Customer reviews are one of the most powerful forms of marketing for small businesses. They’re more effective than traditional advertising and they help you get discovered on search engines like Google.
But, customer reviews are tricky. Unhappy customers leave bad reviews in an instant, but happy ones often take their time offering positive feedback. Your business has to actively manage customer reviews so you can quickly reply to negative comments and cultivate positive reviews for your brand.
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This post will discuss the best customer review management software for small businesses. We’ll explain review management, how these tools work, and why you need them at your company. Then, we’ll wrap up by highlighting the best review management solutions for small business owners.
What Is Review Management?
Review management means monitoring and responding to customer reviews. It includes tracking new reviews and how your business reacts to them. It’s a critical part of customer support and helps you improve your online reputation.
There are two reasons why reviews matter. First, they impact customer perception. Customers trust other customers, and if they see your business has tons of good reviews, they’ll be more likely to choose your company over a competitor. Reviews can be much more effective than traditional advertising because people believe other people more than they trust brands.
The other reason is getting discovered. If you have a lot of good reviews, you’re much easier to find on sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook, and more. Why? Because these sites use customer reviews in their search results. When you Google, “best landscaper near me,” Google will show the nearest companies with the best reviews.
But, let’s back up a second. Notice how I said, “Google, Yelp, Facebook, and more.” There are dozens of sites where customers can leave reviews for your business (and I should know; I rated the top 50 here). With so many sites available, keeping track of and responding to your reviews can be difficult.
That’s where online review management software comes into play.
How Does Online Review Management Software Work?
Online review management software helps you monitor and respond to customer reviews. Rather than jumping between apps, it puts everything in one place so you can quickly reply to comments.
It also ensures your business doesn’t miss or forget reviews, which can lead to negative customer experiences. Instead, you’ll get alerts as new reviews are posted and reminders if you don’t respond immediately.
Some review management software even has tools for collecting customer reviews. It will send automated emails after a purchase asking the client to leave a review. You don’t have to do any extra work, and you can steadily build a positive online reputation for your business.
Ready to get started? Let’s look at the best review management software for small business owners.
8 Best Review Management Software
Below are our top picks for the best review management software. Read on to learn what they’re best for, their key features, and the pros and cons of each.
1. Thryv
Best For: Small Business Owners
Thryv’s automated review software is perfect for small business owners in service-based industries or professional services. Its tools help you monitor and collect more customer reviews for your business.
You’ll also gain access to a suite of business tools, like a CRM, payment software, and social media management. These features complement the review software, making it easier to nurture customer relationships over time. For example, the service scheduling tool and the client portal are great for providing support throughout the customer’s journey. Using these tools together, you can provide a seamless customer experience, even on the go.
Pros
- Thryv’s Business Center includes 10 additional tools, such as a CRM, email marketing, document storage, and more.
- Thryv’s review management software is compatible with over 40 customer review sites.
- You can send automatic emails to request new reviews after each completed sale or service.
Cons
- Thryv is designed for small business owners. Larger businesses may experience limitations using these tools.
$228/month for Plus plan; $382/month for Professional plan; $533/month for Unlimited plan
2. Social Places
Best For: Franchises
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Social Places collects feedback from multiple communication channels and organizes them into one dashboard for your business. It’s ideal for business owners who manage several locations and want reviews on their stores and their brands.
It also provides a tool that automatically posts positive reviews on your website. You can place star ratings and customer testimonials front and center on your homepage, which is great for SEO because it creates more online reviews for your business.
Additional features include a CRM, a reporting tool, and an AI-powered chatbot.
Pros
- Your account gets unlimited users, regardless of the plan that you purchase.
- The AI tool can analyze if a customer review is positive or negative.
- There are tools for tracking brand-related hashtags on social media platforms.
Cons
- The Standard plan will only work for Google Reviews. You have to upgrade to manage reviews from other sites.
- There aren’t many features for collecting new customer reviews.
Contact for Pricing
3. Yotpo
Best For: Small Ecommerce Brands
Ecommerce businesses will appreciate the retail-specific tools that this review management software provides. It has an AI assistant that summarizes reviews and posts them next to products in your online store. There’s also a visual slideshow that showcases your products in action. These tools help you leverage your reviews to convert potential buyers into loyal shoppers at your business.
Yotpo also provides features for collecting customer reviews. Its AI can personalize review requests, increasing your chances of getting new reviews. There’s also an SMS feature for requesting reviews via text. It’s ideal for communicating with customers who are on the go and may not check their emails.
Pros
- Yopto provides a free version that you can use to collect and display customer reviews on your website.
- You can post customers’ Instagram videos and pictures about your products to your website.
- The reporting tools tell you how many people left a review for your business and the average star rating.
Cons
- There are limited customer support options unless you pay for a Premium plan.
- The reporting dashboard might be difficult to navigate if you are new to this software.
