The best offers on the podium of the day Regardless of your industry or the size of your business, fast and effective communication with your customers and employees will surely be the key to your success. Podium bills itself as an "interaction management platform." Since its launch in 2014, the company has driven more than 17 million of these interactions across approximately 40,000 deals. Our Podium review examines the main features of the software, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can decide if it is the best online collaboration software for your organization.
Some features are available on the free Podium service (Image credit: Podium)
Plans and prices
Podium works on a freemium model. If you live in the United States, Canada, or Australia, you will be eligible for Podium Starter, a free version of the software that gives you access to a limited number of features, including live chat, 10 free invites per month. and the payment function. If you want to purchase additional services, you must contact the company to obtain a personalized quote. On a potential downside, we've heard reports that customers are required to sign up for an initial minimum of 12 months.
Interested users can watch a series of video demos on the Podium site to learn how the service works (Image credit: Podium)
How does it work
If you are considering signing up, you can request a demo on the company's website. Almost as soon as we entered our details on the site, we received an email from one of their agents offering to do a 30 minute demo. Podium is available on mobile and desktop apps, and you can integrate your software with other apps like Yext and Salesforce, ServiceTitan, Tire Guru, and CDK.
Users can manage messages from multiple sources in a single inbox (Image credit: Podium)
Features
Whether your customers contact you via Facebook, Google, Instagram, text messages, or your own website, you'll receive all your messages in one inbox. In your inbox, you can see which messages require a reply and which of your employees have already viewed group messages. You'll also receive a complete conversation history, and Podium's smart software automatically groups your conversations together. Podium's online chat feature differs from that of several of its competitors. As soon as your site visitors click on a chat window, they will be asked to provide a name and mobile phone number before entering a question. All leads are sent directly to your inbox for a representative from your organization to send a response. While securing user names and phone numbers through the web chat feature is definitely an advantage in terms of lead generation, the need to enter this information can be overwhelming for potential customers who want to be one.
Podium's video chat feature makes it easy for businesses to connect with customers face-to-face (Image credit: Podium) Podium also offers video chat software for use with customers and employees. To make a call, you can send a link to your customer through their Podium inbox. As soon as they click on the link, they will automatically connect to the face-to-face video chat. Podium users can send messages through a selection of customizable templates. This feature can be particularly useful for routine requests, such as review invites, feedback requests, and reminders.
Teamchat allows employees to collaborate with each other (Image credit: Podium) You can communicate with employees through custom groups or face-to-face conversations, allowing you to assign tasks to the right team members and respond to leads incoming, customer questions and new reviews. As the name suggests, this feature allows you to exchange text messages via your work phone. This feature can be especially useful for customers who are reluctant to speak in person on the phone. The ability to link customer reviews of your business to your messaging feature is one of the key features that sets Podium apart from many of its competitors. Every time a customer uses your site, you can send an automatic review invitation, allowing you to leave a review in 30 seconds. In addition to collecting more business leads, this feature gives you real-time insight into how your business is performing. You can respond via the Podium app as soon as your feedback is posted and resolve any issues that arise as quickly as possible. You can also compare star ratings to gain insight into how your business is evaluating the competition. According to Podium, their clients typically receive 20 reviews per month and see a 6% increase in their revenue from using the review feature. Podium users can receive payments from their customers by sending a link directly to their phone. The software also allows businesses to send customizable invitations with their company logo, as well as manage refunds and provide an at-a-glance overview of customer payment details.
Users receive a dedicated customer service agent (Image credit: Podium)
SMS payment offer
Podium has a new checkout feature that allows businesses to simply send their customers a text to choose a payment method. They no longer need to call to make a payment in an archaic system. With the text messaging feature, you can maintain engagement opportunities even after someone has left your store. This feature also makes it easy to see who has made payments and who needs to follow up. It is also possible to quickly export to your accounting software with easy to integrate data formats. The feature also allows you to initiate each payment request from your computer or mobile device, collect payments via wireless card readers, collect reviews and post-purchase acceptances. Ultimately, this saves your business time due to the ease of payment through Podium. Best of all, there are no monthly fees: you pay a standard processing fee per transaction with a flat fee for each type of payment. Another fun feature added by the company is the ability to customize your invoices with your company name and logo, for a professional finish. Podium gives you the option to specify payment methods for certain types of customers or purchases, so if you only want to allow eChecks or decline credit cards, there is the option to do so.
Podium text messaging payment feature (Image credit: Podium)
Support
When you sign up for Podium, you'll have a dedicated support representative, which is reassuring for businesses that might have questions about some of Podium's more radical features. You can contact their staff by text message, online form, phone or email.
Competition
The messaging platform market is certainly full of competition. Platforms like Slack come with free versions, which allow you to manage your online conversations, and also offer a limited video conferencing service. As we mentioned earlier, Podium goes beyond standard messaging, especially in terms of review feature integration. If review management is your main concern, Trustpilot is the most well-known player on the market and starts at a starting price of €199 per month.
Final verdict
The Podium proposition is certainly interesting and the ability to link reviews to other forms of business contact is an innovative approach to increasing business opportunities. As a result, it's no surprise that Podium was named a Cool Vendor of 2019 by market research agency Gartner. Whether you choose to purchase additional Podium features will likely depend on how important reviews are to your business. However, it might be worth signing up for their free service or contacting the company for a demo and the potential benefits.