Frogmetrics, a Y Combinator startup that helps companies quickly get customer feedback using a handheld hardware device, has launched to the public. The startup has created a custom firmware for the Nokia n810 internet tablet that lets companies offer their customers brief surveys that are far more convenient than traditional questionnaires, and has also developed advanced analytics software to help examine survey results. After months of pilot testing Frogmetrics has already landed its first Fortune 150 company - Google - and is now ready to start licensing its product under an enterprise subscription model.
Taking a Frogmetrics survey is incredibly simple - questions average around six words in length, and you simply tap the touch screen to answer each question. Most surveys can be completed in around 25 seconds, and while you can optionally choose to enter your email (if you’d like to be contacted by a manager after a bad experience, for example) there’s no obligation to do so. Contrast this with the archaic online surveys many retail chains employ that ask you to logon from your home computer and enter a 16 digit code for a chance to win a trivial prize, and it’s no surprise that Frogmetrics has seen response rates that put traditional questionnaires to shame.
Frogmetrics initially revealed itself over the summer at Y Combinator’s Demo Day, but details were scant. Since then it has been running pilot programs in a variety of fields, including restaurants, retail stores, trade shows, doctors’ offices, resorts, and airforces, and CEO Scott Brown says that the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Customers are intrigued by these handheld devices (it’s almost like a game), and because they’re taking the survey immediately after their experience at a store or in restaurant, their opinions are much fresher in their minds.
It’s hard to get excited about a company that deals with surveys - we’ve all grown accustomed to simply ignoring them whenever possible because they usually seem like a waste of time. But Frogmetrics has built an impressively simple solution that only takes a few seconds and even verges on being sort of fun (at least the first few times). And with Google as its first major customer, it looks like Frogmetrics may be on its way to replacing those annoying receipt codes once and for all.
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This could be handy.
Interesting idea… but a bit too costly, perhaps?
Does the “enterprise subscription model” mean that they charge money for the devices, and then also for updates and support?
(Ludicrously) expensive licensing for “enterprise class” services and products seems to be the norm these days.
A great idea though. Well done.
Hi Prad, glad you like it!
To answer your question - we don’t do ludicrously expensive anything, just a very reasonable monthly subscription for the service. It’s actually cheaper than what companies are already paying now for other customer feedback tools. To put it in perspective, at the last sales meeting I had, the customer was vehemently telling me that we should charge a _lot_ more than we do.
This is forced opinion gathering at its finest. “thanks for eating at Fridays, here’s a handheld, give me your feedback on how I served you while I am standing in front of you” give me bad feedback and I wave my middle finger at you mr. customer.
Receipt codes are a thing of the past however there are vendors that directly integrate with lodging systems (resorts) that can personalize the surveys by email. Besides, what good is feedback if there is no resolution system to prevent the defection? Now that…is money.
Give me your feedback while I am standing in front of you? What, just like how they stand in front of you while you fill out the receipt with their tip amount? Come on.
Also, read their website. Their analytics includes a resolution system. Sounds like you work for a competing startup and are just bitter because you got beaten
“…just bitter because you got beaten…”
Hyper-competitive fucks like you are exactly what destroys startup communities.
“are you gonna win?” I hear salesforce likes that type of attitude.
Grow up.
25 seconds too long..
hand it out with the check. you have way more than 25 seconds before the waitress/waiter comes back.
Forced opinion gathering? Did you read the article? It’s optional to fill out. No one responds to the spam email you’re talking about.
Even if you don’t want to fill it out, it’s better than the bush league crap that’s out there. Kincaid wasn’t exaggerating - there are actually companies that expect you to register and enter in strings of numbers.
Hopefully said companies go out of business soon.
(linkback) Thrive or Fail? Frog Metrics- highly simplified survey hardware/software [VOTE] - http://www.thriveorfail.com/10203
I can already see version 3.0. If you tie in sales data, this product will give you some awesome information.
Real good web design they’ve got going on.
Dear Kevin,
Please stop spamming.
Love,
Damon
Interesting Tool, how about Nielsen and others? Is that competition
Questions:
Pricing?
What about when somebody walks off with said Nokia n810 internet tablet?
Dude, it’s so cheap that customer tell them to charge more…lol
[they prefer qualitative statements, otherwise negotiations are ruined]
Most likely, they charge #surveys per month or units-deployed per month
SAAS for a dashboard
Managed Assets, like Trendstar buying all of coor’s kegs and managing the supply chain of coor’s kegs for them. Sales cycles are short when you can hand your clients a check for their current assets or give them some assets up front.
