As a business owner, you already know from first-hand experience just how impactful your online ratings and reviews are. After all, more than three quarters of consumers read online reviews “regularly,” and more than one fifth of consumers read them every day.
There’s no question that reviews influence shoppers’ purchasing decisions – or that your business benefits by engaging in review management.
The real question is, what’s the best platform for monitoring reviews and managing your reputation cost-effectively?
This guide will walk you through five of the best options in 2024, including a breakdown of pricing and features for each tool or service. We’ll also answer some of your FAQs about review management software and go over some of the factors to consider when making your decision.
Here are three essential qualities and features to look for when choosing a review management service:
Let’s take a closer look at each of these features and why they’re important.
To ensure that you never miss a review, you need a platform that integrates with as many review sites as possible.
Look for review management software that collects reviews not only from generic platforms like Google Maps or Facebook, but also industry-specific review platforms that are relevant to your business, such as OpenTable or DealerRater.
In addition to tracking numerous review sites for you, the platform should also integrate with your tech stack, which means it should be compatible with the apps or software you already use to manage your business.
For example, Shout About Us can integrate with your POS or CRM via API or secure file transfer, which enables you to effortlessly and automatically send review requests to customers – without interrupting your workflows.
Consumers demand and expect personalization, making it a crucial element of any successful marketing campaign.
After all, data shows that 73% of consumers “expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations” – and a whopping 88% say that “the experience a company provides is as important as product or services.”
Keeping the value of personalization in mind, ask yourself the following questions you weigh your review management software options:
Don’t waste time and money juggling more apps than you need. Instead, look for an all-in-one, centralized platform with multiple use cases enabling you to accomplish multiple goals.
For example, a review management platform should include features for review generation and removal. It should also offer the ability to respond to reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other platforms.
Finally, the platform should integrate seamlessly with your tech ecosystem and connect with the apps or programs you already use, such as POS and CRM integrations.
Here are five of the top review management software options, including cloud-based platforms, for businesses in 2024:
We’ve compiled a quick overview of each of these tools, making it easy to find review management software designed for your organization’s needs.
Shout About Us is a comprehensive reputation and review management service designed for small businesses, multi-location businesses, and large enterprises. It offers a streamlined, intuitive platform for review generation, review removal, and review monitoring on 75+ sites.
Shout About Us also offers an add-on service, ResponseScribe, which automates the process of responding to customer ratings and reviews on platforms like Yelp, OpenTable, and Google.
Our scalable platform is designed to grow with you, so whether you need to manage dozens of reviews or thousands, you’ll always have the tools you need to optimize your efficiency.
It’s also designed to integrate seamlessly with your tech stack, ensuring an easy set-up. And if you ever have questions, our dedicated customer support team is always here to provide answers.
Shout About Us pricing is custom to each client. To get a quote or set up a demo, reach out to our sales team.
BirdEye is a review management tool that lets your business save time by using AI to respond to customers.
This service also allows businesses to generate review requests, create scannable QR codes for customers, and more. However, one potential drawback for small businesses is that BirdEye is chiefly aimed at large organizations.
BirdEye offers three plans – “Starter,” “Growth,” and “Dominate” – depending on your organization’s size, budget, and needs. Pricing is only available upon request.
Podium, which describes itself broadly as a “lead conversion platform,” offers numerous use cases and capabilities depending on your company’s specific goals.
For example, businesses can use Podium to create text campaigns, accept payments from customers, collect online reviews, build webforms like contact forms, call or email customers, and more. While Podium offers numerous features and capabilities, the pricing might be prohibitive for smaller businesses.
Podium pricing starts at $249/month for the “Essentials” plan. Businesses can access more features by upgrading to “Standard” ($409/month) or “Professional” ($599/month).
Sprout Social combines social media management and review management into a multi-use platform.
According to the company’s website, some popular use cases for Sprout Social include managing social media content, personalizing customer care, collecting data, and boosting brand awareness. Features include analytics tools, publishing and engagement tools, influencer marketing, and more. However, while Sprout Social provides review management tools, it’s up to the business owner to handle writing their own responses to customers.
Sprout Social currently offers four plans: “Standard” ($249/month), “Professional” ($399/month), “Advanced” ($499/month), and “Enterprise” (pricing available upon request).
GatherUp is a reputation management service for small businesses to large enterprises.
The platform is designed to help businesses get more reviews, monitor review platforms, improve their search engine optimization (SEO), create SMS marketing campaigns, collect customer data, and/or track various metrics, depending on the user’s needs.
Businesses can use GatherUp to share reviews on social media, monitor Google Q&As, respond to customer reviews with AI, send branded email review requests, and more. However, since pricing is per location, it may not be optimally cost-efficient depending on the size of your business and how many listings you need to manage.
GatherUp is priced based on the number of locations you need to manage. Pricing per location ranges anywhere from $25/month to $99/month, depending on the total quantity.
Shout About Us delivers a streamlined, turnkey solution for review monitoring, review generation, and review removal, enabling your team to track 75+ review sites from just one dashboard. Our platform allows your business to:
Get more online reviews of your business, manage reviews with ease, showcase reviews on your website or app, track performance with custom analytics, and boost customer loyalty – all with one platform.
Whether you’re a business owner looking to reach more customers, or a marketing agency in need of effective reputation management solutions for your clients, our cloud based review management service empowers you to convert more traffic and conquer every goal.
Discover why more than 10,000 brands trust Shout About Us to manage their online reviews.
Contact us today to schedule your discounted 30-day demo of our platform
Review management software is a digital, cloud-based platform designed for collecting and analyzing customer reviews. Good review management software makes it simple for businesses to monitor review sites, such as Yelp and OpenTable, for positive and negative reviews or star ratings. Review management software also allows you to generate review requests and send review invitations, enabling your business to collect reviews from local customers more efficiently.
Using a review management tool ensures that you receive immediate alerts when new customers review your business, such as negative reviews. That enables you to respond to reviews promptly and provide a better customer experience. Review management software also makes collecting reviews more efficient, helping you gain insights and boost your local SEO while you save time and money. Review management software is especially useful for gathering feedback across multiple channels.
In terms of sheer impact, the "best" review platform is Google, which is more frequently used (and more widely trusted) than other sites or social media platforms to evaluate local businesses. Yelp and Facebook, though less influential on consumers, are also important review sites to track. Other social media channels and review sites to monitor include Trustpilot, TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, the Better Business Bureau, and relevant industry-specific platforms like Zocdoc or Tripadvisor.
Discover whether your brand or agency is implementing three Harvard-recommended strategies to address negative reviews effectively, enhancing customer trust and improving your online reputation.
Unlock the potential of Google My Business with our ultimate guide, designed to help businesses maximize visibility, engage customers, and enhance their online reputation through effective review management.
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