Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with brothers Adam and Kfir Alfia, founders of Real Time Feedback, a two-way customer communication platform that allows customers to communicate directly with management in real time through technology. Adam and Kfir’s entrepreneurship experience spans three decades, including their 2004 venture Maestro Personal Assistants, the premier provider of personal assistance/concierge services. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, Adam, and Kfir discuss their multiple ventures, the current customer service space, and why addressing feedback is so important.
Shownotes:
(1:03) Introduction to Adam and Kfir
(1:21) About Real Time Feedback
(1:54) Adam and Kfir’s History with Maestro
(4:00) Idea behind Real Time Feedback
(6:18) Real Time Feedback’s Success
(9:05) Addressing the Problem of Disengaged Employees
(14:37) Customer Feedback Trends
(19:15) Ventures Involving Family Members
(23:28) Managing Multiple Ventures
(25:27) Feedback over the Next Five Years
(29:44) Advice to Younger Self
(30:43) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“And so we’re really hypersensitive to customer experience. When a customer calls up our service, we want them to hang up the phone and go, ‘Wow, that was one of the best phone experiences I’ve ever had with anybody.’” – Adam Alfia, (2:54)
“We actually put a lot of emphasis in that response time because you’re getting somebody that’s having a negative experience, and you want to respond quickly and save that relationship and save that experience in real-time and in the moment while that customer is in your business.” – Adam Alfia, (8:31)
“If you’re turning your customer into your eyes and ears, they’re able to let you know about deficiencies in your business that you otherwise wouldn’t have known because you don’t have the staff to properly address issues.” – Adam Alfia, (10:38)
“There’s a whole swatch of guests and customers that are silently having bad experiences and leaving, and then either thinking, ‘Oh let’s never come here,’ or, ‘I’ll tell my friends,’ but those are the people who are the silent majority that really need a voice and that’s what this tool was created for.” – Kfir Alfia, (17:06)
Improving Customer Experiences with Real Time Feedback
On this episode of Startup Junkies, host Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with brothers Adam and Kfir Alfia, founders of Real Time Feedback, a two-way customer communication platform that allows customers to communicate directly with management in real time through technology. Adam and Kfir’s entrepreneurship experience spans three decades, including their 2004 venture Maestro Personal Assistants, the premier provider of personal assistance/concierge services. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, Adam, and Kfir discuss their multiple ventures, the current customer service space, and why addressing feedback is so important.
Bridging the Gap between Customer and Management
In the past seven years, there has been a decline in customer experience and customer service, which has become worse throughout the pandemic. Since there were fewer in-person customer experiences during the pandemic, in-store customer service representatives weren’t as in-demand. As a result, it has become more difficult to find qualified, customer-oriented employees. This challenge inspired Adam and Kfir to create a mechanism that allows customers to speak with management in real time in order to improve the customer experience.
Most customers are not interested in talking to a manager over the phone, but they might leave negative reviews online. Real Time Feedback provides customers with the opportunity to message management directly, creating a chance for management to fix the issue before the customer leaves the store.
Often, management is willing to remedy a bad customer experience. However, if communication between the customer and management is not possible in real time, management can only solve the problem for future customers, rather than rectifying the situation immediately.
“We actually put a lot of emphasis in that response time because you’re getting somebody that’s having a negative experience, and you want to respond quickly and save that relationship and save that experience in real-time and in the moment while that customer is in your business.” – Adam Alfia, (8:31)
Improving the Customer Service Space
When Adam and Kfir founded Real Time Feedback, they tried to partner with small and medium-sized local businesses. However, they realized that they needed to lure in larger, enterprise-level clients in order to make the business scalable. Larger clients require a longer sales cycle due to pilot programs, buy-ins, and legal issues, but once they adopt the program, they have a long-term customer service solution. Now, Real Time Feedback is preparing to launch a self-serve platform where businesses pay a monthly fee for their own QR code, which customers can use to provide feedback.
Real Time Feedback has seen success in a variety of industries, including hospitality, automotive, grocery stores, department stores, restaurants, etc. When businesses are committed to addressing customer feedback, Real Time Feedback can help them succeed.
“There’s a whole swatch of guests and customers that are silently having bad experiences and leaving, and then either thinking, ‘Oh let’s never come here,’ or, ‘I’ll tell my friends,’ but those are the people who are the silent majority that really need a voice and that’s what this tool was created for.” – Kfir Alfia, (17:06)
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