OwnerListens Releases API and iBeacons Support – Great Customer Service Has Never Been Easier

Two big releases in one week - OwnerListens API and iBeacons. Get deeper integration with existing business products and real-time actionable insights for businesses large and small.

Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) June 02, 2014

With OwnerListens, businesses can connect directly with their customers in real time. With more than 4000 businesses already onboard, OwnerListens is poised to add thousands more with the release of our API and iBeacon support. From hospitals to coffee shops, mechanics to hotels, dentists to restaurants, OwnerListens provides the fastest, easiest way to collect feedback from customers.

The OwnerListens API enables developers to integrate the cutting edge OwnerListens Feedback solution with their products – saving the time and effort of building an independent system. By integrating OwnerListens with point of sale, loyalty, and reservation systems, developers are able to provide advanced capabilities beyond simple two-way communication between businesses and customers. The OL-API allows for a seamless feedback experience without requiring businesses or customers to use another platform.

OwnerListens iBeacons solution helps businesses better communicate with customers in real time. When iBeacons are used in conjunction with the OwnerListens app, businesses can: gather time and location specific feedback at previously unavailable granularity (up to 5 feet accuracy); communicate contextual product and services information automatically; deliver timely marketing messages; alert staff to customer recovery opportunities; provide the same or better level of customer service with less staff; and capture actionable insights on customer behavior and needs.

Customers are more demanding than ever. Businesses must evolve to keep up. OwnerListens helps businesses provide excellent service, get the most out of each employee and build a personal relationship with each customer without breaking the bank. From large enterprise to the local coffee shop on the corner, OwnerListens has businesses covered. And with the API and iBeacon support, is has never been easier to access our tools.

Join the real time customer service revolution with OwnerListens today. http://www.ownerlistens.com

OwnerListens Pilots a New Special Events Feedback Service in the DC Area

Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) October 24, 2013

Over the Columbus Day Weekend, OwnerListens piloted its Special Events Feedback Service with Taste of DC, the region’s largest food festival. The event also served as a launch base for OwnerListens’ core product: a private, and anonymous feedback platform that helps consumers get better service while eliminating negative social media mentions. The product was received with astounding success by local DC businesses.

For the pilot, OwnerListens enabled all exhibitors at Taste of DC to receive and respond to direct, private, and anonymous feedback from the estimated 60,000+ attendees over the weekend utilizing the exact geo-location of each exhibitor’s booth/table at the street festival.

Over 85% of local business exhibitors on board with the service and almost all reported receiving meaningful feedback through the platform. On average, each attendee utilizing the OwnerListens location aware mobile app provided feedback to 6 exhibitors. Feedback ranged from complaints about service, taste, and cleanliness, to compliments about the staff and food, inquiries about the businesses’ primary location, and even requests for recipes!

Local festivals and events can be a gamble for reputation-sensitive local businesses. For a steep price, these events provide businesses access to large potential customer bases in a short period of time; however, such events commonly put the reputation of exhibitors at risk. Lines can get long, customers can become impatient or unruly, and event coordinators can encounter hitches. Vendors are pushed to their limits trying to get food and drinks delivered to attendees as quickly as possible. In short, businesses are left vulnerable to negative reviews online that can ultimately impact their bottom line.

OwnerListens alleviates the pain points on both sides by allowing attendees to send any compliments, complaints, suggestions, or questions to someone with authority and in real-time. Because the message gets sent to the owner/manager, this is a better alternative for customers than harming a business’s reputation online by posting a negative review on sites such as Yelp. Owners/Managers receive feedback via email/sms and can address issues in real-time. It’s a win-win for both sides.

OwnerListens also enabled the Taste of DC event coordinators to receive feedback during the event in order to improve future events. Based on the success of the pilot Taste of DC is currently in discussion for deploying the service at future events.

OwnerListens is continuing to grow in the DC market organically and will gradually open up the Special Events Feedback Service to event coordinators across the country. Interested event coordinators should contact events(at)ownerlistens(dot)com.

About OwnerListens

Co-founded by restaurant owner and tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky (Oren’s Hummus Shop, InfoLinks), OwnerListens raised a $1.1 million round of funding earlier this year. OwnerListens registered business base has organically grown from its co-founders single location, Oren’s Hummus Shop in Palo Alto, to now include 2500+ businesses across 48 states.

Restauranteur Builds App to Help Businesses Prevent Negative Reviews, Raises $1.1 Million for OwnerListens Service

Palo Alto-based Owner Listens Inc. is announcing a $1.1 million seed round to fuel its rapid expansion as a key customer relationship tool for businesses across the US.

Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2013

In open beta since December 2012, OwnerListens now services 1,200 business locations in 40 states and three Canadian provinces, including chains such as Philz Coffee, Logan’s Road House and the local Palo Alto Whole Foods. Its success in acquiring customers has been entirely driven by consumers, who leave private feedback messages for brick-and-mortar businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, mechanics and doctors. OwnerListens then finds the owner of the business, delivers the messages and gives the owner an opportunity to respond. Participating in the round are Promus Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Commerce Ventures and a group of A-list angel investors.

The impetus for OwnerListens came to co-founder Oren Dobronsky when he started a restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, Oren’s Hummus Shop (incidentally, a common VC hangout as noted by YC’s Paul Graham: http://www.paulgraham.com/hubs.html). Dobronsky was frustrated every time a negative online review was posted about his restaurant and was looking for a way to proactively address feedback before it leads to a customer loss or a negative online review. While scratching his own itch, Dobronsky discovered the problem was shared by B@C businesses of all types and sizes and founded OwnerListens with long-time friend, Adi Bittan, who is the startup’s CEO.

The OwnerListens app, available on iPhone and Android, has been used to send messages to businesses of all types and sizes from national chain retailers to mom and pop shops across the country. Contrary to most people’s expectations, the messages do not include just complaints. The breakdown is almost even between complaints (60%) to to compliments (53%) and 11% are suggestions (some messages include a mix hence the total of over 100%). “It’s just as important to know what you’re doing well and which employees are exceeding expectations” says Winston Wint of Mango Carribean restaurant.

Co-founder Bittan says OwnerListens provides a win-win for everybody: “Customers are heard and get their feedback addressed; users report feeling emotionally empowered from being in direct communication with the owner. Businesses and owners receive detailed feedback on their offering, enjoy a positive dialogue with their customers and can fix mistakes before things escalate. Complaints resolved in a timely manner rarely lead to bad public reviews on Yelp, Tripadvisor and social networks, which are important drivers of revenue and customer flow. ”

Interestingly, when the service was first tested at Oren’s Hummus Shop, the founders encountered opposition from their own staff. D’or Seifer, a manager at Oren’s Hummus, now says she is a big fan but: “At first I felt defensive when Oren, the owner, told me he wanted me to use OwnerListens. Now I cannot imagine being without it. It keeps me connected with our customers and the dining room even when I’m not on location. To my surprise it strengthened my relationship with Oren - he now better understands the challenges we face every day and appreciates us for it.” As the owner, Dobronsky receives all messages but Ms. Seifer is designated as the responder. They come to her phone in a text message format which allows her to respond immediately. Topics range from food and service comments to suggestions about decor and praise for staff members.

The startup plans to use the funding to hire, scale the core product and introduce premium features.