Track review progress over time
Collecting reviews is a habit, not a launch. This guide shows you how to set a baseline, what to compare each month, and which change moves which number, so you can tell real progress from a good week.
Set a baseline
You cannot measure improvement without a starting point. Open https://my.trustaroo.app, select Dashboard, leave the period on 30 days and write down four numbers: Scans, Average score, Referrals and Total reviews.
Note the date and what your setup looked like: how many QR codes are out, where they sit, and whether email automation is running. Numbers without context are impossible to explain three months later.
What to compare each month
Every chart and tile shows a change vs previous period, comparing the range you selected against the range of the same length before it. Use it rather than comparing raw totals by hand.
- Same period length. A 30-day view against the previous 30 days. Never a month against a quarter.
- Ratios, not just totals. Referrals divided by scans tells you more than either number alone.
- The distribution, not only the average. A stable average can hide a growing tail of low ratings. See Read the rating distribution chart.
- Seasonality. Switch to 3 months and 9 months before you conclude that a quiet month is a problem. Most businesses have a rhythm.
Break it down per location
The dashboard covers your whole business profile at once. To see how a single location is doing, open the Reviews page and use the Filter by location control, then sort by date to count the rows in a period.
This is worth doing whenever the total moves and you cannot explain it. In almost every multi-location business, one branch is quietly carrying the average or quietly dragging it down. See Multi-location setup and Browse and filter your reviews.
Which lever moves which number
| If you want more | Change this |
|---|---|
| Scans | Placements. More QR codes in more moments: table, counter, receipt, email signature, wallet pass. |
| Total reviews | The review page itself. Clear copy and a familiar logo turn visitors into ratings. |
| Average score | The service behind the rating. No setting improves this one. |
| Referrals | The star threshold and whether the review filter is on. |
| Requests and response rate | Email automation volume and timing. |
Two of these are worth spelling out.
Placements move scans. This is the fastest lever you have, and the one most businesses under-use. Where to place QR codes and the review campaign checklist are the practical starting points.
Only better service moves your average score. Lowering your threshold sends more people onward, but it does not make anybody happier. Use the private feedback comments to find the cause and fix it. See Read private feedback from customers.
Adding table stickers, rewriting your review page and moving your threshold in the same week leaves you with a number that moved and no idea why. Space changes out by a few weeks.
A simple monthly routine
- Open the dashboard on 30 days on the same day each month.
- Write down the four baseline numbers and the change against the previous period.
- Read the newest comments in the Feedback column and note any repeated word.
- Pick one change for the coming month and write down the date you made it.
- Next month, check whether the number you expected to move actually moved.
Your own scans count towards these numbers. If you tested a new poster this month, expect a small bump in scans that has nothing to do with customers.