Honey vs. Vinegar: A Better Approach for Customers
What happened to the old adage, “You get more flies with honey than vinegar?” Postie firmly believes in being kind when you need assistance.
Human beings want to assist someone who is kind. We want to work with others when they are pleasant. Then, why are people being rude immediately when they have an issue? It’s important to recognize our initial emotions, but then take a breath, and consciously make an effort towards kindness.
The Problem with Being a Combative Customer
Think back to a time when you had to work with someone unpleasant, or full of vinegar. Did you want to help them? Did you want to do your very best to give them what they wanted? No, you just wanted to do whatever you could to make the interaction end.
This is exactly what happens when you are combative with Customer Service workers. You do not get your way. You simply push that person to make them get the interaction between you as short as possible.
Postie’s quick tips to be a kind customer:
Start with a polite approach. “How is your day going today?” Ask the agent if people have been kind today. Harness the honey side. If you treat someone with kindness you most often get kindness in return.
Clearly and calmly explain your issue, but put the frustration aside.
Stay patient while the issue is being looked into. It can take time to dive deeper, or pull in other staff members to help.
Treat employees as your teammates. They are not the enemy. Remember, they are the ones that can ultimately solve your problem.
After a great experience, ask them to rate you as a client. You could raise your own street credit 😉
So, the next time you have a problem and need customer service assistance, try being kind. Being rude to customer service people gets you nowhere. It just makes them frazzled and dislike you. Make sure you aren’t falling into the Combative Type of client. Now, get out there and make someone’s day easier.
Small Businesses Look Out For Each Other
“Small businesses look out for each other.”
This morning, I said those very words to my Landscaper as we were talking about how he is unable to make it to my farm to fix my irrigation. I know that Spring is his busiest season as everyone needs their sprinklers turned back on and repaired after winter. Therefore, I do not ask to be his most important customer. I know what he goes through. We have been talking and commiserating together about being small business owners for almost 10 years. We understand each other and how difficult our lives can be. We both look out for each other the way small business owners can.
PostBack was built by small business owners FOR small businesses
We created PostBack to allow small businesses the ability to share first-hand insights into customer behavior. It is a positive tool to celebrate amazing customers and to highlight great customers to other businesses. Businesses call out red flag customers so other businesses in the same area or industry can be prepared for their visit.
Watchlists keep you up to date
We want your business to know about rated and reviewed customers in your industry and area so we’ve made a “Watchlist” tool. Watchlists notify you of newly rated and reviewed customers. Create a search and save those filters as a Watchlist to your account.
Think about this for a second. We have created a tool for you to create a list customers that you want to be ready for. Label and sort them however you wish. After you have created this Watchlist, you can share it with colleagues. You can share it with fellow business owners.
For example… I can bookmark posties I’ve made to rate and review my customers. Then, I share this list with a fellow small business owner in the same field. My business contacts are now on alert for these clients and be better prepared in their customer service interactions. They might make a challenging customer happy and hopefully brighten their day.
Watch out for each other
So, take care of each other, small business owners. Rate and review your customers by creating posties, save Watchlists to stay up-to-date, and share those Watchlists with each other to celebrate the best customers and warn about the red flags. We are small business owners who have made this tool to help your business. Use it for good and appease the harder-to-please customers of the world!
Postie’s Thoughts on Creating a New Business
Are you creating a new business? Start thinking about online reviews now!
Any business owner will tell you that starting a business is akin to giving birth to a child. You put all your hopes and dreams into that creation. Hoping the world will love and appreciate what you have made. Then one Karen gets online and says your baby is ugly. How can you manage someone criticizing your child? Your cutie, your bubbeleh, the apple of your eye?
Start thinking about these reviews that will break your heart now. Think about training your staff to provide excellent customer service from the get-go. Creating your business culture around the thoughts of positive reviews should happen before you open your doors. It is okay to start talking about wanting positive reviews. It is also okay to prepare yourself for the inevitable negative review that may occur.
If a negative review happens, you should post back
You should always give your side of the story. Even if that just consists of a sincere “I’m sorry.” Be mindful of what you include when responding with an online review and stay professional. Every review should have a response.
After that, use PostBack to review your client to let other businesses know about their behavior. You’d want to know about the red flags or goodies, right? You can share the handy link to your Postie with other business owners.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a positive review
Any time you have a positive experience where a client thanks you ask them to review you online. Successful businesses with high review ratings have the culture of soliciting feedback. Feedback is not a dreadful thing. It helps us grow and change. We cannot provide a successful product and service for people if we do not listen to feedback.
