New research by American Express has found that 8 in 10 Australian businesses are acting on customer feedback given through social media and review sites to improve the services they offer.

American Express surveyed Australian business owners and consumers and found that 81 per cent of business owners have made changes to the way they run their business following feedback from consumers, including changes to improve service (50 per cent), quality control (38 per cent), staff training (30 per cent) and to speed up delivery (28 per cent).

However, the Amex study uncovered a significant disconnect in terms of feedback provided and received, perception of any action taken, and the effectiveness of different feedback tools. While 63 per cent of Australians have used social media to provide feedback to a business, only 42 per cent of business owners claim to have received feedback in this way. And alarmingly, 60 per cent of consumers don’t believe businesses actually act on their feedback.