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Aleš Rouček has been working in customer experience in the Czech Republic for many years, and in a consistently methodical way. As founder of InsightSofa, he has spent 14 years measuring customer satisfaction for the country’s largest companies, and he has seen first-hand how the companies that invest in CX pull further ahead every year. He is also behind the CX Academy and CX Brunch, an informal meet-up for CX managers and directors where people speak openly about what works in the field and what doesn’t. His experience with large clients, combined with conversations with owners of smaller businesses, led to his latest project: REVU, an app launched on 7 October. We talked to him about what customers and businesses can expect from it.
Aleš, how did REVU come about? Do you remember when the idea first came to you?
We’ve been measuring customer experience for the biggest companies in the Czech Republic for 14 years, and we can see very clearly how those who take it seriously are gaining an ever-larger lead over those who’ve fallen asleep at the wheel. These days, working on customer satisfaction isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s essential if you want to compete effectively.
And whenever I talk to someone who owns or runs a smaller business, I explain how the bigger players do it, and we usually end up with the same answer: “That sounds great, I probably should be doing it too. But I don’t have the time, the people or the money…” Which is completely understandable. It was in these conversations that the idea started to take shape: how could we remove those barriers for small businesses?
The result is REVU, which is completely free for them. They can set it up in 10 minutes, they’ll have their first feedback the very next day, and they can manage everything from their phone, even in the middle of a shift.
People already review businesses on Google, Firmy.cz, Tripadvisor and Facebook. Do you really stand a chance against these giants?
We don’t want to compete with them, and that’s an important point. REVU covers what they don’t. If a 4.1-star rating is all you need, they do the job brilliantly. But if you want to know where to find the best coffee, which places are good for kids, where to go for a business lunch, or which tradesperson actually sticks to deadlines, that’s where REVU comes in. The same goes for when you want to know what a place is like right now, rather than a score weighed down by its past. That’s where REVU really shines, and it’s something the big platforms can’t give you.
In your view, what were businesses missing when they wanted to measure and improve customer experience, and how does REVU help?
I don’t think large companies were missing anything in this respect. For small businesses, though, it was usually unaffordable, so they had to rely on a single score. A 4.1 can tell you how you’re doing overall, but it won’t tell you whether the problem lies in your product range, your opening hours, your delivery times or how your staff treat customers. That’s the very first thing you need to find out.
Once you know your strengths and weaknesses, you need to start tracking them over time. Say customers complain that you don’t stock enough accessories for a particular product. If you respond by ordering a lot more accessories, you need to know whether satisfaction has actually improved as a result.
Last but not least, you need a platform for talking to your customers. When they’re happy, you thank them. When they have a problem, you get in touch and try to put it right. And you start having a real conversation with your customers, both the happy and the unhappy ones.
In other words, you start actively managing customer satisfaction. And that’s exactly what REVU gives you.
The app also includes a social network where I can see where my friends had a great experience. Why did you decide to focus on recommendations from people you know?
The social side of customer experience is hugely important. People are always looking for new places where others have had a great time, and they like to keep an eye on what the people around them are up to. In REVU, we call this the “Experience Network”. You can easily set your feed to show only the outstanding experiences of people you know. That gives you a steady stream of ideas for things to do, at the weekend for example.
At the same time, the network helps businesses get noticed by new people. When a customer experience goes really well, REVU shares it with more people, free of charge. And if someone adds your business to their favourites, you can send them news, events and special offers. It works nicely for both sides.
Leaving a review is supposed to take just a few seconds. Why is speed so important, and what motivates users to leave a review in the first place?
Good question. The real challenge is getting people willing to leave a review at all, so speed and ease are the key factors. That’s why in REVU you can rate a place with a single tap, using your location. On top of that, there are smaller incentives such as badges and prizes for active reviewers.
Reviews are often plagued by fake ratings. How does REVU verify that someone has actually been to a business, and how do you prevent manipulation?
We’ve put a huge amount of focus on fake reviews, and it’s another thing that sets us apart from the big platforms. The full mechanism is fairly complex (you can read about it at revu.cz), so I’ll stick to the essentials: every review is backed either by the user’s location or by scanning a special QR code. People can only do either of these if they’re physically on site or have genuinely visited the place before (for example, via a QR code on their receipt). A review like that carries far more weight than one written from afar.
The app is free for both users and businesses, and according to your website, rankings can’t be bought. So how will REVU make money, and how will you make sure it stays that way?
REVU is free for both sides, with no catch whatsoever. Only when a business wants to run its own surveys, needs custom branding or wants advanced AI features does it need the Premium plan, and even that costs just a few hundred crowns. Businesses that find it valuable and want to take their customer experience work to the next level will generate the revenue needed to fund the project.
What should someone, or a business, do right now if they want to try REVU?
Go to business.revu.cz and sign up using the five-minute setup guide. In that short time, they’ll have everything their small business needs to start improving customer experience.