Splendid job to the entire Frogmetrics team. This was a long time coming and they have carved out a valuable chunk of a market that definitely wasn’t being served well before.
Great gizmo. Another gizmo every retail customer has in their pocket is called a phone. See how we used this at a recent conference:
http://www.narragansett.ie/blo.....thout.html
This is great. Congratulations to Scott, Jeremy, and the rest of the Frogmetrics team.
Last I remembered, aren’t those surveys worth like $5/per survey from companies such as AC Nielson?
Or perhaps I’m mistaken
- Kevan / Free-iPhone-3G-Apps.com
Pretty interesting - I’ve seen a lot of companies using free surveys from surverymonkey, which is nice if you’re a company on the cheap. But these are pretty nifty. I wonder if you’ll see companies sending these to your own handheld somehow at some point…
I have some questions ?
Why is it restricted to Nokia’s specific phone ? Is this a application ? If not ? Why can’t this be created by just HTML page using AJAX ? if it just server serving html, what is the barrier to entry ?
There is too emphasis on the UI but can’t the UI create by html ?
If it works in HTML, iphone and Windows Mobile is a potential target too.
Nice work Frogmetrics. My company talked with Scott just after they launched this summer and no doubt, they’ve latched into something that is needed (more efficient gathering and tabulation of information, in real-time).
As we wondered then, and still do now:
1 - How will the average retailer afford the device and the service and a wifi connection?
2 - Is the market primarily chains/big box retailers hoping to filter down into the mom-and-pops? if so, this may fly because we see hardware expense as a major barrier.
3 - Congrats on Google…how are they intending to use this . . . mobile events?
4 - How will, or can it, filter into the live events environment to replace traditional lead management?
Again, great work folks, we’re interested and intrigued.
@Chris Byrne - Stop stealing other’s press while flaunting your bullshit.
What will be interesting is how sales of this product go in a market where almost everyone is cutting their budget.
Their website looks just like Apple Store. Nice work.
Can someone please share the use case? Is a clerk going to have to give this to a customer walking out the door? Is it tethered to the P.O.S.? I like the simplicity of the software but that’s not the challenge - it’s customer behavior and real-world interactions getting in the way.
And I assume it’s not going to be for the millions of mom and pops because they’d have to buy the hardware?
Hi Paul. The use case varies depending on the industry using the service. At a retail setting the customer can take the survey while the cashier is folding their purchases and ringing them up with time to spare. In a restaurant, a customer can take it while waiting for the server to bring change/run the credit card.
Obviously there are always challenges getting people to give useful feedback, but we’re trying to take the pain out of it for all the consumers out there.
ok. I like the UI and the idea. Have to hold onto that hardware. I assume you thought of a leasing model like POS credit card terminal industry for the little guys.
When I feel like filling out feedback, it’s not to give scores from 1-6 on questions that the business thought of. It is to feedback a specific complaint, or improvement idea. That’s what can help them improve, andt it necessitates some text. Does this have on-screen keyboard?
–Scrappy
Hi Scrappy. Yes the device contains an on screen keyboard so that users can leave comments if they choose to. This has been one of the most beneficial features to businesses during pilot testing. Additionally, customers can optionally leave an email address as well if they would like a follow up from management on their issue. Or they can choose to remain anonymous.
No more Focus Group! Cool!
Upfront cost will likely hold this product back some, but I think that the idea is great and potentially extremely useful if utilized correctly.
This concept is not entirely new .. Several companies have tried the hand held thing before see video
http://stream01.pixelfish.com/.....owser=MSIE
They have been out for a while but the problem they had was the cost of hardware .. a restaurant for instance would need several of these handhelds plus you have to deall with repairs, theft etc .
A few compnaies that do this
http://www.pager.net/Long-Rang.....urvey.html
http://www.digivey.com/handheld_surveysystems.htm
Overall Frogmedia has a good product and I think they will do well . It seems like an effective solution for feedback
http://www.pager.net/media/Pre.....CC-07.html
It would seems that this device would give instant, fun feedbackfrom patrons of restaurants. A quick and easy questionaire that feeds back such key questions as: where did you hear about our restaurant, did you order the special of the day, was the meal worth the price you paid. In this way you can focus your advertising dollars and immediately appeal to that market share. Response percentages of 2% (normal to written survey requests) will not impact your business like a short 25 second response into a “fun to use” device when you get your check and pay your bill. In the time it takes to get your receipt back from your credit card payment, your input is the biggest TIP that the restaurant owner can receive.
so how much it’ll cost me to get this going in my store?