What’s your reason for starting your business?
Running a business isn’t easy, but it can be incredibly rewarding
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Being a business owner or attempting to open up a business, or leading people in business, is the scariest thing imaginable. And people on the outside world think this is some glamorous job where it’s really easy… and it’s not. Because you’re the last person to get paid. You’re the first person to show up in the morning. You’re the last person to go to bed. And when things aren’t right, nobody gets the credit, but you get the blame.
You got into business for a reason; because you had something to prove. You got into business for a reason; because you believe in you when other people did not.
A bit more daylight, warming temperatures… change is in the air! Harness this rush of seasonal shifting to tackle a spring clean of your business’ social media accounts that may have gotten lost in the end of year rush. Heck, on a nice day, why not grab a refreshment and find a nice spot to sit outside to do your work. Not only will you get the benefit of some fresh air, you may even get a vitamin D boost!
Prioritize based on previous seasons
Have you created social profiles on multiple channels for your business? After evaluating where you are getting the most traction, create a ranked priority list of your social channels to “spring clean.” This tactic helps keep you focused so you can cruise through your updates without getting (too) sidetracked.
Dust ’em off
Have people left comments that you haven’t gotten to because you’ve been busy with other parts of running your business? Spring is the perfect time to give them a dust off and let people know you’ve heard them. Use PostBack.com to create Posties responding to reviews your business has received. Posties allow for more information about your interaction, while keeping your legal team happy. Plus, you can share the Postie as a response to the original review.
Sow seeds for the future
Spring is the perfect time to plant some metaphorical flowers. Extend goodwill to your customers who have taken the time to comment online… even if it may not be positive. It’s amazing how some good old-fashioned customer service strategies can work wonders towards reaching a solution. Check out our PostieDex guide to customers for tips on how to interact with different client types.
Take a moment to breathe
Running a business these days can be grueling… physically and mentally. We often get caught up in our tasks at work, and it’s easy to make ourselves the last priority. Especially after the holiday rush and boldly starting a new year. Now that you’ve refreshed your business on socials, be sure to make some time to enjoy the outdoors for yourself this spring. Find a park or greenspace and take advantage of some “forest bathing” to enhance your mental wellbeing.
Postie’s 5 Rules for Being a Good Customer
Postie here. I have been traveling recently and have encountered many hospitality workers. Through my conversations, I realized sharing my 5 Rules for Being a Good Hospitality Customer may be helpful.
My favorite thing when I travel is talking to folks and asking how they are. I love to talk about PostBack and how people should PostBack to online reviews. Hospitality workers seem most excited to be able to PostBack. In the last couple of weeks ten different customer service and hospitality workers have said that people have been very rude to them.
Rudeness is not more common, it is just that it is acceptable for people to act out, scream at people and demand satisfaction in an entirely outlandish fashion now. Are we starting to become a society where it is completely acceptable to take out your frustrations on hospitality workers? I certainly hope not. This is a big part of why PostBack exists. We are hoping to make the world kinder one Postie at a time.
Here are my top 5 Postie Rules on being a good hospitality customer:
Breathe before you go to a car rental counter, hotel front desk or valet. Seriously, take a grounding deep breath. You will bring calmness to the situation.
Smile and ask them how their day is going.
Be patient. Not all hospitality jobs are efficient, and it may take time to get your situation taken care of.
Make eye contact. So many customers avoid eye contact with hospitality workers, and it feels demoralizing.
Treat others like you want to be treated. It seems obvious but it certainly is the most important thing. They don’t call it the Golden Rule for nothing.
Finally, Postie would like to thank all the hospitality workers that made its last trips so great. Thank you all for making me comfortable. Making me laugh! Oh, and most importantly keeping Postie fed.
How to Use Postback to Improve Interactions with Your Customers
A quick guide to the PostBack platform and customer service training
It’s time for businesses to “post back”
PostBack is an online community of businesses watching out for each other by rating, reviewing, and tracking customers in your industry and area. Your reviews of customers are ANONYMOUS. Your name and business name will NEVER appear on your review. Our goal is to encourage better customer behavior. If someone comes to your business and knows they can be rated too, we hope they may act a bit better. Request your free window cling so that customers know you expect them to treat your staff well.
