Overview:
Customer advocacy software is a tool that helps in the management of customer advocacy programs that encourage customers to share their positive experiences with others. This software involves a range of applications that help companies to build lasting relationships with their customers and promote positive feedback or online reviews. Advocacy software also helps companies to identify potential advocates and cultivate long-term relationships with them. In this article, we will explore who uses the software, benefits of the software, features of the software, as well as examples of relevant software products, their distinguishing features, how to use them, drawbacks and limitations.
Who Uses the Software:
Customer advocacy software is becoming an essential tool for various types of businesses that prioritize customer satisfaction. It’s commonly used by companies with a substantial customer base, such as e-commerce shops, SaaS (software as a service) companies, and medium to large-sized businesses. Still, any business with customers can use advocacy software to strengthen relationships with their clients and increase positive word of mouth.
Benefits of the Software:
The benefits of customer advocacy software are numerous and significant to businesses of all sizes. The software can strengthen relationships with clients, improve customer experiences, and advocate for brands through customer feedback. Other benefits include:
1. Increased Customer Retention: Establishing trust with customers through advocacy programs will make them more likely to stay loyal to a brand.
2. Improved Customer Engagement: Advocacy software provides opportunities to engage with customers and facilitate communication, creating a sense of community that makes clients feel both valued and heard.
3. Enhanced Customer Acquisition: Customer referrals through advocacy software can stimulate new customers to engage with the brand, lowering the marketing costs of customer acquisition.
Features of the Software:
The range of features of customer advocacy software includes:
1. Customer Referral Programs: These programs offer unexpected benefits, discounts, or promotions to existing customers who successfully refer friends and family.
2. Feedback and Review Management: Tools that allow companies to manage customer feedback and online reviews can help address customer complaints and negative feedback effectively.
3. Gamification: The use of gamification, with rewards for customers who interact with the software or complete advocacy related tasks, is becoming increasingly common.
Examples of Relevant Software Products:
1. Refersion.com – Refersion is a customer advocacy software that lets businesses create and manage their own referral programs. Companies can track their program’s progress, automate the reward process, and measure the results. One drawback of Refersion is that it may not integrate with all e-commerce systems.
2. Influitive.com – Influitive is a customer advocacy software that focuses on the gamification of customer engagement. It features customizable advocacy tasks, personalized challenges, and rewards. Businesses can use Influitive to make advocacy fun, achieving significant participation rates. However, Influitive may be too complex for smaller businesses.
3. GetAmbassador.com – This customer advocacy software is ideal for very large companies, particularly for those that operate in multiple locales. The platform offers various features, including referral campaigns, referral tracking, and performance reporting, allowing companies to identify their best-performing advocates easily.
4. Implement.com – Implement is an ideal advocate marketing software for small and mid-sized businesses. It allows users to identify and target their best brand advocates while monitoring their activity. One limitation is that it may not have as many features as some more extensive software choices, but this may be perfect for small businesses.
5. Yotpo.com – Yotpo is a customer advocacy software that focuses mainly on the review management side of advocacy. It provides a tool for businesses to gather and streamline their reviews from various sources and then analyze and manage them. One drawback is that it may not be the right choice for companies with referral programs that need to be tracked.
How to Use the Software:
The primary step to using customer advocacy software is to determine the goals of advocacy programs and the specific results the software is expected to achieve. Once businesses understand their advocacy needs, they can choose a software platform that aligns with their goals and budget. Once a business has selected its preferred software, it should set clear targets, train its advocates, and develop its plan of action. Companies should also invest in communication channels that enable consistent updates to advocates.
Drawbacks and Limitations of the Software:
Some of the significant drawbacks of customer advocacy software include the requirement for consistent maintenance, limitations in software integration with other systems, the need for employee training in the use of these tools, and the challenge of tracking and measuring software results. Furthermore, businesses should not rely solely on advocacy software, as the human touch (e.g., personal communication and engagement with advocates) is also a crucial factor in customer retention and brand loyalty.
Conclusion:
Customer advocacy software offers substantial benefits to businesses that prioritize customer satisfaction, retention, and acquiring new leads. Companies can implement this software to effectively manage their customer advocacy programs while enhancing customer engagement and brand reputation. The software enables businesses to strengthen and nurture long-term relationships with customers, resulting in growth opportunities that benefit both the company and the customer. It’s essential for businesses to choose a software platform that aligns with their goals and budget, and allocate proper resources for ongoing communication and advocacy program maintenance.