Feedback small biz app

[Winning]

I just posted an idea on another thread. I have a few ideas but don't know which one would be the best.

A major problem small businesses have is not getting feedback from their customers..
We would SOLVE this. How?

Create an app called, for example, BizFeedback, where users download this app and search for the business they were just at and rate their experience. If it is 7 stars or higher, it will show them a list of review sites (Yelp, Google+, etc) It will definitely not say you have to review on those sites because that is against Yelp TOS, etc. But it would show it. If the rating is 7 stars or below it would ask for feedback and how they can improve.

The customer would get a 10% off coupon their next time back for giving their feedback. In turn, the small biz gets new reviews on Yelp, Google+ etc without soliciting for them- and also get feedback on how to improve from unhappy customers.

As always, all thoughts welcome!

 

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[BigBrianC]

So an aggregate of the review sites all into one app with coupons for feedback?

 

[Winning]

So an aggregate of the review sites all into one app with coupons for feedback?

Sort of. Well the app would launch and you search for the business you were at.
*We can make them enter a code that the biz owner puts on their business card/wall/etc to prove they were there* but thats beside the point
After you are on the business page in the app, there is one thing you see... 10 stars- you rate between 1-10.

If you rate 1-6: you get prompted with a feedback box and that feedback is emailed to the owner. Owner can then contact the unhappy customer and try to make things right.

If you rate 7+: you get prompted with the other review sites in a sort of "Check us out here:" with a link to Yelp, Google+, etc.... On the top would be something like "Your coupon has been emailed to you"- so they don't have to review on the review sites but it kind of entices them because its in front of their face without breaking TOS and saying "Review us on Yelp"

 

[thidr0]

I think it's a decent idea. Here are some thoughts off the top of my head:

• It's like building a digital suggestion box (Suggestion Box isn't a bad name either, come to think of it)
• Allow users to post ANONYMOUS feedback. Why? Knowing my name is not attached to it makes it more likely I'll leave feedback.
• Coupon is delivered to the app and not via email. Keeps anonymity, can't send it to 100 friends, keeps me using the app.
• Allow business owners to post suggestions publicly. This becomes like a "customer testimonial" that's verified by the company
• Alternatively, make it all public to get a kind of dialogue going. Or maybe you can just see the public feed if you are in the physical location.
• Notifications: "this nearby business is offering coupons for your honest and valued feedback!" That actually might be kind of fun. It turns people into mini bar critics. So if I know that some bar is offering a coupon, I would tell my girlfriend "hey this bar will give us a free drink if we write 2 sentences in their suggestion box." and we'd keep a more mindful eye while we are there. I would do that anyways. You'd have to make sure people don't leave a bullshit suggestion before ever stepping foot into the bar just to get the free drink.
• Make a character minimum for suggestions so people don't game the system with one word feedback
• Maybe there's an easy way to say. "Thanks for your suggestion. Double your coupon savings by visiting some of our friends:" and have buttons to yelp, foursquare, whatever else. There might be an API or other way to auto-populate their suggestion as a review. You're not asking for a review here, just incentivize "visiting". A fine line, but I haven't read the TOS
• What about pricing and charging? Subscription service? Businesses might be wary after the downfall of Groupon/Living Social.
• I'm sure it would be useful if the business has to install as little infrastructure as possible. I would strive to make it as simple as logging into the website where there's a dashboard of all feedback. There they can also set coupons and expiration date and the app takes care of the rest.

Have you started selling or talking to businesses? Sales process might look like:
You can start with "What are ways you stay innovative and improve your business/offerings/menu/restaurant?"
Then... "Do you currently use customer feedback? Where does it come from? Do you need more/less?" Find the PAIN.
And then show how you will add value. "You know what, what if there was an app like a digital suggestion box that makes it easy and even incentivizes the customers to leave some feedback?"

My brother used to cold-call restaurants all day to pimp a digital universal menu platform. He could give some good tips on talking to businesses.


that was fun. hope it helps!

 

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[Winning]

Wow @thidr0 awesome post. I gained a great deal of new ideas. I really like having users anonymously submit feedback, however, if the feedback is bad I'd like the business to be able to contact them back and make that client happy. "Double your coupon savings" by visiting some of our friends seems like a great idea if the TOS allows it.

I haven't done any cold-calling but I did find a business now that is called GetFiveStars that does what we want to do. We would do it on mobile though, while they do it on desktop. This business, of the three I listed, I think is the easiest on finding clients because we can cold-call small-biz all day. Eventually setup some freelancers out in other countries to cold call all day to businesses on Yelp that have below a 3 star.

 

[miked_d]

@MichaelGrey has a thread about negative feedback and the need for more positive feedback. Your solution is a great fit for his need!

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...uiet-how-to-shut-up-bad-loud-customers.58709/

 

[Winning]

Thanks @miked_d for pointing me towards that thread. @MichaelGrey would you think this service would be of help to you? I see this as an app that would help small businesses but yours is mostly an ecommerce store, right?

 

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