The Festive season is well and truly upon as and as we enter the start of December, we wanted to remind you about the true super-powers of customer feedback and all the benefits it can have for your business.
During December you are likely to see at least 10% of ‘review’ traffic so it’s the perfect time to understand how customer reviews benefit hospitality businesses and why managing them effectively is crucial.
1. Reputation Building during the Research Stage
Your online reputation is everything. Positive reviews build trust and credibility, showcasing the quality of your food, service, value and atmosphere. Analysis from our Pulse Survey across 54k responses shows that 68% of consumers research restaurants on Google before making a booking with nearly 90% stating Google reviews are either ‘very important’ or ‘a little important’ in influencing their decision making. Managing your online reviews is one of the most sure-fire ways to grow your reputation locally.
Tip: Always encourage guests to leave reviews, whether this is through in-venue QR codes, post-visit emails, review links on receipts, NHF tags or through the team touching tables. Plus your teams should encourage guests to share their survey summaries via online channels to extend their reach. With 125, this can be done with the tap of a button.
2. Gain Customer Insights at Scale, in Seconds
Online reviews are a goldmine of 125, and using our Revelation feature you can easily digest guest sentiment across all your online reviews at the click of a button. You gain direct insights into what your customers love and where you can improve. Whether it’s feedback on a specific dish, speed of service, the atmosphere or value for money, it can also easily be split by location, by day or by time period to understand the guest experience impact over certain periods.
Tip: Use Topic Analysis to review all feedback from last Christmas, or speak to us today about getting it turned on to capture your feedback for this Christmas.
3. SEO and Visibility Online to Drive More Traffic
Online reviews play one of the biggest parts when it comes to local search and Google’s algorithms. Search engines like Google reward businesses with a high volume of positive reviews, making your venue more visible to potential customers searching for great dining experiences. But it’s not just about the volume of reviews. Our Pulse Survey research shows that the ‘most recent reviews’ are what consumers are looking at when using Google to make a decision on where to go out, followed by ‘overall rating’ and ‘comments on reviews’. Surprisingly, the ‘overall number of reviews’ is the least important factor. Research suggests that going from a 3-star rating to a 5-star rating gets a business 25% more clicks from Google, so remember quality and quantity are equally important when it comes to reviews.
Tip: Focus on a steady stream of reviews and reply to every single one. The best way to combat a negative review is to follow it up with 10 positive reviews.
4. Social Proof and UGC Influences those around us
When potential customers see others raving about your business, they’re more likely to trust and choose you. Social proof plays a huge role in decision-making, particularly in hospitality, where the guest experience is everything. We see this play out every day on social media with influencers. Some studies show that nearly 70% of millennials take a photo, or video, of their food before eating it. The importance of this is amplified when you consider further studies show that up to 80% of consumers find photos from other customers more valuable than photos from brands or retailers. Enabling and encouraging people to share these photos in reviews will improve your social proof and authenticity.
Tip: Use your team to encourage guests to post their photos with online reviews and look to include positive reviews on your website or in email marketing. A great example of this is Boston Tea Party who use local reviews on each of their cafe website pages.
5. Guest Engagement should be a Conversation
Reviews aren’t just a one-way street—they’re a conversation. Responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows you care about your guests’ experiences and are committed to improving. This can help increase loyalty and turn negative experiences into positive outcomes. One study shows that 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews, compared to just 47% who would use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews at all. According to a Google study, consumers said that businesses that respond to reviews are 1.7X more trustworthy than businesses that don’t.
Tip: Acknowledge and respond to all feedback, thanking happy guests and addressing concerns directly. Consider that over 50% of people expect a response within a week of posting a negative review according to research.
6. Revenue Growth is Intrinsically Linked to Guest Experience
The ultimate goal: more customers and higher revenue. Research has shown that NPS is correlated with customer retention, revenue, and profitability. A higher NPS means that you have more loyal and satisfied guests, who are more likely to return, spend more, and refer others to your business. Studies show that a 10+ increase in NPS score correlates with a 3.2% increase in revenue.
Tip: Use 125 to track and improve your NPS (and revenue) by understanding which elements of your journey are having the biggest impact on your NPS score.
7. Align your Steps of Service with KPI’s
According to KAM’s ‘Plan to Plate’ research, around 50% of customers say a member of staff has made a food recommendation to them in a venue in the last 3 months. If you combine this with the fact that again nearly 50% (or higher with Gen Z at 65%) of customers act on staff recommendations for food there’s a huge opportunity of untapped potential. By encouraging staff to recommend either their favourite products, or good margin products, you significantly increase your opportunity to drive spend per head and guest satisfaction. With our smart surveys, you can also see in real time how well your steps of service are landing with customers, and use their feedback to continually refine and improve them.
Tip: Track key metrics such as staff recommendations, up-sells, speed of drinks service and other key metrics easily and set targets and objectives for your teams to hit.
Conclusion: Turn Reviews into Results
At 125, we empower hospitality businesses to turn reviews into actionable insights and measurable growth. By understanding and leveraging the full potential of reviews, you can enhance your reputation, boost customer loyalty, and drive success.
Ready to transform your reviews into results? Learn more about how 125 can help give you better insights, make smarter decisions and have happier guests.