Item: TrustRadius for Vendors
Rating: 10
Author: Alexandra McWethy

Use Case and Deployment Scope

Review Management Program
TrustQuotes Library
TrustQuotes for Web
TrustProfile (Premium Profile)

We were looking for a way to capture feedback and reviews on how our customers and partners are using our products. We know how powerful this type of content can be, but needed a streamlined way to collect, display and share it. WatchGuard needed a tool that enabled us to easily share this content in a variety of way and we found that with TrustRadius.

Aside from making it easier to collect and share this valuable feedback with prospects on the web, we're also able to take information on our products and services back to the product team. This helps not only get our customers and partners get answers/updates they're looking for, but can help drive improvement and enhancement decisions for our portfolio.

We also make review content and information available to our sales and field marketing teams so they can leverage this powerful content in conversations with prospects. For sales, the vast array of reviews on TrustRadius make it easy for them to find the right review for every prospect.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We knew that our customers and partners were having conversations about our products and services on review sites like TrustRadius. We wanted to make sure we were part of the conversation and would be able to provide responses when applicable to help solve their problems.

We were also looking for a way to streamline review collection as this was primarily driven by the field team and was very opportunistic. TrustRadius not only makes it easy for us to collect these reviews, but it couldn't be easier for our customers and partners to leave them. TrustRadius has made it easier for my team to not only collect reviews, but to also find customers that are willing to become references and even participate in a full case study.

The TrustRadius team and platform make it easy to report on the volume of reviews we're receiving, the content provided and the overall product satisfaction. The tool makes it super easy to track progress over time, and the regular engagement with my account manager helps us see areas of improvement or success for our program.

Pros and Cons

The TrustQuotes Library is a game changer for us. Being able to customize the tags that we need for our business makes it easy for me to search for specific quotes and review types.
TrustQuotes for Web - We've been rolling these out over the past few months and they are a great addition to our webpage. We're constantly working with the account team at TrustRadius to continue to improve our use of the widgets and conversion rates.
Our Account Management Team has been great. From the sales process to onboarding to continuous check-ins, I feel like I always have what I need to make our TrustRadius implementation successful. Plus, the onboarding program makes it easy for me to stay on track to meet my goals.

I appreciate the need to review and approve changes to page listings, but sometimes it can take a little longer than I'd like.
I wish that the collateral that we are able to provide in the premium profile leveraged a link instead of the actual file. In IT security, we're constantly adding appliances and services so I find myself updating the files quite regularly.

Return on Investment

In just a year, we've added over 80 reviews to our Network Security Profile, which resulted in nearly 500 TrustQuotes
We've also had over 40 reference candidates self-identify themselves to participate in our reference program, resulting in new case studies and partner success stories

Goals with TrustRadius for Vendors

Increase brand awareness
Manage brand reputation
Third-party validation of marketing claims
Increase landing page conversion

We've been able to add over 80 reviews in just a year of kicking off our program. We're also making progress on traffic on the TrustRadius site for our product category which is a great added benefit and increased traffic to our page by over 100%. We've had over 42 reviewers express interest in our customer reference program which is great since we normally depend on sales to collect these for us. We've rolled out widgets to 3 pages already and working a few more!

Review Richness

All-in-all, the quality of the reviews with TrustRadius is great. We'll have the occasional short review or one that doesn't really make sense or feels outdated, but for the most part the quality of the reviews is really solid. It's extremely rare that a review doesn't have multiple quotes pulled from it.

Custom Questions

With TrustRadius we're able to customize questions which is a big deal for us. Since we sell 100% through channel partners we wanted to have the option to collect reviews and feedback on our partners as well, which the custom questions enable us to do. We also needed a way to make it easy for partners to share feedback, which the custom questions definitely allow.

Alternatives Considered

To be transparent, we're working with a few peer review platforms across our different product lines. I really enjoy the admin functionality and visibility of TrustRadius.

Impact on Personal KPIs

TrustRadius has made it easy for me to meet my goals of adding new reviews. Of the different platforms we work with, TrustRadius has helped us collect the most reviews for our products without sacrificing detail or quality. The tools from TrustRadius reviews make it easy for me to share this content with other marketing and sales team members as well.

