Instant survey firm raises $750,000

January 16, 2011 | Download PDF

By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

Excerpts from the Innovation Economy blog.

A decade ago, entrepreneur Geoff Palmer and Ken Kimmel, then the chief marketing officer at Dunkin’ Donuts, were brainstorming about the potential of the early camera phones that were reaching the market.

“Suddenly you had phones with cameras built in, and we started talking about taking pictures of the doughnut cases in our stores,’’ Kimmel recalled. “You can tell a lot about how well run the restaurant is if the doughnut case is well-stocked and beautiful.’’

The spit-balling didn’t go anywhere until 2009, when Palmer and Kimmel decided to start Survey On The Spot, a business that would use mobile phones as data-collection devices.

Their premise was that if businesses asked customers to use their own phones to fill out a survey, the feedback would be fresher and the response rate higher than with traditional, paper-based survey forms.

The Newton company recently raised its first outside funding: $750,000 from Kepha Partners, a Waltham venture capital firm, Angel Street Capital in Providence, and Mike Sheehan, chief executive of the Boston ad agency Hill Holliday.

Survey On The Spot offers an iPhone app and mobile-friendly website for collecting information from users. Subscription fees start at $40 per month for each location.

The company’s customer list includes 7-Eleven, 99 Restaurants, Not Your Average Joe’s, and Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Most use it to gather information from customers, but some use the surveys as part of store inspections or for gathering employee feedback.

“When you’re collecting data quickly, as opposed to the next day or two days later, you have the ability to fix problems before they affect more customers,’’ Kimmel said. “Certain kinds of complaints’’ - like undercooked food - “can automatically go to the manager of the restaurant, and they can deal with that right away.’’

Survey On The Spot’s technology has recently been adopted by veterinary clinics, tire stores, hospitals, and a Whole Foods Market in Scotland.

The new funding “gives us an opportunity to build a team,’’ said Palmer, who was a cofounder of uLocate, a start-up that became Where Inc., which was acquired by PayPal last year. “Up to this point, it has been just the two of us, working with outside contractors.’’ [Full Article]

For the full Innovation Economy blog, updated daily, visit www.boston.com/innovation.

Survey On The Spot raises $750,000 to collect customer input via mobile devices

January 12, 2012

By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

A decade ago, entrepreneur Geoff Palmer and Ken Kimmel, then the chief marketing officer at Dunkin' Donuts, were brainstorming about the potential of the early cameraphones that were just starting to reach the market.

"Suddenly you had phones with cameras built in, and we started talking about taking pictures of the donut cases in our stores," Kimmel recalls. "You can tell a lot about how well-run the restaurant is if the donut case is well-stocked and beautiful."

The spit-balling didn't go anywhere... until 2009, when Palmer and Kimmel decided to start Survey On The Spot, a business that would use mobile phones as data collection devices. Their premise was that if businesses asked customers to use their own phones to fill out a survey, the feedback would be fresher, and the response rate higher than with traditional paper-based survey forms. The company, based in Newton, recently raised its first outside funding: $750,000 from Kepha Partners, a Waltham venture capital firm, Angel Street Capital in Providence, and Mike Sheehan, CEO of the Boston ad agency Hill Holliday.

Survey On The Spot offers a Web site for creating surveys, and both an iPhone app and mobile-friendly HTML5 Web site for collecting information from users. Subscription fees for using the service start a $40-per-month for each location a business operates. The company's customer list already includes chains like 7-11, The 99 Restaurants, Not Your Average Joe's, and Carrabba's Italian Grill. Most use it to gather information from customers, but some use the surveys as part of store inspections, or in the case of The 99, for gathering employee feedback on new menu items being developed internally. And not all businesses expect their customers to use their own mobile phone to fill out the survey: at Not Your Average Joe's, servers hand diners an iPod Touch with the survey on it, which can be filled out as the diner's credit card is being processed. (The Joe's set-up is pictured in the photo at right.)

"When you're collecting data quickly, as opposed to the next day or two days later, you have the ability to fix problems before they affect more customers," says Kimmel. "Certain kinds of complaints" — those related to under-cooked food, for instance — "can automatically go to the manager of the restaurant, and they can deal with that right away."

While the company's first customer was Finale Desserterie & Bakery, Survey On The Spot's technology has more recently been adopted by veterinary clinics, tire stores, hospitals, and even a Whole Foods Market in Scotland, Palmer says.

The partners had self-funded the business until late December, when the seed investment round took place. The new funding "gives us an opportunity to build a team," says Palmer, who was a co-founder of uLocate, a start-up that became Where Inc. and was acquired by PayPal last year. "Up to this point, it has been just the two of us, working with outside contractors." (That list includes Raizlabs of Brookline and OneStopTechnology of Holyoke.) He says Survey is now hiring in engineering, marketing, sales, and customer support. [Full Article]

For the full Innovation Economy blog, updated daily, visit www.boston.com/innovation.

