A few years back, Eric Rea (co-founder and CEO) got a frustrated call from his dad. His dad’s tyre shop had plenty of happy customers, but only a handful of angry ones were leaving reviews. So we built a product that made getting more reviews as easy as sending a text.
As we set out to solve the same problem for local businesses everywhere, we realized that messaging with customers wasn’t just the better way to get reviews—it’s the better way to do business. We’ve since built a multi-product platform that’s modernising the way local business gets done.
» Why should jewellery retailers consider using Podium?
Jewellery retailers – and any local business, for that matter – should use Podium because it helps businesses cater to the needs, habits, and preferences of contemporary consumers.
Aussies have come to expect – and prioritise those who offer – quick, convenient and customer-friendly interactions with businesses today. They no longer want to interact with businesses via phone calls or exchanging emails back and forth; they want more convenience than that.
Podium comprises eight different solutions, which enable businesses to deliver exceptional customer experiences in the palm of their hand. Local businesses are turning to Podium’s SMS-based platform to receive more business-critical reviews, collect payments, send SMS campaigns, and centralise their communications during lockdown. Running a local business isn’t easy, particularly lately, but Podium makes it easier than ever to communicate more conveniently, collect reviews, facilitate payments, send effective marketing campaigns and more.
» What benefits can your business offer jewellery stores?
Through Podium, a jewellery retailer can answer a customer’s enquiries and schedule a consultation via webchat, send automated reminders ahead of their appointment, issue a one-touch payment link after they make a purchase and collect a Google review after their engagement has concluded.
Crucially, it’s all done via SMS, so for a customer it’s as easy and convenient as communicating with their friends and family.
» What unique benefits does your business offer that your competitors cannot?
Our competitive differentiator is the scale of our platform. A business is made up of many essential processes, departments, and components, and Podium’s platform caters to so many of them.
We’ve built a platform made up of eight different tools, and growing that ecosystem is a core focus – we want to be the one-stop shop for local businesses.
Rather than a local business using multiple different vendors – which is expensive, requires more time to learn and integrate, and often creates business silos – local businesses can use Podium for all their communication, marketing, and payment needs. There might be other platforms that handle one or two of those functions, but jewellers need a platform they can rely on to help power their business, not just one aspect of it.
» Describe the typical user of Podium?
Podium is used by over 100,000 local businesses globally. Our core customers are SMBs, so typically any business with between 1-50 employees, though our platform is excellent for bigger
businesses, too.
We serve the entire spectrum of local businesses, from jewellers to dentists, mechanics, tradies and more. Every local business is unique, and every sector of the small business community has separate challenges and opportunities.
However, they’re all bound by a desire to provide meaningful, convenient, and sophisticated customer experiences – and that’s where we come in.
» Are there any options for integration with existing software a retailer may be using?
Because our mission is to make it as easy as possible for businesses to operate, we integrate with over 180 different solutions.
Our growing ecosystem of integrations makes it easy to automate the more routine stuff while maintaining a personal touch in each customer interaction. We’re a perfect fit with the tools a jewellery retailer already uses, and we’re always adding new integrations.
» Can your software offer API integration and if so, how does that take place?
Our API is public and available in our Developer Portal. That means any business that has an in-house system, or an idea for an app or process, can integrate it with Podium through the public API.
» What do retailers misunderstand about reputation management?
Consumer expectations are changing today, and businesses that understand the role their online presence plays in that will be better placed to seize opportunities, overcome challenges and cater to their customers’ needs.
The biggest misconception currently is that email and phone remain the primary means of communication for consumers. Far from it, in fact.
Our research has revealed that Australian consumers say their tolerance for poor business communication has decreased since the pandemic and are willing to blacklist local businesses who don’t cater to their habits and preferences. So it’s no longer good enough to simply have a digital presence; it has to be effective, and built with the consumer and their preferences in mind.
» Any additional comment or information you’d like to share about your business?
We recently released the Podium Business-to-Customer Communication Report, which deep dives into the trends and habits of consumers today.
It’s a really important read, providing the insights jewellery retailers owners need to know about interacting with their customers post-pandemic.
