Podium Releases Webchat

Podium, providers of a customer communication platform for local businesses, has launched Podium Webchat to help businesses convert website visitors into customers by taking the conversation offline to the text message channel.

With Podium Webchat, businesses can capture contact information of leads visiting their sites and manage all inbound communication channels from one central location. The application's interface allows business owners to manage and respond to all webchats from a single dashboard, consolidating SMS/text, Google Business Messaging, and Facebook Messenger conversations into one place: Podium Inbox.

"By introducing this new feature to our platform we are offering local businesses the opportunity to interact with customers in a way that fosters stronger relationships across the board," said Eric Rea, co-founder and CEO of Podium, in a statement. "We've found that many consumers prefer having the option to communicate with businesses via text. With Webchat, businesses can talk with their customers in a way that's more convenient for both parties, which drives brand affinity and loyalty."

Podium Webchat saw success in beta testing. Across the companies participating in the beta group, inbound customer communication was increased 10 times using Webchat over previous online interaction solutions. These interactions were combinations of new sales leads, customer service requests, and other transaction-related conversations.

"Podium, especially Webchat, has foundationally changed the way we communicate with our customers," said Cedric Volk, general manager of On Call Event Rentals, in a statement. "As a local business, it has been difficult to find an online interaction tool that was built specifically for our needs. Podium's Webchat has enabled us to convert on interactions that were impossible for us to capture previously and has created an entirely new channel to create business."

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