7-Eleven implements mobile solution from On The Spot Systems

January 9, 2012 | Download PDF

On The Spot Systems, a mobile systems provider, announced that 7-Eleven is using its Survey on the Spot mobile survey platform to capture feedback from managers in the field. 7-Eleven recognized the critical importance of gaining timely and accurate market-level data in order to make better business decisions and began using the mobile survey system in March, according to On The Spot Systems.

”Using mobile technology to quickly and easily enable our field teams to provide real-time feedback is a terrific asset for our organization,” said Steve Holland, 7-Eleven’s chief technology officer. “Our previous paper-based system was time-consuming, and inefficient. We were not receiving nearly as much valuable feedback as we have since we began using Survey On The Spot.”

With the solution, 7-Eleven can create and administer the surveys and send them to their field managers’ smartphones through a link delivered via email or text message. The survey system allows the field managers to complete store visitation checklists and assess merchandising performance and other market-level data collection needs while they are away from their office.

"Understanding market level conditions in real-time results in better decision making," said Scott McCombs, VP of merchandising operations for 7-Eleven. “Survey On The Spot provides reliable and timely data in automated reporting so that we can see how we are doing with each question. We are able to take the data and respond more effectively to market changes.”

By implementing Survey On The Spot, 7-Eleven is able to eliminate the need for secondary data entry commonly needed for paper-based surveys. Mobile access makes data collection more convenient than using a laptop, and field personnel can gain insights on the performance of their units across multiple locations on the same day. Field managers also can submit a photo in the survey for clear validation of performance issues. The use of location specific Quick Response (QR) codes can also be implemented to manage compliance and validate location details. [Full Article]

7-Eleven Employs Mobile Field Data Collection System

January, 2012 | Download PDF

Survey On The Spot helps 7-Eleven respond more effectively to market changes.
7-Eleven, Inc. is using its Survey On The Spot mobile survey platform to capture feedback from managers in the field.

7-Eleven recognized the critical importance of gaining timely and accurate market-level data in order to make better business decisions and began using the mobile survey system in March.

“Using mobile technology to quickly and easily enable our field teams to provide real-time feedback is a terrific asset for our organization,” said Steve Holland, 7-Eleven’s chief technology officer. “Our previous paper-based system was time-consuming, and inefficient. We were not receiving nearly as much valuable feedback as we have since we began using Survey On The Spot.”

7-Eleven can easily create and administer the surveys and send them to their field managers’ smartphones through a link delivered via email or text message. The survey system allows the field managers to complete store visitation checklists and assess merchandising performance and other market-level data collection needs while they are away from their office.

“Understanding market level conditions in real-time results in better decision making,” said Scott McCombs, vice president of merchandising operations for 7-Eleven. “Survey On The Spot provides reliable and timely data in automated reporting so that we can see how we are doing with each question. We are able to take the data and respond more effectively to market changes.”

By implementing Survey On The Spot, 7-Eleven is able to eliminate the need for secondary data entry commonly needed for paper-based surveys. Mobile access makes data collection more convenient than using a laptop, and field personnel can gain insights on the performance of their units across multiple locations on the same day. Field managers also can submit a photo in the survey for clear validation of performance issues. The use of location specific Quick Response (QR) codes can also be implemented to manage compliance and validate location details.

“Partnering with the team at 7-Eleven has resulted in identifying a new and powerful tool for our customers,” said On The Spot Systems Co-founder and President Ken Kimmel. “Using Survey On The Spot for field data collection makes it easy for staff teams to obtain feedback from the field through their smartphones. Data is compiled immediately for rapid assessment and interpretation allowing a quicker response.”

While frequently associated with mobile collection of guest satisfaction feedback, Survey On The Spot can be used by any company that has the need for real-time, on-site information. [Full Article]

5 ways hospitals are using the iPad

November, 2011 

For hospitals, Apple’s iPad tablet computer is about much more than checking and updating electronic health records. Some hospitals develop their own iPad apps for patients and staff, but even for those that don’t, there are a growing number of apps aimed at helping healthcare professionals better care for and communicate with their patients.

With iPad adoption among physicians so high — a survey this year estimated it at 27 percent — the importance of the tablet device to the healthcare industry should only grow in the next few years.

