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Podium

Podium

Overview

What is Podium?

Podium, formerly Repdrive, is a ratings and review management platform from the company of the same name in Provo, Utah.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Users have reported a range of experiences with Podium, both positive and negative. On the positive side, many users find Podium to be a …
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TrustRadius Insights
TrustRadius Insights

Product Malfunctions

1 out of 10
September 08, 2022
Our company acquired this service as its parter with our dealer program. We had the miss-fortune to encounter massive issues within the …
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Simple View

6 out of 10
September 02, 2022
To answer customer enquiry. Set appoint when appropriate.
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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Verified User
Executive in Other
Commercial Real Estate Company, 11-50 employees
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Pricing

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Podium Essentials

$249

Cloud
per month 3 users

Podium Standard

$409

Cloud
per month Unlimited users

Podium Professional

$599

Cloud
per month Unlimited users

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.podium.com/pricing/

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $249 per month
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Product Details

What is Podium?

Podium (formerly Repdrive) aims to help businesses make interaction with consumers simple and convenient by focusing on familiar communication channels they already use. According to the vendor, increased interaction with customers makes businesses more visible, improves business operations, and drives purchase decisions. Podium serves 130,000+ users across nearly 25,000 businesses.

Podium Competitors

Podium Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Podium, formerly Repdrive, is a ratings and review management platform from the company of the same name in Provo, Utah.

Podium starts at $249.

Birdeye, Yotpo, and Reputation.com are common alternatives for Podium.

Reviewers rate Usability highest, with a score of 9.9.

The most common users of Podium are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(90)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Users have reported a range of experiences with Podium, both positive and negative. On the positive side, many users find Podium to be a useful tool for managing their online reputation and generating customer reviews. They appreciate its ease of use in sending review invites via text messages, which has yielded better results compared to email surveys. The software has helped businesses boost their online presence by addressing the problem of not receiving enough Google reviews. By using Podium, companies have seen an increase in their average rating on Google and have stood out among their competitors.

Furthermore, users have found value in Podium's ability to automate necessary communications and save hours per week that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks. The software allows for custom automated messages, such as reservation reminders, service ticket notifications, and review requests. This automation not only makes businesses appear more professional but also helps them stay organized and efficient. Podium's payment function is also appreciated by users as it simplifies the process of collecting payments for special orders and memberships.

However, there are also several challenges that users have faced with Podium. Some users have reported difficulties during the installation process and a month-long onboarding period. Additionally, there have been complaints about unhelpful customer support and language barriers when seeking assistance. Users have encountered issues with linking phone numbers to the company phone and experiencing problems with form submission when integrating with WordPress.

Furthermore, some users find certain features of Podium to be limited or unnecessary. For example, the reviews tab is deemed pointless as users can simply send customers a link to their Google My Business review tab. Another limitation is that once customer information is uploaded, it cannot be modified or deleted, leading to mix-ups and errors in automated texts.

Despite these challenges, many customers highly recommend Podium for its reputation management capabilities, review solicitation tools, and live chat feature. It has proven valuable for businesses across various industries, helping them improve their online presence, streamline their communications, and enhance their customer experiences.

Intuitive User Interface: Reviewers have consistently praised Podium's user interface for its simplicity and ease of use. Many users have stated that the software is intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing anyone to quickly grasp and utilize its features effectively.

Flexible Message Customization: A significant number of reviewers have highlighted the value of being able to customize messages on Podium. Users appreciate the flexibility to send mass texts or individual messages, tailoring their communication approach based on their specific needs and preferences.

Top-Notch Customer Support: Numerous users have commended Podium's customer support as being highly responsive and helpful. The availability of support via chat has been particularly appreciated by customers, who find it convenient to reach out for assistance whenever they encounter any issues or require guidance.

  1. Poor Customer Support: Several users have expressed dissatisfaction with the customer support provided by Podium, describing it as unhelpful and sketchy. They have mentioned that their issues were not resolved in a timely manner and felt frustrated with the lack of assistance.

  2. High Pricing: Some users found the pricing model of Podium to be poor, stating that the software is considerably more expensive compared to other systems like Reputation.com. They feel that the cost does not justify the features and functionality offered by Podium.

