Hospitality Superstar Zack Oates Takes the Anti-Survey Approach to Customer Feedback

Interview between Gregg Majewski and Zack Oates about Ovation as the “anti-survey” tool, not serving customers, and how to elevate your ordinary.

Key Takeaways

Ovation: The Anti-Survey Survey Tool

As CEO of Ovation, Zack Oates is on a mission to make feedback mutually beneficial for the customer and the business. The premise of Ovation is to drive revenue through short, concise feedback tools, as opposed to the traditional long surveys.

“We Don’t Serve Customers”

For Ovation, an elevated customer experience means creating a relationship with customers that leads with serving the human first. By doing this, Zack Oates is creating an elevated customer experience.

Elevate Your Ordinary

Zack Oates has started many businesses with varying levels of success. Through all his endeavors, he has realized the worst case scenario wasn’t as bad as he had thought. That realization has increased his confidence to “take the jumps”.

Zack Oates Proves Less is More

Zack Oates, the CEO of Ovation, is pioneering a new approach aimed at benefiting both businesses and their patrons. With a focus on simplicity and revenue generation, Ovation's innovative platform seeks to revolutionize the traditional survey model and reshape the landscape of customer feedback in the hospitality industry.

Oates mission to make feedback mutually beneficial for the customer and the business includes a mindset of an “anti-survey” premise that focuses on driving revenue through short, concise feedback tools, as opposed to the traditional long surveys. By promoting positive feedback and utilizing AI to address negative experiences, Ovation empowers businesses to enhance customer satisfaction while not sacrificing revenue.

The 'Anti-Survey' Tool

"Ovation is the anti-survey tool," Oates explains to show host Gregg Majewski. "We start with a two-question survey, and our whole premise is we want your guests to give you feedback in the most frictionless way possible."

For Ovation, an elevated customer experience means creating a relationship with customers that leads to serving the human first. Oates believes that by prioritizing human connection and empathy, Ovation fosters meaningful relationships between businesses and their patrons, ultimately elevating the customer experience.

Separating The Human and The Customer

"We don't serve customers. We don't even serve guests. We serve humans who happen to be eating our food," Oates asserts.

Oates has started many businesses with varying levels of success. Through all his endeavors, he has realized the worst-case scenario wasn’t as bad as he had thought. That realization has increased his confidence to “take the jumps”, embracing the risk-taking necessary to allow himself and others to pursue innovation and grow fearlessly.

"The thing that I think has helped me to be a better leader is to elevate your ordinary," Oates reflects. “If you bump that up so it's not so bad, then you're not afraid to take the jumps.”

Oates is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who has carved a sizable space in the hospitality industry. With progressive innovations at Ovation, he is set to continuously and fearlessly make waves.

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About Zack Oates

Zack Oates is a multifaceted entrepreneur, consultant, and author renowned for his diverse accomplishments and contributions. With a background spanning from the tech startup realm to international NGO initiatives, Oates has left an indelible mark on various industries. His journey includes notable achievements such as ringing the NASDAQ bell, earning recognition as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs by Vspring Capital, and being voted as one of the top 50 most influential vendors in the restaurant space by Nation's Restaurant News readers. Combining his early experiences in the restaurant industry with his passion for technology, Oates founded Ovation, America's leading guest feedback tool. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Oates has authored a book, penned over 350 articles, and traveled extensively to over 50 countries across six continents. Additionally, Oates shares his insights on relationship-building with customers through speaking engagements across the hospitality, tech, and startup sectors regularly on podcasts and shows, including his own Ovation podcast.

About Gregg Majewski

Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands.

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