
I like that Podium connects with our public review sites. I like that the review link walks a customer through the process of leaving a review without them ever having to go into a different place. I like that we have the option of sending either text or email. Text can be hard if you forget to ask if it is okay to send (text laws), so it is great to heave the email option for those you forget to ask. I like that we now have the option of automatically sending out invites instead of manually doing them (sometimes you just can't get employees to do it)! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I don't like that a simple reputation management service has morphed into more than we need - and they charge for it too! We just want to gain more public reviews...but no...Podium now wants to handle all our chats and text messages. Plus, they are really pushing their platform for mobile pay. Problem is, when you don't use them, they are still on the dashboard and it just confuses employees on what they should be looking at and what is not needed for them. Plus, the chat dashboard includes all conversations happening in the company, even those that are not yours. So, you can see an issue of someone feeling like they should take on a conversation when it really is someone else's. Oh...and support...when we had an issue come up, guess what, couldn't get help for what we needed because it was a Saturday. Didn't know that was still a thing. Maybe it was issue specific and needed a certain team, but management was not happy to hear that answer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium is the best texting service I have ever used. They are convenient and easy to use - easily the most user-friendly application that we have. They enable the company to respond to individuals smoothly and quickly, even with several employees and different shifts. They are also really helpful with mass texts and such. I have recommended their services several times. I'm happy every time I see their building and I'm not at all surprised that they are thriving. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I have only had one minor issue with Podium.Sometimes, as a service company, customers will want to send us a photo of what is going wrong in their home. I don't believe that Podium is equipped (yet) to receive those photos. Attachments are often lost. It isn't a huge deal, but I'm looking forward to that improvement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like how quick and simple Podium is to navigate. Never waiting on loading screens, I like how easy it is to send photos/videos to customers. Review links are very easy to send, the ability to send/customize templates is great as well. My favorite thing about Podium overall is the ease to collect deposits via card/bank transfer, this keeps customers in our door vs. leaving, going to the bank and having time to think themselves out of a purchase. I've saved multiple deals offering them a bank transfer. Overall, I very much enjoy using Podium and hope to continue to learn more about Podium while simultaneously using the software. Podium makes organization very easy by giving you the option to sort conversations by open and closed. I always close every conversation with a customer as soon as I've responded. When they respond again it kicks back over to open and it's an easy way to know whether or not I have responded. This makes organization and remembering to respond a breeze. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium does not integrate seamlessly to our other CRM. I have to leave notes copy/paste all my work into other CRM. If trying to send a video I've found that if they are over 1:30 seconds I have a difficult time getting videos to send. I have to send them 3, 4, 5 times in order for them to go through. While sending photos and scrolling through my photo library, Podium does not keep your place in your library, I have to scroll all the way back down to select the next photos. Review links are sometimes difficult for customers to complete, we have gotten a few calls saying they can't figure out how to leave a review, it won't load, etc. We have gotten 25% of people who click on the review link and do not actually leave a review. These are small issues but honestly my only complaints about Podium. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Prior to Podium we were using a different company to gather and collect reviews, it was working, but with Podium we tripled our reviews in 3 weeks. Our online customers are using the chat link and our staff can respond quicker than phone calls and / or emails. Customers are noticing our improved customer service. Our special order and repair service deposits have been made easy by utilizing Podium's ability to send a secure payment to our customers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Sales staff was outstanding, but it took some time to get Podium launched and running. Podium could improve upon not their explanation and functionality of their products as it relates to integration with 3rd party POS software systems. Easier How-To's would be helpful. Podium did answer all of our questions quickly to resolution. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Taking the conversation from a web chat to a text chat is amazing. We have had multiple transacting clients come from an initial chat on Podium through our site. The immediacy and personal-ness of it speaks volumes to our clients. I also love being able to easily ask for reviews on google and Facebook. It has given us a simple tool to increase reviews drastically. We are also just at the beginning stages of implementing the feedback aspects of the software, and we are enjoying that we are not having to create a new tool or pay for a new software for that. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The software is awesome, and we can afford it as a company, but I don't know how reasonable the pricing is for an individual entrepreneur. Also, I get almost no contact from our account rep. I don't know who it is, and the ones I have known seem to change regularly. In other words, I don't feel any personal connection to the company, or that they know us, our account, or even care if we exist. I also don't love their rigid contract. That contract feels like by locking you in, they don't have to go overboard to keep your business, and that shows in the lack of interaction we get from them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I love how it's already set up to reach clients, friends, or other customers easily. All you need to do is input their name and the best way to communicate with them, which is either by phone or email. Once put in, they are a new contact and you can send multiple items at a time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I wish it could be organized a little better with different links that I'm sending to customers. It would be nice if there could be a title and have the customers organized underneath that title. It can also be a little difficult to differentiate the notifications in my email inbox, because it will produce leads for the whole company rather than one department. It would also be beneficial if when a customer used the link and followed through with the task, that you would be notified when it was completed so it can be tracked easier than having to create a separate spreadsheet. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The platform is quick to send out reviews when you submit the client's information. Overall the interface is easy to use and clean. Very streamlined software for very simple review management and communication with the customer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I often have issues when trying to copy and paste customer information from other platforms. It often resets the entire page and makes it frustrating when trying to send out reviews for my clients. The interface, although easy to use and clean I feel like could still be improved. If there were integrations with our current CRM DriveCentric that would be another added benefit. Our CRM sends many automatic follow up responses throughout the sales process, it would be nice if we could automate the survey sending process. If Podium included deep integration with it's internal messaging as well as external messaging with clients that would be a huge benefit too. The less logins, platforms, and messaging apps I need to use on a day-today basis is better. If I could have one login to access all of my platforms for everything regarding the entire sales process it would be the easiest way to use these platforms and services. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Before moving to Dentrix Ascend we were getting a ton of reviews, it's automated and easily done. What was very valuable was being able to text our patients from our offices numbers and highly valuable is being able to send a text with a link for patients to pay their balance. Ease of use, reporting etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Since we moved to Dentrix Ascend we've had issues with receiving reviews for our offices. Impressed that they were able to connect into Dentrix Ascend BUT when we receive reviews, before if the patient used the link we provided we were able to figure out who they were to contact them if need be, but now no longer can. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium is easy to use for people of all technical skill levels. The interface gives you exactly what you need and nothing you don't. As someone in marketing, I love that I can upload review responses into the platform so our staff can use them. This helps our stores quickly respond to reviews without having to craft the perfect response for each review. I love the live chat with the support. This feature is great for our staff so they can get instant answers to their issues without having to wait for our account manger to get back to them. Our account manager is also so friendly and helpful too. Automotive comes with its own set of challenges for connecting all the moving pieces, but our account manager is always willing to jump in and help. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Some of the reporting features seem to lag a bit. For example, we send weekly reports to our stores, and the data is from the day prior. I understand real-time data is tricky though, but this would be nice! Some of our staff also gets confused with the difference between the Inbox and Reviews tab. I think differing the purposes more could help with this. Some of our reviews do not show up in the inbox so that can be tricky. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium has been life changing for our company since the day we started using it. The ease of communication with our customers has been so convenient. You can answer questions, assist a customer with an issue, or handle a payment while on the go or while at your desk. The software is very user friendly and every person we have worked with within Podium has been quick, professional, and always ready to jump in and help quickly! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Dislike? That we waited so long before taking the leap to sign up! There is nothing to dislike, honestly. And if there is, the team at Podium will be the 1st to jump in and make it right. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
We love using podium for single platform communication and customer review capturing! Our customer engagement for getting reviews has a way higher conversion rate. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
It has been an adjustment paying for a service that essentially you can get for "free" through Google itself. However, we've had customers (and been guilty ourselves) of not filling out reviews that made us log into our account to do so. Podium is a one-click source to an easy path to review capturing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
You can talk directly to the tenant. That makes the door of communication easier. I think that this allows everyone to be on the same page and opens what we need and since we all live in a digital day and time this app is helpful. So when someone needs help. The upside of the information is getting in our all over the place all at once. That helps in situations when you want to tell someone something multiple ways without over sending the information to the tenant and over telling them information. I think that is a good thing about using podium and then you can answer questions and also send any other things need with the two way communication method installed and allowing pleopke to ask questions or email on that app. I think the daily information is goof as well when it comes to knowing what has been going on while you at not on th clock for work Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Can not text and email at the same time. Sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes people do not see a text or would like to go directly to the link without having to do too much to get there. Since sometimes you do not know if someone had an older phone that cannot get to it or if the link was not enough to get where they assumed they needed to be. I think there should be a link to just get the review and export it automatically on the website. I don’t like the fact that it automatically closes or opens some text and I don’t get notifications on my cell phone I made sure they were on. I think on some point a calling feature would set this whole app up in a whole different way and will turn into like a GOOGLE VOICE as spec literally that is the only thing missing from this app. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium makes it really easy for us to reach our customers via text. Our response value is so much quicker with Podium than with a normal email. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Nothing! We love Podium and would recommend it to everyone! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium has created an easy to use interface to communicate with customers. A lot of my customer thought it was so user friendly they were choosing to communicate with me via the app versus texting or calling me directly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Truthfully I don’t feel I really disliked anything. The application works exactly as expected and as long as the customer is comfortable using social media to post their review everything was a breeze. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I like that I can track my individual progress in reviews, conversations and leads. I like being able to answer simple questions for customers that don't require a phone call. I also am a big fan that when a colleague doesn't have an answer, they can assign the conversation to me. It's super user-friendly and easy to monitor. I also have the Podium app on my phone, so it makes it easy for me to be accessible. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
When a text comes in from a customer it does to the original assigned staff member, sometimes that can be a good thing. I think that my least favorite thing about the product, is when customers try to contact us in the middle of the night. I don't often know how pressing the issues are but they usually get resolved the following day. It's cool that the company can be reached any time, but sometimes, as someone with the Podium app, it can get a little bit obnoxious. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
My favorite thing about Podium is how easy it is to communicate with our customers! We can send messages via text or we can send emails as well and it is all on one platform. I also like that we can send a template to our customers that have purchased from us asking for them to leave us reviews! With the click of one button! It takes a much longer time to call customers over the phone, but being able to use podium and texting cuts that time down in half! It also makes it easy for multiple people to log on and see what other staff members have communicated to customers and its a great way to keep track of what's going on with each customer we talk to! I also like that I can use Podium on my computer desk top at work, or you can download the app and then you can answer questions from customers right from your phone at any time. They also send out an automated message to customers letting them know if it is outside of business hours, that we are unavailable at this time but will get to them as soon as we can. And then you can answer them at your leisure. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I dislike that you cannot search old messages by key words. We have several customers that will type in the same questions, and we sometimes use a somewhat generic response, so it would be nice to be able to look up keywords and copy and paste or for other staff members to look up certain responses for specific questions customers ask. This would be a nice feature. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Prompting customer reviews is a wonderful resource, but the ability to put your customers in immediate communication with your team, be they sales or service, is not just beneficial, but essential. Podium provides a solution that is just as easy to use for employees as it is for customers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The only thing limiting the value of Podium will be the way you choose to make use of it. Implement it effectively, and you will reap the benefits, plain and simple. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium makes obtaining Google reviews far easier and keeps the number of emails and phone calls to a minimum. Texting is generally more convenient for our customers. We have a record of each previous conversation and the customers' contact information all in one place. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
I cannot search through my conversations by keyword. I can only find someone with their name or method of contact (phone # or email). Sometimes, I would like to use the same answer for a new customer with the same question as a previous customer, and not being able to search by keyword makes it very difficult to find the conversation, if I can't remember the previous customer by name. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium has streamlined our review request process. Instead of sending clients multiple links to different review sites, we can now send one link that gives them all their options. This makes it easier for our staff and provides a better experience for clients. The templates make sending the request a breeze, and I love that it keeps our messaging consistent, no matter who sends the request. You can assign conversations to certain staff members as well to make sure the right person responds to the right client.
Being able to see reviews from all our different websites is also a huge time-saver. Podium helps me respond to all reviews to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
When it comes to customer service, Podium is super helpful. Their representatives helped with the initial set-up, but they've also been there to help train new staff that joined later on. If I've had a question, they respond quickly and help solve our problems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
Podium does a great job of showing if a client clicked on the review invite link, but I do wish we could see if they actually went to the websites to leave reviews. I also don't love how the review request site only shows one at a time. It would be nice if they could see all the options right at the start, but they have to wait until they reach the end. I would make that the first thing they see. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.