 

Brockton Hospital in Massachusetts is using an iPad app called Survey on the Spot to gather patient feedback and educate staff on how the hospital can improve its operations. When patients are ready to leave the hospital, they’re handed iPads to fill out a short survey to give the hospital feedback on their experiences. The ability to obtain real-time feedback has allowed supervisors to provide quick coaching and guidance to junior staffers, in many cases before the staffers’ shifts are complete, according to a spokeswoman. Software alerts can be set up to route messages to management whenever a patient has rated any aspect of service as poor.[Full Article]

 

Survey Says: What I Wish Someone had Told Me About Becoming an Entrepreneur…

October, 2011 | Download PDF

So two and a half years ago I left the comfy confines of Corporate America (CA) to pursue my “dream” of becoming an entrepreneur. Starting with an idea that my longtime friend and business partner had formulated 10 years earlier, we set off on our adventure to build Survey On The Spot. The original idea came to us one afternoon while standing outside a Dunkin’ Donuts store in 2001. Geoff, my co-founder, was showing me his new cell phone and its very cool (and new at the time) integrated camera. As the CMO of Dunkin’ Donuts, I commented that if I could get a photo of the donut case of every location at 3:00pm each day, I would know exactly how well the store was run. Fast forward to 2009, and Geoff is again showing off new technology that he possesses…an iPhone. He says to me, “Remember that idea we had? Now we could actually do it!” And so a business was born...All that said, we have created quite a business from a pretty straightforward idea. Our client roster includes 7-Eleven, Outback Steak, Daily Grill, Brockton Hospital, Tifton Regional Medical Center, The Tallahassee Democrat, Not Your Average Joe’s, O’Charley’s Restaurant, and Angell Memorial Veterinary Hospital to name a few. Several clients use the system with iPod touch devices in their restaurants. Using this system, Not Your Average Joe’s, a 15 unit casual dining restaurant, is averaging 1000 surveys per restaurant per month and adding 25% of these folks to their email marketing list. “The business impact we have seen from Survey On The Spot is incredible. It is a real-time business management tool as well as a business building system as it allows us to rapidly and easily build our email marketing list.” says Steve Silverstein, the founder and CEO. [Full Article]

Many Local Restaurants Using Technology To Improve Customer Experience

October, 2011

BOSTON (CBS) – We all deal with more technology at work and home these days, but how about when you go out to eat? Many restaurants are now serving a side order of electronics as well as their popular dishes...Some restaurants like Not Your Average Joe’s use the iPod Touch to get customer feedback with Survey On The Spot.”

 

Survey Firm says: Keep the customer App-y.

October, 2011 | Download PDF

A decade ago when a Dunkin’ Donuts executive Ken Kimmel saw his friend showing off his new camera phone, he didn’t realize a seed had been planted for a successful start-up. “Geoff (Palmer) was showing off what was then the latest in technology, and I thought how it’d be great to get a photo of every Dunkin’ shop at 3 p.m. to monitor store performance,” said Kimmel, a former Dunkin’ marketing vice president. “A few years after that, he had an iPhone and said we could actually move forward on what I had wanted.”.... [Full Article]

Startup Watch: Five you should follow.

September, 2011 | Download PDF

As part of each week’s Startup Report, Mass High Tech highlights five startup companies and their business goals...Survey on the Spot: Newton-based Survey On The Spot, founded in 2010, develops a survey app for smartphone and online use to help business owners receive immediate customer feedback.... [Full Article]

Bon appétit! Start-ups aim at restaurants.

September, 2011 | Download PDF

Survey On The Spot. The Newton company assists restaurants with designing surveys done on smartphones and tablet computers... [Full Article]

For the full Innovation Economy blog, updated daily, visit www.boston.com/innovation.

The TableTech rundown: Boston start-ups trying to upgrade the restaurant experience

September, 2011 | Download PDF

Survey On The Spot: Newton company assists restaurants with designing feedback surveys that customers can fill out on smartphones or tablet computers. In use at restaurants like British Beer Company and The Ninety Nine.... [Full Article]

For the full Innovation Economy blog, updated daily, visit www.boston.com/innovation.

Restaurant owner uses iPod touch to get customer feedback and improve his business

July, 2011 | Download PDF

We use them with an app called Survey On The Spot... The iPod touch running the app makes it fun and easy for guests to proved feedback on their experience at the restaurant. The system operates in real-time, so if there is a service issue we know immediately by email or text alerts. It has also been great as a tool to help us build our email marketing list. The best part is that we do not have to do any data entry or tabulation. It all happens automatically...

Can Mobile Help Clarify Confusion Over Reforms?

June, 2011 | Download PDF

Technological solutions, such as applications in the mobile industry aimed at better communicating with patients— whether it be in feedback or in explanation of coverage—are popping up intermittently, though. One provider is On The Spot Systems, a mobile service provider that developed Survey On The Spot, a mobile survey application, with patient satisfaction in mind. As patients prepare to leave the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital in Boston, they are handed an iPad with a survey that takes only a few minutes to complete. Once the patient fills out the survey, the app gives TCU real-time feedback on the quality of service that was just provided to the patient. Not only does Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital receive immediate insight into the patient‟s satisfaction, but also the chance to rectify any sore points right away....

