S2E47 - Simplifying Online Reputation Management with Shereen Qumsieh

About the Episode

Shereen shares her insights on the importance of integrating feedback channels and trend analysis in online reviews, and how Akira's platform helps businesses manage their online presence effectively. She discusses the development of conversational data and how AI can provide unique insights on customer feedback, identifying exceptional experiences and key themes.

Throughout the conversation, Shereen emphasizes the significance of using natural language and storytelling when conveying data insights to help people understand and take action. She also shares her experience at McDonald's and how it shaped her approach to customer service and continuous improvement.

Angelo Esposito, our host, engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Shereen about the transition from reactive to proactive approaches in business and the importance of showing up for customers and implementing their feedback quickly.

Tune in to learn more about Akira's target market, their transparent pricing strategy, and their future plans to continue serving customers and helping brands grow. Don't miss this informative episode filled with valuable insights on reputation management and data-driven decision-making in the hospitality industry!

takeaways

• Akira simplifies reputation management and delivers prescriptive insights to help businesses improve.
• They focus on better storytelling with data and aim to start conversations that might not have been started otherwise.
• Akira works with multi-concept, multi-brand, and multi-unit establishments, providing insights on ratings, sentiment, and customer retention.
• The founders emphasize the importance of storytelling and natural language communication in presenting data to customers. Akira analyzes customer feedback to identify key themes and sub-themes.
• They prioritize feedback based on sentiment scores and prevalence of themes.
• Akira offers a unified inbox to consolidate feedback from various channels.
• The platform provides AI-powered analysis and escalation of feedback.
• They can generate auto-responses or allow for manual responses based on workflow rules.
• Akira helps businesses manage and update their listings for accurate and consistent information.
• Their ideal customers are multi-brand, multi-unit businesses.
• Akira's future plans involve continued growth and helping brands improve through feedback analysis.****

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Pronunciation 04:30 Working with Multi-Concept, Multi-Brand, and Multi-Unit Establishments 07:56 The Importance of Storytelling with Data 09:58 Lessons Learned from Early Customers 12:05 Transition from reactive to proactive is rewarding 14:29 Advised against Salesforce, emphasized storytelling for operators 16:16 First Paying Customer and Key Learnings 19:23 Developing conversational data for easy operator queries 21:10 Introduction to Key Themes and Sub-Themes 23:51 The Benefits of a Unified Inbox 26:17 Motivating Improvement through Feedback Measurement 29:19 AI Analysis and Prioritization of Feedback 32:13 The Importance of Direct Feedback and Listing Management 34:08 Google reviews show customer feedback challenges 39:50 Opinionated about syndication to important listing directories 41:25 Developing go-to-market strategy for Akira's popcorn 43:08 Targeting Multi-Brand, Multi-Unit Businesses 44:15 Future Plans for Akira