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What is OwnerListens?

OwnerListens is a feedback collection tool that allows your customers to privately send you feedback such as compliments, complaints, suggestions, and questions using their mobile devices. This gives customers a better alternative to posting reviews online because they know they are reaching a real person who owns the business and cares about their experience. OwnerListens thus prevents negative online reviews and helps improve your online reputation.

How does OwnerListens work?

First, claim your OwnerListens inbox at ownerlistens.com. It’s quick and easy - just input your business name and city and follow the prompts from there. You will be asked for some information to verify that you are the owner and then asked to which email you would like to receive feedback. You can also have feedback sent to a mobile phone*.

Next, put up signs in your business that let your customers know to send you feedback with the OwnerListens app.

Then, simply reply to the feedback just like you would to any other text message or email exchange. If you chose to receive messages via SMS, you can respond directly by texting back your reply*. If you chose email, the link in your email will take your OwnerListens inbox where you will simply login and respond via the OwnerListens dashboard.

*(Note: OwnerListens does not charge for SMS delivery, however your carrier SMS fees still apply.)

Why should I use OwnerListens?

Many reasons! Listening and responding to customer feedback is one of the best ways to improve your business, satisfy customers, and privately respond to negative feedback before customers go to public review sites. In addition, responding to feedback with OwnerListens enhances customer experience and is a great way to tell your customers that you care. By now, almost all of your customers have a mobile phone with access to the internet. Posting an anonymous online review is at their fingertips so it is up to you to offer them a better alternative: A way to send you reviews directly using OwnerListens.

What is the best way to respond to customer messages?

When messaging with customers, the two most important things are:

1. Respond to each and every customer. Customers want to be heard and want to know you're listening. Whether it's a compliment or a complaint, make sure to reply.

2. Respond quickly. The faster you respond, the higher the likelihood of making angry customers happy and happy customers happier. Especially is someone sends a complaint, get on it quickly. You don't want that customer running to Yelp or Facebook to slam you.

Content-wise, just respond as appropriate for each message. Reply to complaints calmly and with a resolution in mind. Express gratefulness for compliments. Consider suggestions with an open mind and thank the customer for the effort. As long as you keep your responses genuine, polite and professional, customers will appreciate your responsiveness and attention.

I just received negative feedback; what should I do?

We recommend responding to negative feedback in the same tone as you would in person. First, listen to your customer; when you reply, do your best to let the customer know you understand what s/he has to say. In your reply, you may perhaps want to ask a question or express how you plan to address the issue. Remember, this is your opportunity to turn a potentially negative review into a positive one.

(OwnerListens reserves the right to refuse, remove, or filter feedback that is inappropriate, contains illegal content or violates our Terms of Service.)

Can I give a type of reward to a customer with OwnerListens?

Yes! You may provide a text-based award with OwnerListens such as a coupon code. In future releases, we plan to roll out new in-app features, including one that will allow you to easily send rewards, so stay tuned!

How can I change my account information?

You can change your password or contact information easily through the OwnerListens dashboard. Simply login to your inbox, click on the change password/contact information links located in the lower section of the page, and follow the onscreen prompts. To change any other account information, just send an email to [email protected] with your request and we will respond promptly.

What is the OwnerListens Dashboard for?

The OwnerListens Dashboard, which is accessible from any browser, provides a complete, real time view of all the messages sent to your business. If you have multiple locations all of them will appear on one convenient dashboard.

You can respond to messages, mark messages as resolved, note particularly helpful messages for sharing with your team and generate reports about each location. The reports give you a bird's eye view of all messages sent to the location as well as key stats about how you're responding to customers.

For more about using the OwnerListens Dashboard visit our Learning Center or YouTube channel

What personal information is stored?

Your name, phone number, and email are the only pieces of information used to claim your inbox. Phone number and email address are only used to route feedback, and are never displayed or shared with customers.

Will customers see my name and number?

No. OwnerListens exchanges no personal information; only your responses are sent to the customer. However, if your messages contain personal information in the text, it will be delivered to the recipient as part of the response. It is up to you if you wish to include personal information in the text of the message. We suggest at the very least signing a message with your first name gives your response a more personal and genuine tone.

Can OwnerListens remove negative reviews about my business that are already on public review sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, UrbanSpoon, etc?

No. We do not have the power to remove existing public reviews. However, OwnerListens prevents negative public reviews in the first place. By providing customers a way to privately message you directly and privately, OwnerListens gives you the opportunity to resolve situations immediately. This may even turn a negative review into a positive one. In addition, by getting fewer negative reviews online, your overall online review scores will inherently improve. Join OwnerListens now to keep negative reviews offline and improve your overall online rating.

What is OwnerListens’ Privacy Policy and Terms of Service?

Our privacy policy and terms of service are available here. Email us at [email protected] if you would like a PDF copy emailed to you.

Have feedback?

We believe feedback is a gift, the gift of knowing what is working, what can be improved and how to make things better. Send us your feedback, feature requests and suggestions to [email protected]

Where can I learn more?

Check out the OwnerListens Learning Center

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Read our general FAQ

Send us an email to [email protected] or text us at: 650-825-1166