of whom we sadly lost this year, aged 20 and 16. We now have triplet kittens who are probably more cute than useful in the office, but time will tell. As I look forward to year five – something I wasn’t sure would happen this time last year – I must say thank you to those who have made it possible. The first is a huge thank you to my family for all their love and support. They are the reason I’m able to do something I love. Huge thanks also goes to Chris Pracy and the Patons Insurance team for standing by me at such a difficult time. I will never forget it. And thank you as always to my long-suffering accountant, Graham Edgington, for all your help and support, and for always being a calming voice! So that’s me signing off year four and raring to go into year five. Let’s hope it’s a good one!

In what universe did using a serial killer to promote life insurance seem like a good idea? It sounds like a joke from the hit sit-com W1A, but sadly this is very real. I’m all in favour of disruptive marketing and trying something new to get a client noticed. But this week I have seen one ad which came close to the line . . . and another which trampled right over it, turning the disruptive into the utterly disgusting. Disruptive marketing is everywhere at the moment as companies try to grab as much publicity as they can. Whether it’s using social media influencers to front the latest trend or coming up with a campaign that breaks down barriers, the aim is to get people talking about it. Actually, the aim is to make money from it, but people have to talk or think about it first. Comedy One recent disruptive success was online betting site PaddyPower’s advert featuring Rhodri Giggs, brother of Manchester United and Wales legend Ryan. The focus of the ad – which was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for ‘glamorising gambling’ – starring Rhodri was about loyalty and also featured talented singer and budding Manchester actor Wayne Devlin. In the 2019 ad, Rhodri says he had always ‘lived a loyal life’, including drinking at the same pub, going to the same gym and sticking with the same brand of tea bags – with plenty of digs at his famous brother along the way. The ambassador for Paddy’s Reward Club concludes: “Loyalty gets you nowhere, live for rewards instead,” as he drives away in a Maserati. It made me laugh at the time and still does. Its success – despite the ban – demonstrates that you can push boundaries and do things differently. No doubt the other Mr Giggs was less than impressed with the coverage, but Paddy Power came out if it not only showing that it had a sense of humour, but it gave huge publicity to its loyalty scheme. Social media Big brands have cottoned on to the power of disruption, especially on social media, with responses to posts going viral, especially if they break the mould, are a bit tongue-in-cheek and go against what people expect from a global brand. There are countless examples of this and digital watch maker Casio showed how to do it this week when it replied to pop star Shakira’s dig at footballer ex-husband Gerrard Pique’s new partner. The singer, who was with the former Barcelona star for 11 years, penned the track I’m Out Of Your League to describe her feelings towards the pair, saying she was worth two 22-year-olds (Shakira was 44 and new girlfriend was 22 at the time) and that he had ‘traded a Rolex for a Casio’. I was always told not to air dirty linen in public and it seems that Casio wasn’t too impressed with the snipe either. The company – whose waterproof G-shock and subsequent calculator watches are lasting memories from my childhood – leapt to defend itself . . . and took the opportunity to grab international headlines. Its marketing team tweeted: “Shakira, we may not be Rolex, but our customers are loyal to us. In defense of Casio watches, our battery lasts longer than Pique and Shakira’s relationship.” Ouch! I’m not convinced I’d ever advise a client to be that personal in a put-down, but it’s grabbed Casio plenty of attention – with Pique's retort claiming the brand will sponsor his seven-a-side football league in Spain. Drop the mic. Limits But . . . and there is a very big but coming. Being disruptive and doing something unexpected doesn’t mean there is a blank canvas waiting to receive whatever is thrown at it. I was appalled to see life insurance firm DeadHappy’s advert featuring serial killer doctor Harold Shipman. The company has pushed boundaries in the past – even its name is a bit risqué – but it has crossed the line with this one. Under the heading ‘Life Insurance' is the phrase 'Because you never know who your doctor will be’ and a picture of the Hyde GP who was convicted of murdering 15 patients and is suspected of killing 250 more. Even more sickening is that Shipman, who was dubbed Doctor Death, was caught when a forged will from one of his victims named him the sole beneficiary – including any life insurance payout. Unsurprisingly, among those to slam the ad were relatives of Shipman’s victims, who described it as ‘despicable and unacceptable’. Insurance brokers branded it ‘absolutely disgusting’ with some reporting the company to the Financial Conduct Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority. What were they thinking? Who in their right mind would ever have thought this was a good idea? Even after a brain-storming session involving copious amounts of alcohol, surely no one thought this would be well received. I can't imagine a travel insurance company putting out an advertising campaign featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to help promote protection for travellers’ holiday bookings. Yes, it has grabbed attention, but it is more likely that people will view DeadHappy with disgust and contempt and remember it as one to avoid. DeadHappy founder Andy Knott reportedly accepted the advert was 'provocative' but said the aim was to raise awareness of the need for life insurance, adding: "If, however, you have been personally distressed by this advert we do sincerely apologise." That’s right, shift the blame. WE’VE done it and we’re sorry if YOU are not happy. That’s not the same as apologising for the advert, which has now been removed. Far from being a disruptive success, this could blow up in the company’s face and see people voting with their feet. When it comes to life insurance, I know I won’t be DeadHappy. #pr #marketing #disruptivemarketing #socialmedia

