What are Negative Reviews and Insider Threats?
The reality of conducting business is that not everyone will be completely satisfied with you. In fact, some people may be extremely dissatisfied, and will be looking to vent their frustrations. Dissatisfied clients and employees have no shortage of platforms for widely sharing their experiences, emotions, and for exacting revenge. A recently released iteration of the National Customer Rage Study by CCMC noted the following customer rage trends1:
- 63% of customers experiencing a problem feel rage about that experience
- 42% of customers raised their voice to show displeasure about their most serious problem
- 56% of customers felt that a problem wasted their time
- 43% of customers cited a loss of money
- 31% of customers suffered emotional distress
- The percentage of customer seeking revenge for their hassles has tripled since 2020
Increasingly, customers post information about their most serious problem on social media sites. Customers motivations may include2:
Revenge. Customers may write negative reviews out of vengeance. The reviews may be accurate, but they may also be false or exaggerated.
Response. Customers posting negative reviews may be hoping to receive a response or attention.
Influence. Customers posting negative reviews may strive to inform or warn others about the quality of your product or service.
Tips for responding to negative customer reviews include:
- Respond ASAP
- Acknowledge the issue and apologize
- Move the conversation online for privacy and personalized customer service
- Be professional and polite
- Be authentic and personal
Job seekers, employees, and former employees may turn to employment websites such as Glassdoor to vent frustrations or to pursue revenge. The aforementioned tips for responding to negative customer reviews can be applied to reviews of your organization as well. Additionally, beware of potential malicious insider threats from employees and former employees that may be looming. A malicious insider spitefully and intentionally abuses their legitimate credentials to steal information, often for financial or personal incentives. Malicious insiders are a particularly significant security threat as they are familiar with organizational security policies and procedures, and they are also aware of vulnerabilities. Malicious insiders may be “second streamers”, who use acquired information to generate additional income, or disgruntled employees, who commit sabotage or steal intellectual property, either for financial gain or for revenge.
1 CCMC, 2023, “2020 National Customer Rage Study”
2 Sonido, 2020, “How to Deal with Negative Reviews Online”