Podium

Podium is a leading messaging platform that allows local businesses to communicate with their clientele efficiently by providing the businesses with text messaging services and other communication tools, customer feedback, payment collection as well as a platform for customers to provide product reviews.

Features

Social Media Integration

The app seamlessly integrates with other social media platforms that a business may operate and all communication therein and integrates them in its platform.

Text message marketing and campaign

The platform allows businesses to perform targeted mass text messaging marketing campaigns and manage the feedback derived from the campaign.

WebChat

On the application, customers and businesses can communicate efficiently through the web chat feature on the app. The application can even be preset to provide automatic replies to frequently asked questions by clients.

Customer review

Customers for local businesses can describe their experiences using products and share these experiences and reviews on the application. Reviews left on their sites and platforms other than Podium are also integrated and displayed on the dashboard.

Insights

Data from various customers can be collated on the app to provide visually appealing and easy to understand analytics. This will enable a business on the platform to get more accurate predictions on future business as well as focus on their strong points.

Text to pay

Users on Podium can send a payment option link through text messaging without leaving the application.

Activity monitoring

The platform boasts of an activity dashboard which monitors a business’ communication activity with its customers.

Multiple platform communication support

Podium supports multiple types of communication tools including short messages, email, website messaging services as well as social messaging platforms.

Custom pricing

Pricing on some of the Premium features on the platform follow an independent assessment of a business by Podium Staff.

Click tracking

Podium applies click tracking technology to develop insights on customers which is useful to businesses that would be interested in understanding their customer behavior.

Surveys

Businesses on this platform can perform customer targeted surveys and act on them quickly.

Multiple locations management

Enterprise Functionality on the platform allows businesses to manage enterprises located in different locations with the option of detailed summary of messages for each enterprise.

Pros

• The platform has an easy to use User Interface.
• The app allows customers to post reviews of businesses.
• Secure and convenient communication platforms.
• The text to pay option removes the need to issue invoices to clients.
• It allows for social media integration.
• Cross site integration allows for all messages from different communication media to be centrally located.
• Custom pricing model is advantageous to businesses since it is determined by need as opposed to a one size fits all model.
• It supports video chats hence face to face customer communication is possible.

Cons

• Its custom pricing model might not be ideal for small businesses as assessment is done by Podium and not the business.
• Lags and downtimes experienced as a result of maintenance are common.
• Some features are too complex to be utilized by small businesses.