Improving a Patient's Experience with Interactive Technology

May, 2011 | Download PDF

Given the changing nature of healthcare, improving a patient’s experience is of critical importance. Patients frequently have the ability to choose their healthcare provider for both day-to-day and specialized procedures, so the ability to deliver excellent service is a critical deliverable. One way you can enhance the patient’s experience is through the use of interactive technology. The more a practice can go digital, the more easily they can communicate with the patient, and make the whole process of care more transparent. Other handy interactive technologies include mobile survey apps for practices to survey patients on their experience. Survey on the Spot is one such mobile survey application that can be used on an iPad as a quick and easy tool to survey patients in real-time. Once the patient completes the survey, results are sent immediately to management and they are able to address any issues right away. Mike Baldassarre, administrator for the Transitional Care Unit at Brockton Hospital in Brockton, Mass., is extremely pleased with the results he has already received since launching the new system. “Patient satisfaction is our number one goal,” he says. “Our previous paper-based system was time-consuming, inefficient and costly. We did not receive enough valuable feedback and responses would come in two to three weeks later.”...

Creative Ways Mobile Apps Enhance the Customer Experience

April, 2011 | Download PDF

Not Your Average Joe's brings apps to the app-less Who says you need a smartphone to use a mobile app? Restaurant chain Not Your Average Joe's has a history of outstanding service and wanted to extend that to the virtual world. "Our claim to fame is hospitality and customer service," says Steve Silverstein, CEO. Managers visit every table to chat with customers, and the company had used mystery shoppers to monitor performance and quality...

Instant feedback from mobile devices helps improve marketing, service

March, 2011 | Download PDF

Some people may find it rude to see restaurant customers' heads buried in their smart phones or MP3 players as everyone finishes a meal. But Not Your Average Joe's chief executive Steve Silverstein loves when that happens...

How New Technologies Can Benefit Your Restaurant

March-April, 2011 | Download PDF

Technology can change the face of business overnight, but you'd never know it from the looks of many independent restaurants. For example, many indies still use POS systems that print out paper orders in the kitchen, instead of displaying orders on computer screens...

Not Your Average Joe's grows e-mail club list with in-store mobile survey service

March, 2011 | Download PDF

Stephen Silverstein, CEO of Not Your Average Joe's restaurants, wanted a better, more comprehensive way to survey customers at the Massachusetts-based chain's 16 locations. He also wanted to compare the relative performance of each store and build the company's e-mail club, which offers free birthday meals and other benefits to diners, prompting them to return...

Outtake: A local restaurant 
chain grew both its e-mail 
list and customer feedback 
database by deploying an 
in-store mobile survey....

What Customers Think...Right Now!

February, 2011 | Download PDF

Two years ago, Dunkin' Donuts chief marketing officer Ken Kimmel wanted to use cell phone cameras to capture images of doughnut cases that needed improvement, but the technology just wasn't up to the task - until the iPhone came along. Now On The Spot Systems, Kimmel's Newton, Mass.-based company, has developed an app to survey customers using the latest mobile technology...

5 Ways to Upgrade with Technology

February, 2011 | Download PDF

Improved Communications: Restaurants have long used the ubiquitous comment card to obtain feedback from customers; more recently some have been including a survey request at the bottom of guest checks. The effectiveness of these campaigns varies from "not very" to "not at all," which is why many restaurants are starting to turn to new companies...

Business owners can collect immediate client assesment during available guest time

February, 2011 | Download PDF

How efficiently would your day spa operate if you could tap your guests for customer service feedback while they wait between services, or relax after treatments? With Survey On The Spot, a new smart phone application (app), business owners can collect immediate client assesment during available guest time. This eliminates the need to wait (and hope) for spa-goers to respond to email or telephone service questionaires later...

Survey On The Spot has debuted as a mobile service for restaurants and other businesses

January, 2011 | Download PDF

Survey On The Spot has debuted as a mobile service for restaurants and other businesses to collect customer feedback via iPhone, iPad, iPod or smartphone while guests are on a company's site. The service aims to capture feedback, guest satisfaction surveys, customer comment cards and other types of surveys and is focused on providing management with immediate feedback, as clients receive an e-mail five seconds after feedback is submitted...

QSR Industry News: How to Improve Customer Service 'ON THE SPOT'

December, 2010 | Download PDF

Customer service is of the utmost importance to most restaurant brands, and in the age of technology like smartphones and iPads, some are finding that customer service can be improved just minutes after a guest visit.

Mobile systems provider On the Spot Systems' survey solution, Survey on the Spot, is one tool that takes advantage of such technology to survey consumer opinion and send to operators almost instantaneously...

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