Ep 48: Zack Oates is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ovation - Actionable Guest Feedback Platform

Nov 10

Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Clicks 2 Bricks with your host, Robert Reed. Joining us in conversation today is Zack Oates, CEO, and co-founder of Ovation, an actionable guest feedback platform for multi-unit restaurants. He shares his thoughts on how asking for customer feedback can drive quantifiable downstream revenue. Listeners will learn the nuts and bolts of how Ovation works, how it came to be, and where they are directing their funding and efforts going forwards. Their focus is on creating a seamless experience for the guest, and Zack tells us how they are working to turn data into a more flexible experience. You’ll also hear how the Ovation service does more than offer a platform for customer feedback, including driving five-star online ratings. You’ll also hear about the integrations that Ovation has grown to include, and why they choose to share all the data even with customers who leave Ovation. Tune in to hear all this and more today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Be introduced to today’s guest, Zack Oates, CEO and co-founder of Ovation.
The book he wrote called Dating Never Works, Until It Does.
His love of pickleball and how it got him through the pandemic.
How Ovation was voted the number one guest feedback platform in a nationwide restaurant owner survey.
The nuts and bolts of how Ovation works, starting with a two-question SMS survey.
Working at Friendly’s and how Zack realized the gaps in the restaurant industry.
What he observed about the existing tools for feedback: they were cumbersome.
Why they have chosen to call Ovation an actionable feedback solution.
How they have found funding and what the structure looks like going forward.
Their focus on creating a seamless experience for the guest.
The work they are doing to turn data into a more flexible experience.
Why they have chosen to allocate most of their funding to new integrations.
Some of the investors, including Kelly McPherson and Wade Allen.
Where your revenue comes from and how to improve the experience for people who found it average.
Why they created the concept of ‘Table Touch’ to allow for digital feedback.
When the issues occur most: when things are busy.
How they have moved from using QR codes to an automated SMS service.
Inclusions that go beyond guest feedback to driving higher star ratings and more.
Why the velocity of five-star reviews is so important.
The power of what they do: catering to all levels of the star review spectrum.
What they share if someone leaves Ovation: everything!
Why getting the correct permissions is critical.
Converting third-party to first-party customers, and how this is done.
How texting creates immediacy and facilitates orders today rather than tomorrow.
The work Ovation dabbles in outside of the restaurant industry.

Tweetables:

“We were voted the number one guest feedback platform in a nationwide restaurant owner survey. And Ovation basically starts with a two-question SMS-based survey, and we call that a digital table touch.” — @zoates [0:06:54]

“I've learned that everything is about the guest experience. But the tools to actually measure that guest experience, to do something about it, were just so cumbersome for the guest.” — @zoates [0:07:58]

“After interviewing hundreds of restaurant brands and interviewing consumers, that's when we created Ovation, and we call ourselves an actionable guest feedback solution. Because most feedback tools, it's really challenging to take action on it.” — @zoates [0:09:10]

“What about the other 90% of people who didn't have a transcendent experience, and they didn't have a horrible experience? Those people, you have to capture them, you have to make it easy, and that is where the revenue comes from.” — @zoates [0:17:32]