Top Review Management Tools to Elevate Your Business in 2024

Customer reviews play a vital role in expanding your business—they reflect your performance and are incredibly valuable for numerous reasons. Reviews are essential to acquiring the voice of customer data and testimonials, which in turn help build trust and social proof. Unfortunately, obtaining reviews in a timely manner can often feel like an uphill battle. Additionally, people are more inclined to leave negative reviews than positive ones. This is where review management software becomes invaluable.

What is Review Management Software?

Review management is the process of collecting, analyzing, and responding to customer feedback. As your business and customer base expand, and your presence on multiple platforms increases, it becomes essential to utilize review management software to monitor customer sentiments about your brand online. With 93% of consumers being influenced by reviews when deciding on purchases, the importance of reviews cannot be overstated. While you may be aware of their importance, the specific advantages and the critical role that review management software plays may not be as apparent.

Here are some commonly visited review platforms:

• Google
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Yelp
• G2
• TrustPilot
• Clutch

With the growth of your company, staying on top of customer reviews, responding appropriately, and integrating feedback into sales, marketing, and operations can become quite time-consuming. Utilizing a tool to manage this process can help streamline these tasks and make them more manageable.

Selecting the Right Customer Review Management Software

With so many options available, choosing the ideal review management software can be challenging. To simplify the process, consider these steps to find the best fit for your business:

1. Identify Your Needs

Begin by evaluating your specific requirements. Ask yourself:

• How many reviews do you need to handle daily, weekly, or monthly?
• Which review platforms matter most to your business (e.g., Google, Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor)?
• What features are crucial (review collection, response management, analytics, sentiment analysis, integration capabilities)?
• What budget are you comfortable allocating?

2. Compare Options

Create a list of different review management software solutions and their features, then compare them against your needs. Consider the following factors when evaluating your options:

• Pricing: Consider the cost versus the value each option provides. Be aware of potential fees, including setup charges, extra costs for premium features, or per-user fees.
• Ease of Use: The software should be user-friendly and intuitive for your entire team.
• Scalability: Ensure the software can adapt as your business grows.
• Reviews and Case Studies: Check platforms like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot to see feedback from other users. Look for reviews from businesses similar to yours, and explore case studies or testimonials provided by the software vendors.
• Integration and Compatibility: Determine if the software integrates with your existing systems, such as CRM, email marketing, and social media management tools. Also, check for API access for custom integrations.
• Support and Training: Ensure the software offers robust customer support and provides resources like tutorials, webinars, and documentation to help you get started.

3. Test the Software

Leverage free trials and demos to test the software and see if it meets your needs. This hands-on experience is invaluable in determining if the software is the right fit.

Once you find an option that meets your criteria, you can proceed with confidence, knowing you’ve made an informed decision. Taking a thorough, systematic approach can save you from the common pitfalls that many business owners encounter by rushing the process.

Best Review Management Software

1. HubSpot

Among the leading review management software options, HubSpot stands out for its comprehensive suite of tools tailored to boost your business. This platform combines marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM functionalities to help you draw in visitors, convert leads, and close deals efficiently. With its customer service feedback tool, HubSpot makes it simple to share valuable customer data with your team, fully integrated with the rest of its features. It’s a top choice for dedicated marketers.

Features:

• Centralized Review Dashboard: Manage and monitor all your customer reviews from various platforms in one place, simplifying tracking and response.
• Automated Review Requests: Increase the number of reviews your business receives by sending requests via email or SMS.
• Review Aggregation and Display: HubSpot aggregates reviews from multiple sources and lets you display them on your website or landing pages using customizable widgets to enhance your brand’s credibility and social proof.
• Sentiment Analysis: Utilize sentiment analysis tools to understand customer satisfaction levels and identify areas needing improvement.
• CRM Integration: Connect customer reviews to individual customer records for a comprehensive view of each customer’s experience and history.

Pros: HubSpot provides an all-in-one, easy-to-use solution with a streamlined dashboard that eliminates the need to juggle multiple tools.

Cons: Some users find HubSpot’s pricing structure complex, with significant cost increases between tiers ($15 per month for a basic plan up to $800 per month for the Marketing Hub Professional plan). The free plan has limitations, such as a maximum of 2,000 emails per calendar month.

Free Plan: Yes, HubSpot offers a free plan that includes various tools like forms, website traffic analytics, and ad management.

Pricing: Paid plans range from $15 to $3,600 per month, depending on the tier and number of users.

2. HighLevel

HighLevel is a comprehensive CRM platform with integrated review management capabilities. Tailored for small businesses and entrepreneurs, HighLevel aims to streamline workflows by automating routine tasks and offering features like sales funnels, email marketing, appointment scheduling, and pipeline management. While it’s primarily an all-in-one CRM solution, its review management features are noteworthy and can significantly enhance your business processes.

