Podium’s big idea is that text messaging is the best channel for getting reviews and engaging with customers, and the data backs them up. SMS has open rates north of 90%, which makes a review request sent via text far more likely to be seen and acted on than one sent by email. Podium builds its entire platform around that insight.
The review generation features work well. You send a text to a customer asking for a review, they click the link, and they’re taken directly to your Google review form. The friction is minimal and the conversion rates are significantly higher than most alternatives. I’ve seen clients go from a handful of reviews to hundreds within a few months of using Podium consistently.
Beyond reviews, Podium handles lead collection via webchat, payment collection via text, and a centralised inbox for all your customer conversations. For businesses where customer communication is high-volume, like car dealerships or healthcare providers, having everything in one place is a genuine operational improvement.
The price is the obvious objection. At around $399 per month, Podium is expensive, and you need to use the platform consistently across your team to justify it. If you’re just looking for review generation, there are much cheaper ways to get there. But if customer communication is a real operational problem for your business and you want to modernise how you engage with customers, Podium is one of the most effective solutions available.