Customers are spoilt for choice with every purchase they make today and unless there is a huge difference in price, it can be difficult to decide who to buy from. Many people try to support local businesses first, while others will choose convenience or brand familiarity. But whatever you are buying, good customer service wins for me every time. The minimum a customer should expect is to pay a fair price and receive what they have paid for promptly and in excellent condition if it is goods. If something goes wrong and there is either a delay in delivery or something arrives damaged or with bits missing, what happens next will determine whether the customer or client will return. And, more importantly, whether they will recommend you or complain about you to others. It sounds simple, but it is easy to lose sight of the fact that customer service should focus on the customer. Why have they come to you? Have their needs been met? If not, what have you done to ensure they go away happy? I recently received outstanding customer service from my mechanic, Simon, at thegarage@SRC. My ageing Honda had been my dad’s and it was like new when he died 11 years ago. As well as being a reliable family car, there is huge sentimental attachment to it. It has been well used and brilliantly maintained by Simon – especially as things have started to go on it – and has taken us all over the UK. Parts have become more difficult to get hold of, but Simon has always worked his magic to find whatever is needed and without breaking the bank. But disaster struck a couple of weeks ago when I got back to the car after a meeting and it made a strange clunking sound as I got in. When I started it, there was a huge roar and it started to shake. I knew immediately what had happened – the catalytic converter had been stolen. In broad daylight, in a car park, with people around. I jumped out to find a gap in the exhaust where the catalytic converter had sat for 26 years, quietly doing its thing. I rang Simon and made my way to the garage. The new roar of the engine covered most of the expletives caught on the dash-cam – which sadly didn’t capture the theft which can take as little as 60 seconds – as my pride and joy limped on its way. How much would it cost? How long would it take to fix? Would it be the same again? Just what I need with school holidays and Christmas coming up. But worse was to follow. Simon spent a couple of days trying to find and price up parts. Because of its age, it would be an insurance write off. Paying for it myself could cost thousands of pounds. In the end, the decision was taken out of my hands when I discovered that because of the way the exhaust had been cut, it needed another part that is no longer made. The only solution was to scrap it. This was a huge blow, not just practically, but emotionally. I felt a sense of loss and spent a couple of weeks trying to ignore it before accepting there was nothing that could be done. Minutes before I was to make my way to the garage with the documents needed to consign the car to its fate, Simon called. He had been thinking about it over the weekend and had come up with a number of suggestions. He knew what the car meant to me and was angry that something like this should see it broken up into tiny pieces. He was on a mission. In a nutshell, he made the part we couldn’t get, ordered the ones we could, and I’m back on the road again – without breaking the bank. As customer service goes, it was outstanding. Absolutely exceptional. It would have been easier all round to just get rid of it, but he put himself in my position and wouldn’t accept no for an answer. He has always looked after well us whenever we take our cars to him and I always recommend him, but this time he really has gone above and beyond. The whole experience has reminded me that for a business to really meet its customers’ needs and make them feel valued, it has to put itself in their shoes. Pretend you are the customer and do your very best every time. Oh, Simon’s also an expert on motorbikes – both riding and fixing them. Give him a shout at SRC, Unit 5, Grimshaw Lane, Middleton, Manchester, M24 2AE, tel 07593 782 756/07763 218743 #customerservice #pr

Today is a special day in the calendar. August 8 is International Cat Day. In 2019, as well as celebrating feline friends around the world, it was the day I launched Mike Crutchley Media. Three years on, while there have been some blurry moments in between, I remember that day it like it was yesterday. Having sorted out the cats with their gourmet treats to celebrate their special day, I sat at my newly installed desk and wondered what sort of clients I would I be helping. Would I be able to work from home (!) and what happens when I’m not here? Despite any concerns I may have had, I have had the pleasure of working with fantastic clients from day one. I have enjoyed helping companies in all sorts of different industries. I have learned new things and I have learned to do other things differently. One of the biggest plusses for me has been getting back to basics and writing. Gone are the days of ploughing through stories to fill the bottomless pits of daily and weekly newspapers. Instead, I can spend more time interviewing and researching a subject or topic, and can then work on the best way of presenting the final piece for a website or publication. I was reminded of this recently after carrying out an interview and told the client they would have the draft the next day. The daily newspaper journalist in me means I still feel guilty if I don’t start writing a piece the moment the interview ends. I