- Yotpo takes time to set up and onboard new users.
Free to get started; $79/month for Starter plan; $169/month for Pro plan; $699/month for Premium plan
4. Reviews.io
Best For: Large Ecommerce Brands
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Reviews.io is designed for large ecommerce brands that use premium tools to grow their businesses. For example, there’s a feature that adds star ratings to your search ads on Google. When someone searches for your product, they’ll see a star rating next to it based on your reviews.
Reviews.io also uses “workflow logic” to send automated requests for new reviews. When a customer purchases something from your site, you can allow the software to wait a few days to see if the buyer leaves a review. If not, Reviews.io will send an email prompting them to leave feedback. This way, you avoid asking for reviews from customers who have already left one.
Pros
- An SMS tool lets you collect customer reviews via text message.
- You can send Net Promoter Score® (NPS) surveys to your customers. These surveys ask people to rate your company on a scale of 1 to 10.
- The video reviews feature lets customers record videos using your product or service.
Cons
- You are limited to 10 survey replies with a free account.
- There are limited customer support options for Reviews.io.
Free to get started; $99/month for Start-Up plan; $299/month for Grow plan; $499/month for Plus plan
5. Weave
Best For: Healthcare Professionals
Weave is intended for healthcare professionals like dentists and physical therapists. Its “Response Assistant ” generates custom responses to patient reviews with just a click of a button. It saves you time and ensures you or your staff never overlook customer reviews.
Additional features include appointment-booking software, digital forms for your website, and email marketing tools for connecting with customers. Weave also provides team chat for communication with coworkers and payment software for collecting outstanding bills.
Pros
- Onboarding is included with each plan, so you can set up and learn how to use the software quickly.
- You can send an automatic text message to customers whenever you miss a call.
- The mobile features are great for business owners who work from their phones or on the go.
Cons
- This software is designed specifically for healthcare professionals, so businesses in other industries may not find these tools as useful.
- Each plan has a limited number of text messages you can send customers.
Contact for pricing
6. Broadly
Best For: Collecting New Reviews
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Broadly is great for collecting customer reviews. It sends automatic requests after each purchase, and you can communicate with customers via text or email.
Broadly has reusable templates you can tweak without having to rewrite an entire message. It also provides a real-time dashboard showing how many people have left a review for your business across various customer review sites. It’s great for tracking your online reputation and staying updated on new reviews.
Pros
- You can get unlimited contacts regardless of the plan you choose.
- Broadly has SEO tools that can help you rank higher on sites like Google or Bing.
- The social media manager lets you schedule up to 20 posts at once.
Cons
- Most of the AI tools are only available with an Elite account.
- Each plan has an additional $350 “build out” fee.
$249/month for Standard plan; $349/month for Pro plan; $449/month for Elite plan
7. Synup
Best For: Automation & AI
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Synup has a “Smart Response” feature that streamlines review management. The AI analyzes your review’s sentiment and star rating, then automatically crafts a response based on a pre-built template. If the comment is negative or has a poor rating, it will escalate the review to your team. That way, you don’t have to spend quite as much time crafting responses to good reviews and will always know when a bad review is left at your business.
Synup also has “Review Analytics” that tracks the performance of customer reviews. It shows ratings from different locations, websites, or groups of customers in your CRM. These reports help you identify the best places to ask for feedback and how often people leave reviews for your business.
Pros
- Synup connects to over 80 online directories.
- It has a contract-buyout feature to help you end an existing contract with a software provider.
- The “Migration Assistance” feature provides you with a company representative who will help you set up your account.
Cons
- You can only monitor up to 20 review sites for your business.
- Most of the social media tools are provided in a separate subscription plan.
$35/month for Standard plan; $90/month for Premium plan
8. NiceJob
Best For: Digital Marketing
NiceJob is a review management platform designed for digital marketers. It doesn’t just send customers one follow-up email; It sends them a series of messages that encourage people to leave a review for your business. That increases your chances of generating new reviews and attracting people to your company.
NiceJob will also share good reviews on Facebook and Instagram. Your social followers will see a steady stream of positive comments, building credibility for your business. That leads to more sales and makes it easier to find your business online.
Pros
- NiceJob integrates with over 1000 business apps like Quickbooks and Xero.
- NiceJob will build an entire website for you if you purchase a premium plan.
- The “Gifts” feature lets you send customers prizes like snacks, candy, and more for leaving good reviews.
Cons
- Pricing varies based on the number of customers that shop at your business.
- There is an additional $200 setup fee if you purchase the “Sites” plan.
Contact for pricing
Choosing the Best Review Management Software
The best review management software will depend on your business needs. That’s why we created this list to help you narrow down the right choices for your company. Test out a few, and see how they improve your day-to-day workflow. The best software will streamline your customer service so you can focus more on running your business.
