Kyle
Getting customer feedback can be tricky. Almost every kind of survey engagement tactic has been tried time and time again. It’s hard to get someone to take a survey for a chance to win $10,000 or even a free meal the next time you visit a restaurant. Companies need this valuable data, and the survey platform that can pull it off is going to win.
That’s where TellBob comes in. This Canadian based startup with a really cool name is all about having customers take surveys on their smartphone and then getting rewarded instantly for participating.
So TellBob isn’t really a guy named Bob in fact it’s two guys Trevor Howie and Dan Renaud. They came up with the idea back in 2007 after visiting a Home Depot and thinking how great it would be if you could get some kind of instant gratification for completing their customer service survey.
With TellBob’s reward program the customer is rewarded instantly and they can save or trade their rewards with their friends and even share the entire experience on Facebook. It’s a win for their survey customers as well. TellBob can give back some great information and even confirm that the person completing the survey was actually at the location.
We got a chance to interview TellBob, well actually Howie, check out that interview below.
Tellbob does consumer surveys and location audits on mobile phones. Each time someone gives customer insight using Tellbob, they get instant rewards sent to their mobile device. They can trade their rewards with friends and post their experience to Facebook. Our customers get real-time customer feedback/photos from their customers, return visits via couponing and social media exposure. Our ‘location audit’ tool allows large organizations to verify corporate compliance at the store level without leaving their desk.
Everyone knows a guy named Bob! We know surveys are boring, we are introducing some fun to that process. It’s a silly name but easy to remember, our customers love us because they know we always give stuff every time. Not a chance to win, but actual free stuff or awesome deals at cool places.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
The company was founded in 2007 by Trevor Howie and Dan Renaud. Trevor is a licensed architect and Dan has worked in building development since 1998. The company began after visiting a Home Depot store and receiving a photocopied request from them asking to do a survey for a chance to win money. This particular Home Depot had a restaurant in the lobby, and we thought, ‘why not give them something from the restaurant out front. I’d answer their survey for a free bagel!” It developed from there.
Where are you based?
We have an office in Windsor, Ontario and in Toronto, Ontario.
Windsor is an industrial town, but there are several tech startups and a huge appetite for diversification. There is an excellent business incubator in Windsor and a group called WETech Alliance that is instrumental in helping companies launch and succeed. Windsor has all of the raw ingredients to really become a hub for tech in Canada.
We help companies find out what their customers think in real-time. Real-time business intelligence.
Digital rewards and ease of use. Our system is tied directly to social media; at the end of our surveys we give the respondent an opportunity to post their experience to Facebook. This gets OUR customers logo/ business in THEIR customers personal space. Plus, we give free stuff every single time which yields us high response rates and builds our membership. Our competitors either give no rewards or chances to win.
Names that you would not have heard of. We’ve been influenced by many people, mostly people that have found unique solutions to problems and made their companies successful.
Perfecting sales and closing deals. We have a great product, our biggest challenge is managing the sales process.
For us, they are mostly technical and related to hardware. We are mobile phone based, therefore we are always tasked to stay ahead of the technologycurve, and to make sure that our service works flawlessly on all devices every time.
Growth. We have several new customers and exciting projects to be announced.
Here’s some links for ya:
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