Use our quick guide to get the most out of PostBack
First of all… What the heck is a Postie?
Besides being our amazing helper, a postie is an anonymous review of a business’s experience with a customer. Your name and business name never appear on the customer review. Your business can use these customer behavior insights to set your business up for success. We can all have a bad day, but sometimes it’s more than that. Searching Posties can reveal an ongoing pattern of behavior or tendencies a potential client has. Get customer insights BEFORE they even get to you!
Rate a client in 3 easy steps
Step 1 Give your client a star rating
Your business gets rated… why not the customer?
PostBack is flipping reviews upside down and giving power back to businesses. Customers should be accountable for their behavior. Now is your chance to shout out the good clients, and warn other businesses about the not-so-good ones.
Step 2 Use our icons to describe your client
Use our icons to let other businesses know what to expect from this client. PostBack’s pre-populated customer types cover a range of the best kind of clients, to ones that leave us scratching our heads, to ones that may require authorities getting involved. We’ve got options for all kinds of customers.
Step 3 Share your customer review
Submit your ANONYMOUS review so other businesses know what to expect when your client heads their way. You’ll be able to manage your posties in your dashboard.
Create Watchlists to get early customer insights
Watchlists are saved searches you create. Your Watchlist results update each time you log in and visit your dashboard. Set up Watchlists based on your area and/or industry. Use your Watchlists to get the heads-up on specific types of customers. Using PostBack gets you customer insights to help you screen potential customers before they even come to you.
For example, if you work in the automotive industry, you may want to keep track of customers who have been flagged as “impatient” a few too many times. With these insights you may want to schedule their appointment for a slower part of the day. This way they can get your full attention. Or, if you know it will be busy, you can adjust your staff schedule that day to ensure someone will be able to take care of their needs quickly when they arrive.
Maybe your Watchlist shows that one of your new customers has a history of late payments. With this insight, you’ll know you should probably ask for a deposit or start a payment plan with them.
… If only filing taxes was this easy…
Your dashboard has it all
Use your PostBack dashboard to manage your reviews of customers (“posties”), watchlists, and account settings. In addition to managing your own contact info this is where you can manage your business details, you rockstar! If you play your cards right you may even earn some badges to up your street cred.
Powerful tools for your business
PostieDex Guide to Customer Types
Use our PostieDex of valuable information from seasoned customer service experts to help your staff improve their interactions with varied, and often challenging, customer types. The PostieDex cards include a summary of the customer type, information on how to approach them, and often Pro Tip insights.
PostBack Blog
Our PostBack blog covers a variety of topics including customer service tips, how to support other businesses, ways to use PostBack and more!
Help! I’m lost!
If you have questions or need a little extra help, check out our FAQs page. Now, go forth and make the world a better place one Postie at a time!
You said there would be troll squashing!?
At PostBack, we think there is a lack of accountability online, and especially for online reviews. As small business owners ourselves, we created PostBack to squash internet trolls who make reviews that can really hurt businesses. We’d love to see unwarranted online reviews taken down by the original reviewer because the issue has been resolved. Let’s make the world a better place, one Postie at a time!
Have you ever wanted to rate or review a client?
Watch our quick guide on how to use PostBack
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Ever wanted to rate a customer… good or bad? We understand how online reviews can affect your bottom line. That’s why we created PostBack. Let’s get started!
PostBack lets you rate, review and track customers who have left an online review. Plus, it’s free! That’s in the budget.
This is called a Postie. Save time with our easy to use icons that make rating and reviewing customers a breeze. This is where you can share more details in response to a review without damaging your online reputation. You can even add your Postie to some online reviews. Sweet, right?
Don’t forget to set up your Watchlists to get notified about new posts by industry, location or reviewer.
Use our PostieDex as a guide to improve interactions with your customers.
Are you ready to help make the world a better place… one Postie at a time?
Every great business has an origin story. Ours began with a simple question: What’s the real cost of one bad customer?
PostBack was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses everywhere were being asked to do more with less. As business owners ourselves, we experienced firsthand how a single difficult customer could consume hours of staff time, damage team morale, create unnecessary costs, and impact the overall customer experience.
We realized that while businesses have access to endless data about sales, marketing, and operations, they have very little insight into customer behavior before problems arise.
That’s why we built PostBack.
Better decisions start with better customer insights
Every customer interaction has value—but not every customer creates value. Sometimes, they cost your business… a lot.
