When I first had the idea for TalkToTheManager back in 2011, it seemed like just an interesting novelty. But the more I spoke to business owners about it, the more practical, and necessary, it became to build it.
Self-promotion here: TalkToTheManager is a feedback service, that allows business owners to receive (and reply to) anonymous customer feedback by text message.
It is a crazy idea. As a business owner, why would you open yourself up to anonymous customer comments? And have them come to your phone by text message?
We found 4 reasons why it's important, and practical:
Getting customer feedback immediately allows management to respond to issues while the customer is still on-premises. The customer can be satisfied before they leave, improving retention. No more waiting for end of shift to review comment cards with staff.
Comment cards are a double-edged sword. If you request the customer's contact information, they may not fill it out or be completely honest, because they don't want to be bugged. If you leave it anonymous, you have no way of contacting the customer to rectify the situation.
It's a tool to combat Yelp reviews. If you can respond to a customer issue during the meal, then the customer is less likely to go home and write a negative review. You can preempt a bad review. We can't guarantee it will improve your rating. Since we can't track customer all the way to Yelp (no one can), we can't prove that it helps. However, it's logical that it would help.
It's easy to set up and use. You know how to send a text, and your customers do, too. So you already know how to use our service. No apps to download and no software to install. And you can have several managers/owners receiving and replying to customers.
Give it a try. It's free for 30 days, then only $29/month. No worries, friend. And we're here to answer questions and help out anytime.