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

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.

Watch the interview on Rooms for Seconds to learn about Ovation as the “anti-survey” tool, not serving customers, and how to elevate your ordinary.

Episode Links:

• Ovation Online
• Zack Oates Instagram
• Zack Oates Twitter
• Ovation Podcast
• Dating Never Works . . . Until It Does: 100 Lessons from 1,000 Dates (Book)

Chapters:

[00:43] - Ovation as an Anti-Survey Tool

[03:32] - The Two Question Survey

[14:27] - Lessons in Leadership

[16:13] - Zack Oates' Secret Book

[27:30] - Focusing on People for Success

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”.

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.

• Gregg Ma