According to Ryan Sherman Jr., Senior Reputation Executive at NetReputation.com “reputation building is controlled almost entirely by customer satisfaction. Clients’ opinions, online testimonials and reviews now have enough power to make or break a business.” What's more, studies show that a whopping 88% of consumers are more willing to buy from a company whose owner responds to customer reviews – both positive and negative.

In this article, we'll zoom in on two reputation management platforms to help you excel. In the standoff between Podium vs. ResponseScribe, the first focuses on review generation and gathering all types of communication into one place. The second is a real game changer in terms of keeping up with customer reviews with its ability to handle your conversations for you, without you having to lift a finger.

Keep reading for insider information about the differences between Podium vs. ResponseScribe to see which is a better fit for managing your business' customer satisfaction and brand awareness campaigns.

Podium review

Podium is a comprehensive reputation management software with dozens of valuable features. Its extensive functionalities and pricing make it the perfect choice for large companies.

The all-in-one inbox combines reputation management, website chat, online marketing campaigns and payments into a single inbox. According to the vendor, it serves over 100,000 users in around 25,000 businesses.

This customer experience management software helps businesses expand. Podium offers a Webchat widget for your website, which functions as a lead generation form. Prospects input their data (including mobile number) so the conversation can be continued via more direct and personal text messaging.

Key features

• Webchat to text: Podium's live chat feature seamlessly transitions your conversation to Facebook Messenger or text messaging on the visitor's phone, facilitating more dynamic and mobile-friendly communication.
• Review generation: You can send easy links via a Facebook or SMS text message after any customer interaction to ask for reviews. BrightLocal research found that out of 80% of surveyed consumers who were prompted to leave such feedback, 65% did, which can be a great way to improve your online presence.
• Team chat: The tool enables collaboration between groups and individuals within your company and clients, prospects and stakeholders from the outside.
• Payments management: This function allows sending links to clients who can be anywhere on their customer journey (directing them to the checkout page, sales page etc.) to reduce cart abandonment.
• Collecting feedback: There is a Net Promoter Score survey feature (although it has limited customization options) and an analytics dashboard to view the collected information and your company's progress.

User-friendliness

Podium's interface and user experience are great, even for non-tech-savvy users. However, according to customer opinions, the tool lacks more advanced customization options. What's more, the number of features available can be headache-inducing for local businesses that are just starting out with reputation management software.

Online reviews

Podium is rated by customers on popular software review sites as follows:

• 4.5/5 on G2
• 6.7/10 on TrustRadius
• 4.3/5 on Capterra

User testimonials

Pros

• Up-to-date with new technology: Podium constantly updates and adds new features, sometimes allowing their beta testing for current users.
• A focus on getting reviews: You can send out direct text messages to urge your customers to leave more reviews, boosting your reputation and trustworthiness. A Bazaarvoice survey shows that customer opinions are the most significant aspect influencing purchase decisions for 78% of consumers.
• One dashboard for communicating with customers: This software's main feature is allowing you to answer questions and manage all types of communication (reviews, payments, text messages) from one place. This simplifies the whole process, ensuring you don't miss anything from any sources. However, remember that you still have to reply to each comment yourself, which isn't the case with ResponseScribe.
• Getting more leads and conversions: Podium's interactive Webchat works well for converting customers.
• Practical integrations: The platform is fully integrated with over 24 of the most popular review platforms, including Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Healthgrades, Vitals, Dealer Rater, Cars and more.

Cons

Despite its many advantages, Podium needs to improve in some functionalities you may expect for its steep price. These include:

• No review monitoring options
• No human responses are available
• Includes many features you may not need as a small business owner
• High price – this is a significant factor since some competitors (e.g., Birdeye) work similarly but offer more extensive functionalities for this price, like managing business listings, automating responses or showcasing reviews on social media
• No automated review responses
• No basic keyword search feature in old conversations
• Slow customer support and inattentive customer service representatives
• If your clients don't have a Facebook or Google account, they won't be able to leave reviews (concerns especially senior users)
• No connection to Yelp reviews

Price

Podium offers three pricing ranges:

• Essentials: $289/month for up to 1,000 contacts and three team members
• Standard: $449/month for unlimited contacts and team members
• Professional: $649/month for unlimited contacts and a more advanced feature set

There's a 10% discount available when you commit to an annual payment. You can test out the capabilities of Podium vs. other online reputation tools for small businesses with their 14-day free trial.

ResponseScribe review

ResponseScribe is a personalized review response service for local business owners. It's perfect for everyone looking to handle review responses effectively and at an affordable price.

When comparing Podium vs. ResponseScribe, note that the latter isn’t a review response “software”. We provide end-to-end services by responding to your customer interactions for you. By handling your client communication and reputation management, we free up more of your time to focus on more pressing matters of running a local business.

Our service is designed to help companies save time and build brand loyalty by delivering quick and professional replies to customers. We respond to reviews on 50+ review sites and responses are delivered within a matter of hours. 

Key features

• Personalized review responses: ResponseScribe is designed to help you respond to your business’ online reviews. Whenever you receive a new review, we craft a personalized reply on your behalf and submit it live directly to the review site. 

• Quick turnaround: Fast, custom responses (within a few hours) help businesses show their commitment to excellent customer service. This is especially important for negative reviews. Experts from Business News Daily highlight the importance of always addressing negative opinions and providing your customers with solutions to their pain points.
• AI and human-powered replies: You can choose what type of communication you prefer for your brand; we even offer a mixture of both.
• Budget-friendliness: With prices starting at just $20, we're one of the most affordable options among competitors, especially when comparing Podium.
• Review monitoring and integration: ResponseScribe connects review sites for efficient and secure review monitoring, helping businesses maintain their reputation and ensuring no comment or message goes unnoticed.
• Feedback and collaboration: Businesses can review and approve responses before they are published after receiving text and email alerts. This allows you to get as much or as little involved as you like.
• Wide range of supported sites: ResponseScribe works on 50+ sites, including Google, Facebook and Yelp, as well as industry-specific review sites. We're open to adding support for other platforms upon request.

User-friendliness

ResponseScribe was built with the end user in mind. As soon as your account is set up, all you’ll need to do is sit back and watch your personalized responses stream in. No need to spend a bunch of time learning a complex dashboard.

User testimonials

Pros

• Time-saving solution: By outsourcing your review management and customer communication, you have more time to focus on other business aspects.
• Expertise in review management: We're a specialized service trusted by over 10,000 local businesses to deliver effective and on-brand communication.
• Customization and brand consistency: Focusing on personalized responses leads to more meaningful customer relationships.
• Fast responses: Our team replies within 1 hour for AI-powered and 24 hours for human-powered responses.

Cons

Not ideal for businesses that don’t receive a decent amount of online reviews (less than 10 new reviews per month).

Price

ResponseScribe pricing starts at just $20 per month.

There are also volume-based discounts available for multi-location businesses. Get started today with a free trial.

Podium vs ResponseScribe: comparison table

Conclusion

When you compare Podium vs. ResponseScribe, there isn't really a clear winner. It all depends on what you're looking for. Podium makes it a priority to centralize your inbox. You can easily reach each customer's mobile number or instant messaging app to handle communication on the go and even manage payments. Yet, you still have to take the time to reply to each comment and question manually. That means having to hire someone to handle your customer relations or taking the time to answer posts yourself.

ResponseScribe is a personalized review response service. It uses a mixture of advanced AI technology and real people to help you deliver quick, on-brand and professional replies. It will help you stand out from the competition with an immaculate reputation and even attract new leads without even knowing it – unless you have the time to get involved in the conversation.

Start your free trial to test out ResponseScribe functionalities.