  3. Difficulties with Setup and Onboarding Process: Users have reported difficulties with the setup and onboarding process of Podium, suggesting that it should not charge until the setup is complete. They have mentioned facing challenges in getting started with the platform and believe that a smoother onboarding experience would greatly improve user satisfaction.

Users highly recommend using Podium as a valuable tool for businesses. Despite its cost, users believe it is worth the investment and suggest exploring all the features and options available on Podium's home page for better understanding. They also recommend ensuring that Podium can integrate with all the software used by the business.

Podium is praised as a great tool for tracking customer conversations, follow-up, and live chats. Users suggest using it to its full potential in order to enhance client interaction. Many reviewers believe that Podium is the best product on the market for customer communication and driving revenue.

Users highly recommend Podium for its user-friendliness, great support, and simplicity. They advise fully implementing Podium in the business and getting the team fully on board with using it for asking reviews. It is also recommended to have friendly competition within the team both for the number and quality of reviews.

Overall, users advise trying Podium and taking advantage of its free trial period to experience its benefits firsthand. They suggest using it to gather feedback, create an online presence, and increase online reputation. Users praise Podium's integrations with other tools and emphasize the importance of being accountable with review invites, sending them right after customer interactions.

Although there are a few users who advocate against using Podium and suggest alternative platforms, many others find it to be a valuable addition to their business toolbox.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 42)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
March 11, 2024

Dont Sign an Agreement with Podium!!

Verified User
Executive in Other
Commercial Real Estate Company, 11-50 employees
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I honestly cannot think of any situation where I would recommend Podium. I would recommend OpenPhone paired with NiceJob for reviews. In my opinion, you will get all the features of the Podium for 1/5 the price and the product is way better. I honestly dont see any reason people would choose Podium.
Only small thing Podium does is brings potentially several softwears to gether. But it just didnt work in my case so I dont know if thats possible. We did use it for 6 months.
September 28, 2022

Podium: Messaging App for Businesses

CD
Christina Davis
Web Sales
Woodstock Furniture Outlet (Furniture, 51-200 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Podium is very appropriate for answering website inquiries in real time, setting appointments with customers, or making a sale over the phone (you can also easily & safely send payment links & reminders for them if a customer does not pay right away). You can send out review invites as well as choose other like companies to compare review scores amongst weekly, monthly, & all time. Team members can make friendly competitions of who has sent out the most messages within a given period & employers can set goals & even rewards for sending out a certain number of review invites! When someone is out, a partner can easily jump in & read the prior conversation for context as well as any previous engagement that the customer made with the store as history is saved from the very first interaction & deleting a conversation is not so simple. It is not great for private conversations as all users can see all activity so you may want to make your customer aware (as well as periodically remind employees) that anything they send can be seen by the whole company!
September 27, 2022

Let my people go! How to keep getting billed after you cancel in 3 easy steps.

Tirey Counts | TrustRadius Reviewer
Tirey Counts
Owner / Broker
Apartment World (Real Estate, 1-10 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I have NO issue with the technical aspects of the program. To be fair, it works as advertised. My issue is with how they are run as a business. In my experience, the accounting department got my bill wrong several times and never in my favor. In my experience, they would not allow me to cancel the service without paying them for a YEAR into the future for a service I no longer wanted.
September 02, 2022

MAKING THE MOST OF PODIUM

DH
Donna Hampton
Office Administrator/HR
styles auto care (Automotive, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
We have a customer that needs to make payments on his balance weekly to get it paid off. I was able to set it up to send him a bill every Monday for the payment.

We have a lot of customers that will call and want to pay for their service over the phone and pick up after hours. With the payment option we can send them a link to pay, when paid we get notified and we can leave their keys where they requested.

September 02, 2022

Did you Podium today?

