Customer ‘Listening’ Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

A friend tells you a restaurant has bad service and gave her food poisoning. Would you still go?

But what if that "friend" is actually just someone leaving a review on Yelp? For today's always-online consumers, it's all the same.

Reviews matter. Ninety-four percent of diners base their decisions on online reviews, and businesses who respond are seen as nearly two times more trustworthy than businesses who don’t. Responding to your customer reviews is essential to boosting multi-location businesses’ online reputations and increasing customer loyalty.

Also, a negative review is more fluid than you might think: Yelp users are 33 percent more likely to change a negative review to a neutral or positive one if they receive a prompt response.; And, 88 percent of diners are more likely to look past a negative review if they see the business has responded to it and adequately addressed the issue, and may be open to patronizing the business from there. If people perceive a brand to be…