can still hear the voices of my tutors at college, as well as inspirational senior colleagues saying “write it while it’s fresh in your mind”. It is good advice and something I would encourage budding journalists today to follow. I had started to write the piece but was unable to finish it straight away and came back to it the following morning. Having been inspired by something on the TV the previous night, I came up with a completely different line for it which the client loved. The lesson for me has been quality over quantity or speed. And I get a real buzz when a client tells me they love what I have done. Throughout the three years, there have been far more ups than downs, although a pandemic six months into my new venture and losing mum to cancer earlier this year have been major blows. Traumatic events like this make you see life very differently and help you realise the importance of family and loved ones. So it is a changed me that embarks on year four of this journey, older, probably not wiser, but ready for whatever the future holds. The cats have also pointed out that today is once again International Cat Day - the biggest celebration to be held each year on August 8. Thanks to everyone for all the help, support and love this past year. And for anyone having trouble sleeping, here are my first and second birthday blogs: https://www.mikecrutchleymedia.co.uk/happy-first-birthday-to-mike-crutchley-media https://www.mikecrutchleymedia.co.uk/happy-second-birthday-to-me

We add emojis to messages almost without thinking – a smiley face, a crying laughing face and even the poo emoji. We send them to colleagues, friends, family, and even new contacts. There’s nothing wrong with lightening the mood, or revealing something about our personalities, is there? It depends what you send and who you send it to. Apparently there is a generational gulf in emoji meanings and what someone sends as a friendly gesture could be taken for something offensive or even sinister. The biggest problem comes when someone like myself – who is now classed as the older generation – sends an emoji to the younger generation – those under 25s. And this is the area that is ringing alarm bells among HR managers and lawyers. Starting with a simple one, sending a smiley face emoji to someone surely shows you are happy, in a good mood, and smiling at them. Apparently not – it shows passive aggression. In an earlier blog, I looked at how punctuation meant different things to different generations and ending a text with a full stop was seen by younger recipients as demonstrating anger https://www.mikecrutchleymedia.co.uk/make-a-point-and-keep-using-full-stops. Returning to emojis, certain plants and fruit pose the biggest risk at the moment. Unless you are discussing recipes, I’m still not clear why anyone would send a peach or aubergine emoji, but both could land you in trouble. To the younger generation, the peach signifies a firm bottom and the aubergine demonstrates an impressive manhood or is an invitation to sex. Unless you are sending either of those to someone you are romantically involved with, it’s probably best to steer clear. The skull emoji doesn’t mean the sign of death to younger people, but that something is so funny they died laughing. A clenched fist is not a fist bump but a hard punch – even I got that one – and the manicure emoji means someone is waiting for gossip, not that you like their nails. And the smiley, winky face isn’t a sign you are joking, but is apparently another sexual invitation. So if you send a smiley face, a wink and a peach or an aubergine, it won’t just led to an awkward atmosphere in the workplace – it has led to serious accusations, dismissals and lawsuits. With just a few clicks to sign off an email or message, you could become a predatory sexual deviant harassing younger members of staff. Whatever the facts of a case, that’s a difficult label to shake off. Instead of banning the use of emojis for anyone over the age of 25, help is at hand in the form of an emoji bible. Emojipedia is the gospel to guide us through the high-tech minefield and it’s worth keeping up to date with, especially as meanings can change. For this reason, it is crucial to know the meaning of emojis, but it is also worth remembering that you need to be professional. Most company communications policies include what is deemed as unacceptable behaviour both in the office, as well as in emails or messages with colleagues, suppliers and customers. The use of bad language, crude jokes or anything deemed offensive can lead to disciplinary action. Even armed with the emoji bible, in many cases, you don’t know the age of the person you are corresponding with, so you cannot judge how it will be received. In the same way you wouldn’t share a crude joke on a company email to a client, you shouldn’t use emojis that could mean anything rude or offensive. You wouldn’t drop into conversation with a client or colleague “you have a tight bottom” or “I’ve got an impressive manhood”, so why send a symbol saying the same thing? It is this type of behaviour that companies and society have worked hard to change. There is an argument that there is no place for emojis in professional communications. But we live in the real world and if someone adds an emoji to their message to you, it is natural to reply in kind. But if you don’t know exactly what something means, don’t send it. #emojis #HR

