Shereen Qumsieh, CEO of Akira, embodies a unique blend of scientific precision and entrepreneurial spirit, seamlessly integrating her technical expertise with her passion for innovation. In her conversation with host Shawn Walchef, Qumsieh reflects on her journey from consultancy to spearheading Akira, a company focused on revolutionizing reputation management through advanced technologies.

Qumsieh draws an intriguing parallel between her experience as a software engineer and her dedication to baking sourdough bread, both of which demand meticulous measurement and continuous improvement. 

“The way that you approach troubleshooting software or building or writing software is actually the same way you approach sourdough.” she says. “You gotta be accurate. And you measure everything, so that over time, you kind of see what little tweaks and improvements you need to make to get better at it…when I really started to see change and improvement in what I was doing is when I started to measure it.”

At Akira, Qumsieh emphasizes the critical role of data in navigating the complex landscape of hospitality and customer experience by narrowing down the immense amount of data to answer basic questions. By meticulously measuring and aggregating data, Akira helps businesses establish a clear starting point, enabling them to chart a path toward continuous improvement.

“What is the industry average for whatever we’re dealing with? For us, the very first step is baselining it,” she explains. “It’s getting that measurement in place so that this is where we are. And then what we do is we help them assess where they’re at kind of per location versus per brand, and then where do you want to go?”

Qumsieh’s approach to reputation management is rooted in the concept of digital hospitality, which she defines as the sum of all digital interactions that shape a customer’s experience. 

“It’s everything digital. It’s all the touch points that your guests are going to expect or want to interact with you in,” she notes. underscoring the importance of responsiveness and transparency in maintaining a strong online presence.

Through her leadership at Akira, Qumsieh is not only advancing the field of reputation management but also setting a new standard for how businesses can leverage technology to enhance customer experiences across both digital and physical realms.

“If I’m not telling a story and if I’m not sparking conversations, I’m not doing my job. And so I’m constantly checking in, and it’s based on sort of the feedback loop that I get.”

Digital Hospitality is an interview-based video podcast hosted by business owner Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) and produced by his Cali BBQ Media company sponsored by Marqii (@getmarqii) The weekly digital series explores the ways successful businesses and entrepreneurs have merged old and new with innovative digital strategies that harness the power of the Internet and social media. Shawn is the founder of Cali BBQ Media and creator of the Restaurant Influencers podcast on Entrepreneur Media.

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