How Café Liégeois multiplied its Google reviews by 12 and boosted its sales with InputKit

With a growing online presence and a physical store in Montreal, Café Liégeois was looking to strengthen its digital reputation to support its premium customer experience. Since implementing InputKit in March 2023, the company has undergone a remarkable transformation:

1,463 Google reviews today, compared to 116 before InputKit
Rating up from 4.3 to 4.8 stars
167x return on investment
+43% higher return per dollar invested in Google Ads since InputKit
WOW 2024 Study: #3 in Canada for digital experience (source: Léger WOW 2024)

Three years on, the curve has never flattened: 12 times more Google reviews than before InputKit, and a rating that keeps climbing.

Café Liégeois

Retail store: Industry
1: Location
Quebec: Region
2023: Implementation date

More positive reviews collected each month

167x

Return on investment from the InputKit project

+43%

Return per dollar invested in Google Ads since using InputKit

1200+

Customer interactions following the completion of a questionnaire

An online store held back by its Google reputation

Before InputKit

116

4.3

After 3 years

1463

4.8

When Jean-Nicholas Papillon-Gauthier, co-founder of Café Liégeois, opened his physical store, he knew that selling high-end coffee machines required flawless customer service. What he didn't realize at the time was just how much Google reviews would influence buying behavior.

"We know today that the majority of people search for a business on Google before making a purchase. It often makes all the difference," he explains.

With only 116 Google reviews and a 4.3 rating, Café Liégeois' online image didn't reflect the real quality of its service. Jean-Nicholas knew he had to act, but didn't want to disturb his customers. He had tried to motivate employees to ask for reviews, but the manual approach was time-consuming, inconsistent, and ineffective.

On top of that, the team had no structured way to identify dissatisfied clients or follow up effectively. The question was strategic: how could the company improve its service if it didn't know what was going wrong?

A solution that automates follow-ups without hurting the customer experience

That's when Café Liégeois turned to InputKit, aiming to professionalize its customer experience management and strengthen its online reputation proactively.

"Now, every week, we know we'll get at least five new Google reviews thanks to InputKit. It's our safety net," says the co-founder.

InputKit allowed Café Liégeois to

Automate the sending of personalized surveys after each order or visit
Quickly identify dissatisfied customers before they leave a negative review
Convert satisfied customers into ambassadors with targeted review requests

The platform didn't just increase reviews: it generated over 1,200 customer interactions, a powerful tool for loyalty building. Dissatisfied customers, instead of venting publicly, could express themselves through InputKit's surveys, giving the team the chance to act quickly.

Concrete, measurable results

The impact was immediate, and it never tapered off. Three years after rolling out InputKit, Café Liégeois has seen its rating climb from 4.3 to 4.8 stars while generating 1,463 authentic reviews. Today, most customers check reviews before making a purchase, a behavior Jean-Nicholas notices every day: "Clients tell me they came because of our reviews. Before InputKit, that never happened." The company also identified 70 dissatisfied customers, of which 25% were successfully recovered thanks to quick follow-ups.

Thanks to this growth, Café Liégeois has surpassed its main competitor in both the number of reviews and perceived reputation on Google, a considerable competitive edge in the highly competitive e-commerce market.

A lasting transformation in customer culture

Today, InputKit is firmly established as a cornerstone of Café Liégeois' operations.

"When a coffee machine breaks, it happens. But with InputKit, we can act quickly, prevent a bad review, and preserve the relationship," says the co-founder.

Even during critical times, like February's post-holiday rush, InputKit helps maintain consistent, reliable customer follow-up, ensuring long-term satisfaction and trust.

The founder's recommendation

When asked if he would recommend InputKit to other business owners, Jean-Nicholas is clear:

"The value for money is excellent. At first, you hesitate to invest, but a year later you're just glad you did."

He also stresses the importance of supporting employees in adopting the tool: the results come quickly when the process is integrated into everyday workflows, and in his case, InputKit connects perfectly with Shopify.