For the past two years, I have managed to avoid catching Covid through a combination of social distancing, sanitising everything in sight and a splash of good luck. Like many people, I tested myself regularly between 2020 and the start of this year and, even on the occasions I had been feeling unwell, the tests were negative. Had my pedantic hygiene regime been a huge success or had I in fact caught Covid but with only mild or no symptoms? There was no way of telling. But having had it now, there is no mistaking that it is not something I have had before. When a sniffle and irritation in my throat began several weeks ago, I reached straight for the lateral-flow test which came back negative. I continued to test while the symptoms came and went and everything was fine. “People still get coughs and colds” I reassured myself and anyone who pulled a face as I continued sniffing and spluttering. But last month, things got worse and I began to ache and feel rotten all over. My scalp and even my hair began to hurt when I brushed it and I knew this was more than a cold. I felt groggy, dizzy, unable to concentrate and had no energy. Out came the lateral-flow test with two bright red lines. Right. Now what? Covid laws in the UK have been removed and there is no requirement to isolate or inform anyone of the result. Test and trace has been dismantled and pop-up testing centres are now car parks once again. I scanned the barcode on the test which gave me an error message instead of taking me to the NHS website to record the positive result. Does anyone care that I’m positive, or with the vaccination programme fully rolled out, is Covid now being treated like indigestion or diarrhoea – treat it yourself and keep it to yourself? But we are being encouraged to ‘do the right thing’ and try to stay at home and away from others to stop it spreading, even though we don’t have to. Despite a positive test and symptoms in full swing, we are free to do about our daily lives as we please. As far as work is concerned, being absent with Covid is like being off with a migraine or chicken pox and is counted as ordinary sick days. If your employer allows you to work from home, great, but they are under no obligation to do so and they do not need to make arrangements for you to continue working while isolating. The nicer ones do, though. Working from home and running my own business means I was fortunate not to have to overcome these hurdles, but it wasn’t just about coming into contact with people. I felt awful and was unable to work for nearly two weeks. Although I have been clear for about a month, I have not fully recovered and the strange, heady sensation lasted a couple of weeks, making it difficult to focus. And simple tasks like walking up the stairs left me feeling as if I had run a half-marathon. Whether it is because of the vaccination or I happened to catch a mild case of it, having Covid isn’t as bad as I had spent two years fearing. But it isn’t something that can be dismissed as similar to having a cold or the flu and isn’t something I would want to have again. I will never know where I caught it, but this is the situation the government has wanted to get to since March, 2020 – when catching this virus wouldn’t be a life changing or threatening and we could all carry on with everyday life as normal.

It may be a cliché, but having seen a heated row in a Facebook group this week, the saying is still true – don’t air your dirty linen public. In the gripping exchange which was seen and commented on by dozens of people, there were no winners. Neither the customer nor the tradesman came out unscathed because both were partly right and equally at fault. The customer was complaining that work done to their bathroom was of a poor standard and they wanted to share it to warn other people about a ‘cowboy builder’. The builder replied saying that the customer wanted to cut corners and save money wherever possible and they had done the best job they could in the circumstances and would return to sort out any snagging. Wading in As the to-and-froing continued, dozens of group members offered their opinions on who was in the wrong and the conversation eventually ended up with threats of involving trading standards and the builder considering legal action over defamatory remarks. The Facebook group court of public opinion swayed in favour of the customer, while those who thought the householder was in the wrong didn’t hold back in giving their reasons why. And this is why no one wins when disputes like this are aired in public and the flames are fanned by social medial likes, shares and comments. There were no written contracts – revealing the sort of detail the exchange went into – but there were plenty of recollections about what was discussed, what had been agreed and issues that were flagged up. Solution And it could all have been resolved in a couple of minutes, face to face, as they went over the resident’s concerns and the builder explained the problems he encountered. They could have agreed how to put it right and got on with it, instead of being caught up in a social media storm and dragging things out. The images shared of the work suggest the job isn’t quite finished, but it looks like it would take less than an hour’s work to complete. Without knowing the details, you would have thought the builder would have taken the extra time to finish the job and be clear to move on to the next one. Equally, the householder made it clear that they did not want to spend a lot of money on the project and apparently said no to suggestions which might have improved the overall quality. No one likes spending huge sums of money on home-improvement projects, but it is also a case of managing the expectations of the client. While they knew they were on a tight budget, I’m sure on some level they imagined or hoped the end result might look more at home in a Premier League footballer’s mansion. No winners Now, whether or not he takes legal action over what he called defamatory remarks, the builder’s reputation has been tarnished and he will have to work hard to restore it. And, whatever shortcomings there might be in relation to the work carried out, the householder doesn’t come out of it smelling of roses either. It could have been sorted out quickly, quietly and in a civil manner, rather than the social media slanging match that ensued. If a customer takes to social media to air a complaint, it is better to contact them directly and privately to deal with it, rather than risking a public row that could turn nasty and harm your business. #customerservice #socialmedia #complaint #pr #marketing