Likelihood to Recommend

We evaluated multiple platforms and I'm so glad we decided to work with TrustRadius. With the support I have from my account team, I'm able to really run and manage our TrustRadius implementation on my own (with the help of my web team to deploy the widgets). If your marketing organization is looking for a way to make a big impact with limited resources, TrustRadius is a great platform to work with. I'm able to provide a lot of value to my product marketing and sales teams without a lot of additional work on my end.

Support Rating

We rarely need to use support, but when I do I feel like my issues get resolved very quickly and to my satisfaction.

TrustRadius for Vendors Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None

Bug Resolution

Users and Roles

2 - I am the primary admin for WatchGuard and definitely spend the most time in the tool. We have also granted access for our web team so they can easily pull the information needed to create and post widgets to our website.

Support Headcount Required

1 - I'm really the only person using the tool consistently. The platform and the support from the management team make it possible for one person to manage our profiles and presence.

Business Processes Supported

Collect and curate reviews and quotes
Custom questions for partners and customers
Grow and enhance brand awareness

Innovative Uses

I'm surprised by how many reference candidates we've been able to collect since starting this program
We use TrustQuotes for social graphics and ads which has been super successful for us

Future Planned Uses

We're looking to use the visitor insights more in the next year
We're also hoping to build and grow our retargeting program with TrustRadius in 2020

Likelihood to Renew

We definitely see the value in peer review platforms like TrustRadius. Being able to hear from our customers and partners and share that information across the organization is very important to WatchGuard. I really see working with TrustRadius as a partnership that has been beneficial for both organizations and is continuing to prove very successful.

Key Differentiators

Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation
Vendor Reputation
Existing Relationship with the Vendor
Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor

I wasn't super familiar with TrustRadius when I first started looking into peer review platforms for WatchGuard. However, I had worked with someone who had just become a sales rep with TrustRadius and when they reached out the timing really couldn't be better. She walked us through the pitch, the pricing and the value that the organization could provide to us. I really felt comfortable with the team almost instantly and they have proving that they're in my corner since we started working with them over a year ago.

From a product perspective, the back-end and admin tools on TrustRadius blow the competition out of the water. The amount of things I'm able to do on my own through the tool are invaluable and make it so easy to work with the team.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

For review platforms, I think one of the most important things to consider if your account team. We've found a great partner in TrustRadius and the team we work with here, and that is definitely something I consider and compare other review platforms to.

Usability

Of the different platforms I use, I find TrustRadius to be the easiest and most intuitive. I've even added new users from my team to pull code for web widgets and they didn't require any training at all.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Technical support not required Well integrated Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

TrustQuote Library
TrustQuotes for Web
Sales Insights
Premium Profile

Difficult Tasks

The reporting for TrustQuotes for web took a little getting used to, but now I'ts really easy!

Pre-Sale Experience

TrustRadius was great to work with during the sales process. We really see them as a partner for our business and they feel the same way. I'm able to work with them on our goals and objectives and the team is always able to help me find the best way to achieve them within our budget.

Post-Sale Experience

TrustRadius is one of my favorite vendors that I work with. The team is supportive and not only helps to execute on what we're currently running, but is always thinking of ways to improve. They help push our program to be better, even if I'm in the weeds of what is going on at the moment. It helps me see the potential of programs we're running or where we could go without spending a ton of time researching what's next.

Dealing with TrustRadius

I'm really transparent with what's going on from an objective and a budget standpoint and so far we've been able to work out something that meets everyone's needs. I've found that the TrustRadius team really wants to help us be successful and will help work within the budget constraints that we have.

Experience Working with TrustRadius

I love my customers success manager at TrustRadius. We have very open discussions about what's working and what isn't and he is always about to bring me ideas on how to improve the WatchGuard program. The tool itself is great, but my customer success manager is probably the most valuable element of our working relationship with TrustRadius

Great Platform & Account Management Team

Overall Satisfaction with TrustRadius for Vendors