Features:

• Unified Conversations: Easily access all your reviews, SMS, Google chats, and emails from a single interface, allowing you to read and respond to reviews quickly and efficiently.
• Spam and Unfair Review Dispute: A quick-link feature within the review interface simplifies disputing spam or unfair Google reviews, protecting your business from negative feedback and safeguarding your online reputation.
• Comprehensive Reporting: HighLevel’s reporting tools provide detailed insights into the number of reviews, overall ratings, trends, and customer sentiments. Set goals and filter reviews by source, star rating, and date range to gain valuable insights into your review performance.
• Automated Review Requests: Simplify the review request process by sending customized automated requests via SMS and email, encouraging customers to leave feedback with minimal effort.
• CRM and Tool Integration: Integrate reviews with customer records and incorporate your review management processes into your existing workflows seamlessly.

Pros: HighLevel offers a lower-cost alternative to other CRMs, with customer service available at all service tiers.

Cons: Some users have reported challenges with migrating to HighLevel and noted that certain features are paywalled, adding to the overall cost.

Free Plan? HighLevel does not offer a free version, but they do provide a 14-day trial.

Pricing: Plans range from $97 to $297 per month, depending on the tier you choose. Additionally, some providers may white-label HighLevel and offer varying levels of support.

3. BirdEye

BirdEye is a powerful review management platform designed to increase your online visibility, enhance your reputation, and manage your social media presence. It offers tools to improve customer interactions and manage your online reputation by gathering customer feedback, managing reviews, and boosting overall customer satisfaction.

Features:

• Review Management: BirdEye allows you to monitor, respond to, and manage reviews across various platforms like Yelp, Google, and Facebook to help your business maintain a positive online reputation.
• Review Generation: Increase your online ratings by sending automated review requests to customers via email or SMS.
• Customer Surveys: Create and send customizable surveys to gather valuable customer feedback.
• Listings Management: Manage your online listings to improve local SEO, making it easier for customers to find you.
• Social Media Management: Manage your social accounts, schedule posts, and monitor social media activity.

Pros: BirdEye makes it easy to aggregate reviews by specific fields, allowing you to identify trends and quickly understand your business performance in various areas. Additionally, you can send out surveys promptly after a customer visit to capture reviews while your business is still fresh in their mind.

Cons: The pricing information is not transparent and requires you to provide business details and an email address. Some users have also noted that the contract terms are lengthy (12 months) and automatically renewed.

Free Plan? BirdEye does not offer a free plan, but they provide a demo available upon submission of business information.

Pricing: Not disclosed.

4. Reputation

Reputation is a review management platform designed to keep you informed about your customers’ feedback and help you respond effectively. This platform is geared towards helping businesses manage their online reputation and enhance their customer interactions through actionable insights.

Features:

• Social Media Monitoring: Keep an eye on mentions, comments, and reviews across various social media platforms to stay updated on customer conversations about your brand.
• Review Management: Monitor, respond to, and analyze reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp to maintain a positive online presence and address customer concerns swiftly.
• Surveys and Feedback: Design and distribute customer surveys to gather direct feedback, enabling you to improve your products, services, and overall customer experience.
• Customer Experience Management: Oversee and manage the entire customer journey, from initial contact to post-purchase follow-up.
• Business Listings: Create and manage business profiles that set you apart from competitors, ensuring your information is accurate and optimized for local SEO. Additionally, you can track clicks and conversions from these listings.

Pros: Reputation offers a user-friendly interface that is both easy to navigate and robust in functionality. The clean interface enhances user experience and accessibility.

Cons: Some users have reported that the social media monitoring features could be more comprehensive. Additionally, the onboarding process may be challenging for some, and there is a lack of transparent pricing information.

Free Plan? Reputation does not offer a free plan, but they provide a demo that you can watch to understand the platform better.

Pricing: Not disclosed.

5. Podium

Podium is an AI-powered platform designed to enhance your business’s lead generation and revenue. It offers an effective solution for businesses to improve communication with customers, manage their online reputation, and process payments.

Features:

• Messaging Platform: Utilize SMS, email, and web chat to communicate with your customers, centralizing all interactions for easy access and management.
• Review Management: Request, monitor, analyze, and respond to online reviews. By sending review requests via text message, you can significantly boost your positive reviews on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Yelp.
• Customer Feedback and Surveys: Design and distribute surveys to gather valuable insights from your customers, helping you assess customer satisfaction and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
• Web Chat: Engage with visitors on your website in real-time, providing answers to their questions and offering support to convert them into customers.
• Payments: Send payment requests directly via text message, allowing customers to pay invoices securely and conveniently.

Pros: Podium’s SMS review request feature simplifies the process of acquiring Google reviews and integrates seamlessly with other platforms like Facebook.

Cons: Several users have reported that Podium’s onboarding process is somewhat difficult, and many have expressed concerns about their 30-day cancellation policy, which requires notice before cancellation.

Free Plan? No free plan is available, but a demo is provided.

Pricing: Plans range from $399 to $599 per month, with custom pricing options available.

To Sum Up

Today, acquiring and managing high-quality reviews is more crucial—and simpler—than ever. With a wide range of excellent review management tools available, the challenge is finding the one that best fits your needs and integrates seamlessly with your existing technology stack. If you’re not yet utilizing reputation management software, I recommend giving one of these top-notch options a try. You’ll quickly start seeing the benefits of effective review management for your business.

Irina Popa