Review of a Review Site. Reviewed.
April 24, 2018
Review of a Review Site. Reviewed.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with TrustRadius for Buyers
When researching technology solutions, prospective buyers have myriad influences and options to wade through. Reviews are an important part of the buying decision. Unbiased, trusted reviews are the holy grail. When I was researching options for a new LMS/CMS solution for a $4B worldwide retailer a few years ago, I needed to examine all the current options available and decide which providers to include in the RFP stage. Even at this early stage, user reviews can prove to be a valuable resource. I'm looking for candid, real-world examples. I want to hear more about the shortcomings of the solution than I do about the accolades. Every solution has opportunities to improve, I need to decide if I can live with them.
- To understand my options (i.e. build my short list or long list)
- To compare products
- To find evidence to support my recommendation to colleagues or my client
As someone who has reviewed technology solutions myself on TrustRadius, I know the value of the TrustRadius approach to user reviews. The structure of the guided questions helps draw out my opinion of the product being reviewed in a way that I may not be able to myself if just providing an open narrative without prompts. When it was time to rely on TrustRadius as a buyer, I knew I could trust most reviews I found here - the backbone of TrustRadius is solid and dependable.
I want real use cases in the reviews I read. I don't want hyperbole. I don't want marketing- or sales-speak. I want the good, the bad, and most importantly the UGLY. The most valuable reviews for me and the ones that include a healthy dose of cons to balance the pros. I can read about the pros for days on the vendor's website. I need to understand if the cons are large enough to dismiss the solution from consideration, not relevant to my use case, or small enough to not be a problem.
Similar to current client references, reviews are a MUST HAVE in my buying process. References & reviews are both required sections in my RFP roadmap. If reviews are not available for a solution, it's highly likely that the solution will not make it far into the RFP process.
- I really like when reviewers are brutally honest about their solutions' shortcomings. It's important to show both sides for prospective buyers. All solutions have "warts" and I'm always grateful when reviewers show them in their reviews.
- TrustRadius does a good job of organizing and structuring reviews so that they are easy to peruse, but just as easy to dive into the details. The UI is thoughtfully crafted.
- Newer technology solutions take a while to gather reviews. This puts them at a disadvantage out of the gate in the buying process.
- While I appreciate the TR score and the level of explanation provided, it is still difficult for an average user to truly understand when comparing scores solution-to-solution.
Understandably, this section isn't as relevant when reviewing the review site. But, I certainly had other review sites in mind when evaluating TrustRadius. Even sites like Yelp & TripAdvisor influenced my thoughts about TrustRadius.
TrustRadius is the leader in tech solution review sites. It has the most unbiased, candid reviews I can find. Their promise and commitment to buyers is real. They vet every review. They can be trusted. This is important when prospective buyers are making multi-million dollar decisions and when they're making $500 ones too.
User reviews absolutely help me form and shape the questions I ask vendors when seeking solutions. I'll reference use cases, ask about their plans to remedy problems, etc.