What is Sentiment Analysis?
Sentiment analysis uses artificial intelligence to examine the text of customer reviews and determine the emotional tone—positive, negative, or neutral. But modern AI goes much deeper than simple classification.
Our sentiment analysis examines:
- Emotional intensity: Not just positive or negative, but how strongly customers feel
- Topic extraction: What specific aspects of your business are customers discussing?
- Aspect sentiment: Different sentiment for different parts of the experience (great food, poor service)
- Comparative sentiment: How you compare to mentions of competitors
- Trend detection: How sentiment changes over time
While a star rating tells you the "what," sentiment analysis tells you the "why."
How AI Sentiment Analysis Works
Our AI uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) to understand reviews:
Text Processing
First, the AI processes the raw review text, handling slang, abbreviations, emojis, and contextual clues. It understands that "not bad" is actually positive and "could have been better" is negative.
Entity Recognition
The AI identifies specific entities mentioned in reviews—staff members by name, specific products, services, or aspects of your business like "parking" or "wait time."
Sentiment Scoring
Each review and each aspect within a review gets a sentiment score from -1 (extremely negative) to +1 (extremely positive), with 0 being neutral.
Categorization
Reviews are automatically categorized by topic: service quality, pricing, product quality, ambiance, cleanliness, location, and other industry-specific categories.
Pattern Detection
The AI identifies patterns across all your reviews—recurring praise, common complaints, and emerging issues that may need attention.
Key Metrics & Insights from Sentiment Analysis
Our dashboard provides actionable insights from your review sentiment:
Overall Sentiment Score
A composite score that represents the overall emotional tone of your reviews. Unlike star ratings, this accounts for the actual content of what people write.
Sentiment by Category
See how customers feel about specific aspects of your business:
- Service & Staff
- Product/Food Quality
- Pricing & Value
- Cleanliness & Ambiance
- Wait Time & Convenience
- Location & Accessibility
Keyword Sentiment Map
Visual representation of which words and phrases appear most often in positive vs. negative reviews.
Staff Mentions
Track which employees are mentioned positively (for recognition) and who might need additional training or support.
Competitor Comparisons
When reviews mention competitors, AI analyzes the context to understand your competitive positioning.
Taking Action on Sentiment Insights
Sentiment analysis is only valuable if you act on it. Here's how to turn insights into improvements:
Address Recurring Negatives
If multiple reviews express negative sentiment about the same topic, that's a clear area for improvement. Create an action plan to address the root cause.
Double Down on Positives
Identify what customers consistently love and emphasize it. Use positive sentiment topics in your marketing and train staff to deliver more of what works.
Set Alerts
Configure alerts for when sentiment drops below a threshold or when specific negative topics appear. Catch issues early before they become patterns.
Staff Recognition
Use positive staff mentions to recognize and reward employees. This motivates the team and reinforces desired behaviors.
Respond Strategically
Use sentiment insights to craft better review responses. Address the specific emotional tone and concerns in each review.
Tracking Sentiment Trends Over Time
Single snapshots are useful, but trend analysis reveals the full picture:
Before/After Analysis
Made changes to your business? Track how sentiment shifts after implementing improvements. This validates what's working.
Seasonal Patterns
Some businesses see sentiment fluctuations by season. Understanding these patterns helps you prepare and set appropriate expectations.
Impact Measurement
Measure the impact of training programs, new hires, menu changes, or other initiatives through sentiment changes.
Early Warning System
Declining sentiment trends can signal problems before they significantly impact your overall rating. Address issues proactively.
Competitive Tracking
Monitor how your sentiment compares to competitors over time. Identify when you're gaining or losing ground.