Speaking at the Hays Independence Group conference in Vilamoura, Feefo head of customer success Ben Clarke-Smith said having both the good and the bad provides a more balanced picture of a business.

He added: “68% of consumers trust reviews where there’s both good and bad reviews.

“You don’t want to see (a score of) 100% out there. If you can see negative (reviews) it really shows you’re dealing with real people and a real business.”

Clarke-Smith said while 89% of consumers were influenced by reviews overall, 65% of them are more liable to choose a company that is proactive in responding to those reviews.

He advised delegates when dealing with bad reviews to keep in mind some key points: don’t copy and paste your response; don’t take them personally; don’t ignore them and don’t tell the reviewer you are passing on their comments to the relevant department.

“Make it (your response) natural and take the time to talk as a human being,” Clarke-Smith said.

He added the review market is still growing and the future use of reviews is only just beginning to be realised.

Clarke-Smith said augmented reality will soon allow consumers to point their smart phones down a high street and instantly see reviews for the various businesses pop up, while in-store beacons will allow businesses to know what their customers are saying while in a shop as well as see how they move around it.

Why shouldn’t we trust a flawed business more than a perfect one? It works that way for humans.