Many of us look to the internet to give us suggestions on any number of dilemmas we might be facing, from where to go and what to see on our next vacation, to the location of a quality workout facility, to something as basic as where to eat for dinner.
Sure, we're looking for information on what's available near us, but we're also hoping there's a hefty number of reviews to scroll through so we can make comparisons of our choices.
Often, we'll base our decision on where to go based on the opinions of others who have gone before us, strangers we've never met, but who in sum, have rated our potential options for us.
Sites like Yelp and Trip Adviser are great for the indecisive. Not only do they tally star ratings, they also allow us to read lengthy feedback given by previous guests so we are able to get a feel for the ambiance and an insight into special details and offers.
Reviews for places like restaurants especially can be used as a tool not only for potential guests, but also for the businesses themselves.
Good reviews give managers an opportunity to see what's going well, and what strategies are charming their guests. While bad reviews give them an opportunity to make some changes and address concerns before they spin out of control.
In fact, according to researchers at the The University of Maryland, it might be possible to predict the fate of a restaurant based on analysis of customer reviews. Looking specifically at data from Yelp, they were able to calculate with 70 percent accuracy if a restaurant was going to close in the next quarter.
This makes sense for star reviews, but interestingly they took it a step further and developed a program that could scan and analyze the text as well, finding that written content actually had more meaning than the numerical ratings alone.
Businesses have always conducted some sort of customer surveys, reviews or assessments, but the digital revolution has changed the game, and ultimately provided more useful information for both consumers and companies.
Unfortunately, many customers choose not to leave a review, forget to do it after they leave, or are unsure how to do it. If there isn't sufficient data, a few random responses aren't going to add up to much.
A good way to encourage customers to leave reviews is through Wi-Fi landing pages.
By providing visitors with free Wi-Fi access, they can be prompted to leave a review as they log-in. Many guests will appreciate the convenience of a free log-in, and will be happy to spend a few minutes on a review.
Additionally, by offering in-house Wi-Fi, businesses can gather contact information, analyze visitor patterns, engage guests with social media content and more.
Contact Bloom Intelligence for specifics on how to use Wi-Fi in your location to get the customer reviews flowing, learn more about your consumers and boost your brand awareness and client retention all in one.
A Wi-Fi landing page is a powerful tool; we can help you learn how to use it.
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