Constant Contact vs. Cvent Event Management

Constant Contact is an excellent tool for sending out flyers and newsletters. However, I feel the content's appearance is typically all the same. When I receive an email from Constant Contact, I can immediately identify it - the templates usually all look the same. When sending out communications with images, it is easy to use Constant Contact and link webpages. However, the email layout is always vertical and can get very lengthy. I prefer a more flip-book approach with options to flip the page.

Incentivized

If you have a big event (over 300 people) that requires an app, has a substantial agenda and/or lots of sponsors - then Cvent Event Management is for you. I would never recommend it to a client that didn't have a ton of cash, as it's an expensive asset. If you have a complicated event in any way shape or form, it is a LIFE saver.

Incentivized

• Market segmentation is great: my main segmentation is by region because that's how our sales team is divided.
• Lists: making customized email lists is easy and intuitive; the custom fields allow some flexibility in case our fields don't exactly line up with Constant Contact's.
• Campaigns: creating campaigns is quick and simple. I especially appreciate the 'resend to non-openers' option. I am constantly using this feature.
• Subject line generator: I like using the recommended subject lines. I'm able to plug in their recommended ideas, or sometimes, this feature helps me generate my own ideas.

• Cvent Event Management's platform offers a great way to build out diverse event structures. Their platform is very customizable so it can work with almost any event structure there is.
• Their software integrates extremely well together. We use them for our event App and On-Site solutions and being able to have each piece be a one-stop facet is great. I don't have to edit different aspects in multiple different places since they systems all work cohesively.
• The customer support is fantastic. Between having our own set team assigned to us for questions as well as various methods to reach out to them through chat, open cases, phone calls and emails, you're always able to get ahold of someone. Whenever I have had an issue that the person I was speaking with didn't have the solution for, they always escalate it until they get the answer for me.
• The Exhibitor and Speaker Management tools really help reduce redundancy and keep track of all facets of the event. Especially when there are upwards of 50 of each it can be hard to track all of the elements needed from them. Cvent Event Management allows you to assign tasks to each exhibitor or speaker and can send reminders to those with incomplete tasks.

Incentivized

• It would be nice if we had more customizable options for emails - like moving around pictures and text boxes, rather than a set spot for everything to go.
• I would like it if multiple people could work on a document at one time. So if I'm in charge of graphics, I can get those updated while someone else is entering content, etc.

Incentivized

• You have to implement a workaround to use images in your session descriptions.
• They tend to add features by acquiring other platforms, but then don't always cleanly integrate them into Cvent itself, so they always seem sort of ratcheted on.
• The media and document library is pretty basic, so you need to take extra steps to link PDFs and other documents within the registration process if you choose to host the docs on Cvent.

Incentivized

There is no doubt that we are going to renew Constant Contact. We have not just invested a lot of time in learning and creating a great looking product but we have developed a strong database of information that allows us to track how we are doing for each newsletter. This supports our goals of creating products that residents desire and are excited to receive.

We are very pleased with the features that Cvent gives us. The ease of use and the immediate support when something does stump us. Cvent provides us with everything that we need to run a successful event. The only reason I did not Rate Cvent as a 10 is the cost

Incentivized

There is always room for improvement. I don't know how they test their systems, but they should invite not-so computer savvy people to test it. If I, as an expert have problems, they need to think like the technophobe. Since I've used Constant Contact in the past as part of my former employment, I have not viewed any of the tutorials and just jumped in to work on my client's newsletter. With that said, I found some areas easy and some a bit cumbersome

Cvent has a lot of functionality, which can be overwhelming to new users who are not too technically savvy. However, Cvent does a great job of providing tools and support for users to learn and troubleshoot. I also appreciate the work and progress that Cvent has been making in Accessibility.

Incentivized

No major problems in sending out the email campaigns and accessing the analytics

Incentivized

Cvent does go down pretty frequently. And while it often doesn't impact day to day use usually, if it does go down at the wrong time, you may not be able to access very important event information when you need it. Usually outages do not last very long, but it could still be a very bad situation if this happens at the wrong moment

Incentivized

The system seemed quite slow sometimes. Specifically, there was sometimes a delay in sends if it was during a high traffic period. There were time-outs when uploading new code for an email, and a lag in reporting analytics which was sometimes as long as 72 hours

When pulling reports and it can sometimes lag a bit and that can be frustrating when you are trying to get things done on a timeline

Incentivized

I think the overall support for Constant Contact has always been incredible; I have nothing negative to say. Our customer support representative was attentive, easy to understand, and very knowledgeable. I never felt like I wasn't a priority of his and my issues, while very small, were fixed in a very short time frame.

The company offers 24/7 customer support, including phone, email, and chat support, to ensure that we can get help when we need it. Additionally, the platform has a comprehensive help center and knowledge base, including user guides, tutorials, and FAQs, which help us troubleshoot issues on our own. Cvent also provides training and support resources, including onboarding assistance, live training sessions, and webinars, which help us get the most out of the platform. Overall, Cvent appears to be committed to providing excellent customer support and resources to its users, which can help ensure a positive user experience and successful events.

Incentivized

Our on-site trainer was very knowledgeable in the product and gave us very important pointers on best practices and how to perform tasks in the simplest manner

Incentivized

I have used the webinars and cvent community a lot to gain more knowledge. I am usually always able to find the answers I need

Incentivized

Implementation is very easy for someone who wants to send out the “batch and blast” type newsletters. If you want to use their templates with no customizations, the product works fine. However, the more customizations you get into involving link color, etc, that’s where things can get tricky for someone who may not be familiar with coding

It would have been nice during implementation if we had received more pointers on how to organize our parked report folders, libraries, etc. to avoid the mess we find ourselves in today. If we had known ahead of time the limitations we could have planned better.

Incentivized

Constant Contact is much more intuitive for people who are not tech-savvy. Also, while sendgrid offered more options in it's drag and drop interface, it displayed differently across different email clients, which made it very cumbersome to use. It also took much longer to upload contact lists and it was harder to manage existing contacts. Performance in sendgrid was much slower as well, and the Preview feature was quite buggy. Our team initially chose sendgrid because of the integration options that it's API offered, but we ultimately switched to Constant Contact because it was much easier to build campaigns and better suited our requirements.

The top reason I prefer Cvent Event Management over NetForum is the customer support. Our Account Manager and Customer Support Staff are in constant communication with us. They anticipate our needs and help us find the solutions. If we don't feel confident in a product, they loop in a specialist to provide training.

Very reliable in sending email campaigns and controlling the recipients so that no contact is sent the same email more than once, even if they are on a resent list

Incentivized

We use Cvent for many different clients and events. It's very easy to customize the experience for the event that you need

Incentivized

• I have had nothing but positive impacts from using Constant Contact.
• The church is large, and there are many subgroups and axillary groups within the church. Setting up specific groups based on responsibility, interest, member goals, and service needs allows me to send information quickly, saving valuable time for other tasks.
• Constant Contact allows leadership to stay personally engaged with the members I work with, without over-taxing my time. It feels so seamless.

Incentivized

• Positive ROI: See which registrants [participated]
• Positive ROI: See survey results from the feedback survey pushed at or after an event
• Positive: Helps us lessen time spent setting up an event, emailing, or capturing data for event staff-- which in turn means MORE events!

Incentivized