If your business is within the service industry, you are likely aware of the influence a sterling recommendation can have on your day-to-day sales and overall reputation with your community and tourists alike. Because of this, there should be no surprise that negative reviews — especially those that go unattended — have similar implications; just on the opposite end.

We’ve written a previous blog breaking down the steps to take if and when you get a negative review, and we can’t stress the importance of this enough. When you think about the entirety of a reputation, it’s all-inclusive, and nothing is left out. What means little to someone could be the deciding factor in another patron’s choice of dining establishment. The same concept applies to reviews that aren’t responded to by the business.

Rather than being fearful of the possible negative experiences that previous customers may take to different review websites to air out, you can reframe how you see the situation. Instead of seeing this as a point of failure or weakness; look at it as someone giving you free advice on how to better your restaurant from their unique point-of-view. Ensuring you stay on top of negative (and positive) feedback can only help your overall appearance in the eyes of consumers.

Not only can you dig for hidden clues and insights into how your restaurant is operating within the sentences of various forms of feedback from customers, but you can harness the power of positive reviews by sharing them on your website and various social media accounts. When you’ve received feedback that your staff and managers are performing at peak levels, there’s no better time to share the news to the world via the power of social media.

With ReviewPush working on the backend and tracking each and every mention of your business that you want us to, we collect every single word uttered, review left and star rating casted and deliver it straight to your personal dashboard. Here, you can craft a stream of reviews to share onto your website, or draft a Tweet and Instagram post to send out sharing your raving reviews.

It’s been calculated by Small Business Trends that 94% of diners will choose or detract from a restaurant based on customer reviews of the establishment, while ReviewPush found that 67% of consumers are more likely to trust an online review over a traditional advertisement. What does this mean for you? For starters, it proves just how influential your online reputation can be when it comes to business and overall sales.

One way ReviewPush can help your business collect more feedback on the various platforms that impact your business the most is by sending out prompted and timely emails asking how their experience was; giving them direct links to your internal and other external review platforms that matter the most to you and your business. 

This is done by first ensuring any communications via phone or email that you have with customers are GDPR-approved. Once a patron leaves a dining establishment and their information is within your database (legally), you can set up triggered email campaigns to seek their feedback regarding their recent experience.

Receiving unbiased feedback is crucial to the smooth running of your restaurant or fine dining establishment, and it also provides insider information on areas you could improve, staff members who are underperforming in any area and other aspects relative to the hospitality industry. The cleanliness of the dining room and the restrooms matter; the tone of voice and general disposition of the hostess and server matter; the length of time it takes to receive a quality dish matters.

Not only does your online reputation — easily accessible through a quick Google search — depend on it, but the growth or faltering of your restaurant does, too. Let ReviewPush take the manual management of online assets out of your process by streamlining all online management and providing you with the tutorials and tools needed to turn a less-than-stellar review rating to a 4 or 5-star one.

Lee McNiel