GH
Greg Housewirth
Partner
Schreier & Housewirth Family Law (Legal Services, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Podium allows me to shorten the sales funnel and get in front of potential clients, immediately, even in off-hours. I also use Podium to request client reviews after a positive interaction. Finally, I can use Podium to quickly request payment for simple transactions, such as client strategy sessions.
August 30, 2022

Step up to Podium for one of the best means of communicating to your clients and staff

MM
Megan Mazer
Digital Communications Professional
Marks Jewelers (Luxury Goods & Jewelry, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Podium is a fantastic medium for our company to not only record interactions between staff and clients (super important when discussing details of jobs/prices/warranties), but also our internal staff communications means. I love both of these.
August 30, 2022

We've somewhat fallen out of love with Podium

Verified User
Executive in Corporate
Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
It is very helpful on helping solicit online reviews. Credit card processing is easy and simple to use and competitive, and we like the way we can communicate via text messaging between our office, field techs, and customers. Right now it is not good for tracking who sent out the Podium review invitations.
August 26, 2022

Podium's Positive Performance and Profit Producing Product in a Practical Platform

MM
Matt Merrick
Board Member
Fish Window Cleaning Manchester MO (Consumer Services, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Helping to get and track reviews has been an amazing upgrade to our business and a place where Podium has more than delivered. We need to figure out how to use campaigns. For us, I don't know of anything where Podium is lacking.
June 13, 2022

Communicate how your customers want you to

Verified User
C-Level Executive in Corporate
Recreational Facilities & Services Company, 51-200 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Podium does text communication very well. We are lucky to have an integration with our point of sale provider that allows us to talk to our guests after their leave our venue and we can thank them for their business, offer a coupon or request for them to provide us with a review.
May 16, 2022

Waste of Time and Money

Celia Malkemus | TrustRadius Reviewer
Celia Malkemus
owner/designer
Bloom and Leaf (Retail, 1-10 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
For me, Podium was a total waste. I am a floral designer so I don't spend my day at the computer. Once an upper manager looked over my information requirements to place an order with my company she said it was not something that Podium had a template for. She said it would be best to just stay with the system I had.
November 10, 2021

Podium Rocks Communication

LM
LEANORA MONTELLO
Manager of Sales
Anderson Water-Power-Air (Consumer Goods, 51-200 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Anytime a customer is at work or someplace they cannot take a call, they can often answer on Podium. This is by far my favorite means of contact also because I can go back and review all the back and forth between the customer and myself. People love communication without speaking to someone these days. Just seems to be the way of the world.

Love also being able to create campaigns and offer deals/coupons to folks. However with NYS law changing recently this has changed our ability to reach out as of late
November 06, 2021

Deceptive sales from [...] account Executive

BW
Brandon Watson
Owner
IKBSystems (Telecommunications, 1-10 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Be very careful about engaging with Podium. I was assigned an Account Executive, [...], to discuss a potential fit with my business, IKBSystems. During our meeting, we were able to establish a little bit of trust with each other. Since there is not a free trial, [...] framed a working relationship to start using Podium, and he stressed how I would love it so much that I would want to move forward immediately. If I did not, [...] insisted that he would “have my back” and make things right so that my business was not paying for a product we were not yet ready to use. I communicated to him that I am pretty certain I will not have a use for the tools until 2022. Based off of this initial trust and [..]'s title, I believed I would receive the customer support he promised, so I signed the agreement. I was very uncomfortable, and I expressed to this [...], but let me reiterate that he stressed having my back. Due to the nature of my signing and his presentation of the agreement, [...] and I had discussed having a follow-up call two days after our initial meeting, but he no-call, no-showed. Since then, I have been able to talk to two others involved with my account, [...], but no [...]. There is no phone number for Podium, [...] is telling his colleagues that he is sending me emails and will call me, but I have no more emails and no phone calls. Those who have helped me are telling me they are unable to fix any problems for me, and the best that has been offered is to hook me up with [...], who then continuously fails to call or email me.
July 22, 2021

Podium is an important tool for every business

Joshua Christopherson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Joshua Christopherson
Chief Executive Officer
Achieve Today (E-Learning, 51-200 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I think every business needs to spend time managing their online presence in regards to customer reviews. No matter how great of a business you are, every once in a while, some customers will come along and try to damage your brand. Podium is the best resource to help the overwhelming majority of good customers voice their approval for what you do.
September 30, 2020

Before buying, look at the negative reviews!

Rick Overholt | TrustRadius Reviewer
Rick Overholt
Founder \ GM
OMNI Fire and Security (Security & Investigations, 11-50 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
If you want to work with a company that provides support, and communicates with you, this is not the product to use. It has been a true nightmare. The Customer Success Managers are experts at NOT returning phone calls and NOT answering emails. They do not understand their own simple terms of cancellation, which in our case was very straightforward.
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