Some customers are loyal, respectful, and enjoyable to work with. Others generate repeated complaints, excessive support requests, payment issues, or disruptive behaviour that costs businesses far more than they spend.
PostBack helps businesses build a clearer picture of customer behavior so they can make more informed decisions, reduce risk, and protect their teams.
Understanding customer behavior isn’t about judging people—it’s about having the information needed to make smarter business decisions.
Understanding the true cost of one bad customer
A difficult customer rarely costs you just one sale.
They can consume hours of employee time, create stress for your staff, impact other customers’ experiences, increase operational costs, and distract your business from serving great customers.
When businesses can recognize behavior patterns earlier, they’re better equipped to make decisions that protect both their people and their profitability.
That’s the insight PostBack exists to provide.
Helping businesses help each other
Business owners have always shared advice about trusted suppliers, great employees, and valuable opportunities.
We believe customer behavior insights should be just as valuable.
By contributing to the PostBack community, businesses help create a more informed marketplace where companies can identify potential risks, recognize great customers, and make decisions with greater confidence.
Together, we’re building a stronger network of businesses that support one another through shared knowledge… not assumptions.
We want to make Customer Service Training fun
Yep, you read that right! Whether you’re getting online reviews working in hospitality, hotels, or restaurants. Or, if you are making balloon animals for kids, a stylist in a salons, working in automotive, etc. ANYONE can use our PostieDex Guide to Customer Types.
Based on our love of card games, our growing guide makes training for everyday challenges less boring. Whether you work in hospitality, retail, automotive, professional services, salons, or just about any customer-facing industry, you’ll probably recognize a few familiar faces.We profile different types of customers that may come your way.
Have a suggestion for something we’re missing? Let us know >
Let’s make the world a better place, together!
Underpinning everything we do is the philosophy of “making the world a better place.” With more accountability, hopefully customers will bring their best selves to their interactions. Maybe they’ll think twice before lashing out at you and your staff. Hopefully, they’ll consider their own reputation as a CUSTOMER knowing they can be rated, too!
PostBack is a platform of businesses looking out for each other. When you rate and review your clients and customers, you are helping businesses just like yours! Help other businesses know about red flag customers. Have a great client? We’ve got options for that, too. Show your gratitude and give your best customers a 5-star review on PostBack.
Let’s make the world a better place, one postie at a time!
Businesses Get Rated by Customers. Why Can’t You Do The Same?
Customers have been able to review your business for ages. Nothing says “objective feedback” written by someone who wasn’t even a customer of yours. Now it’s time to turn flip the script for online reviews. Use PostBack so youcan review your customers.
Welcome to PostBack. We believe the world needs more accountability for customer behavior online and in person. We’re flipping the script and giving you the power to review customers with star ratings and details about their behvaiors (we call these reviews “Posties”). Also, you’ll keep your legal team happy by using our pre-populated options (you’re welcome).
Why businesses are loving PostBack
Ever had a client ghost you? Did they show up three hours late and then ask for a discount? Maybe you have a dream client that always brings baked goods to your staff? With PostBack, you can find real insights into potential customers in your area/field. Your business can better prepare to interact with new customers, and you can run more focussed staff trainings.
PostBack has updated the one-way street!
Customer reviews aren’t a one-way street anymore. We’ve flipped the script! Accountability now goes both ways. Let’s make the world a better place, one Postie at a time.
Build trust with other businesses
When you share your experieince, you’re helping other businesses avoid, or better prepare, to interact with some challenging clients. Wouldn’t you have been thankful to have gotten notified of your red flag client? Businesses are great at helping other businesses.
Join a community of businesses who have had enough
PostBack isn’t just a platform — it’s a movement. Join a community of businesses who are tired of one-sided reviews. Whether you’re a tradesperson, real estate agent, freelancer, or run a motel, your voice and experience matter.
Respond to online reviews… differently
We don’t mind shaking things up. We know it’s not productive to get sucked into flame-wars in back-and-forth online review responses. While defending your business, you may actually be getting it into legal trouble. We’ve got options all ready for you to use when you rate your client. Plus, we think they’re pretty cool illustrations. Make a Postie to respond to online reviews, and protect your business reputation.
You rate restaurants. You rate rideshares. Now, you can rate customers with PostBack.
This isn’t petty and it’s not for revenge (you can read more about our origin story and philosophy). Better prepare for the customers you serve. Are you ready to take back control?
