We are back for another interview on Unlocking Your World of Creativity. Today Mark traveled over to Dallas-FortWorth to talk with the co-founder/creator of Real Time Feedback, Adam Alfia.
Mark discussed with Adam his innovative new platform and how it’s changing the way a customer can communicate with upper management of businesses about issues they are experiencing in a very simple and effective way. Whether that be at a restaurant, a recreational park, a medical clinic, and even a grocery store.
“We like to say, give them help before they Yelp!”
What is it?
It's a QR code. We make it very simple. We don't use an app. Customers never have to download anything.
By scanning/taking a picture on your phone of the QR code of the business you’re at, you are then automatically taken to that business site.
Here’s a step-by-step procedure:
- Scan QR code
- Takes you to a specific website page
- You put in whatever your issue is
- Submit (you can be anonymous if you want!)
- Management of the business receives the message through email, text, or through the company’s app connected to business
- Management responds to that customer (YOU) and the customer gets a response via text message on their phone.
- Begins the open dialogue on the issue
- The issue gets resolved in a quick and effective way
“When that customer walks across the threshold of your door, they're now in your world. You really have to do a lot to keep 'em engaged, keep them happy, and if they're not happy, you have to make it very easy for them to let someone know.”
Examples of how this works:
Example scenario #1: Let's say you're in the men's restroom at a business or an arena and you see that the bathroom is out of paper towels and you end up walking out wiping your hands on your pants. You're not gonna walk around and find somebody, right?
You scan the QR codes already loaded with the location of the restrooms and it's already prepopulated with the words “paper towels are out” and you can then add more and even say, “Hey, the sink is overflowing or the toilet's running”
Example scenario #2:
How many times have you gone to the grocery store and you go to return your cart in the parking lot and the whole cart area is full of carts? You're not gonna walk back in with your groceries and find a manager.
What Real Time does is have the QR codes ON the cart area. So when you're walking out, you just scan your phone and it automatically sends a message without you having to enter anything that says the parking lot needs attention, please come out.
Now you're letting the business know something, and once again you can add additional information.
Something to note: Grocery stores and retail stores spend millions of dollars a year for big brands on parking lot dings and dents from runaway carts. We can help solve that very easily or at least a majority of it by knowing when the carts are outta control in your parking lot.
Example scenario #3:
You’re out at the park with your kids and there's a swing broken or there's a sprinkler head that's leaking or anything that you see that needs attention. Instead of having personnel visit the park once a week and aimlessly walk around looking for stuff, now the resident or visitor can be your eyes and ears and let you know about all kinds of issues that really matter to them.
Scan the QR code - it opens up a ticket, they can take care of it, and they can respond. They can send the resident/visitor a message back saying, “Hey Mr. Simpson, thank you for sending up feedback last week. You'll be happy to know the swing is fixed now.”
Family dynamic being in business together:
“Real Time feedback was really born out of us being frustrated whenever we go to restaurants and see a lackluster performance from the staff or the food's bad.”
Real Time Feedback was created and founded by Adam and his brother Kfir Alfia.
They have been in business together since 2005 when Adam started the concierge company, Maestro. Adam says he’s more of the sales guy and creative process guy. Kfir has been very instrumental in building relationships with people.
“You can say things that you cannot say to other people. And also we spend a lot of social time together. So we're always talking about “what if” scenarios and questions.”
What’s new to look out for?
Mass Call Feature:
Adam and his brother have realized that a lot of managers wanna have a conversation with a customer and NOT just through a text. They want to pick up the phone and call that customer. Most of the time it's from their cell phone. They find managers are very hesitant about calling a customer, especially a happy customer from their cell phone. They don’t want to have to use their personal cell phone number.
Real Time Feedback just built a mass call feature where managers can actually call a customer directly from their personal cell and it shows up as a different number as Uber does. It hides both numbers. This is the next platform feature to look out for AND on top of that, the manager can record a video that they then can put on Real Time’s app that will then send that as a text message to a customer.
Be sure to go to Real Time Feedback to learn more!
Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson