You know that finding the right customer experience management (CXM) platform is vital for business success in terms of growing revenue, driving customer retention, and finding opportunities for revenue expansion.
But, with so many options for customer experience management software out there, which one should you choose?
Maybe you’ve been using Upland Software’s Rant and Rave CXM already and you’re finding that it’s not solving all your problems.
It’s a common concern, given that Rant and Rave is so new — only acquired by Upland in 2018. So, you might find a more mature software supports you better.
In this article, we examine 5 top Upland alternatives in detail. We’ll give you our perspective on which could work best for your business, including details of rankings by Gartner and ratings from G2.
A Closer Look at Upland Rant and Rave
Upland Software was first established in 2010 in Austin, Texas. Since then, Upland has acquired 20 different companies and now boasts more than 25 different software as a service (SaaS) products for businesses, including Rant and Rave customer engagement software.
Rant and Rave was only acquired by Upland in 2018, so is still yet to fully mature as a CXM platform, which may explain the low numbers of reviews currently available for this software on G2 and Gartner Peer insights.
Upland is known for its ability to capture direct customer feedback from chat apps, including SMS, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger. Upland uses machine learning to analyze feedback from its ‘listening posts’, including emojis and images, and provide ‘empathetic’ responses.
Upland bills itself as a way to reach out to customers with useful information (such as reminders for appointments and deliveries), monitor and analyze responses in real-time, and act to close the loop in the most ‘natural’ way.
G2 Score: 5/5
Pricing: Contact the vendor for more information.
5 Upland Alternatives for B2B Companies
CustomerGauge
CustomerGauge is a comprehensive customer experience (CX) management platform specifically designed for the needs of B2B. According to Gartner’s 2021 Critical Capabilities report, CustomerGauge is the top contender for Enterprise level B2B CXM.
Using its proprietary Account Experience TM (AX) methodology, CustomerGauge allows B2B businesses to manage their customer experience at the level of whole accounts, rather than managing single customers individually. This is especially useful for B2B, where one ‘customer’ may in fact consist of a complex hierarchy with multiple stakeholders.
B2B’s account structure also means that losing just one customer could have a significant impact on overall revenue. To answer this challenge, CustomerGauge gives organizations the tools to understand Net Promoter Score (NPS) from the perspective of revenue and coverage and is the only CXM platform to do so.
The CustomerGauge offering extends to all aspects of the customer journey, including collection of voice of the customer (VoC) data from multiple channels, survey creation and management, tools for effectively closing the loop, and alerts for when a customer is likely to churn (as well as for those with good upsell and referral potential).
Gartner’s Critical Capabilities report also highlighted the following strengths:
Highest score for enabling sales.
Good support for both large and midsize businesses.
Supports B2B2C.
Top industries: High-Tech, Business Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Telecom, Logistics
G2 Score: 4.6/5
Pricing: Contact our sales team for details.
How Does CustomerGauge Compare to Upland?
For B2B VoC, CustomerGauge rates significantly higher than Upland according to Gartner:
CustomerGauge comes in 1st, whereas Upland ranks much lower, in 12th place.
Founded in 2007, CustomerGauge is a particularly well-established, comprehensive CXM platform that specializes in meeting the needs of B2B. Its proprietary tools, included in its Account Experienceâ„¢ solution, focus on driving real change: reducing churn, highlighting opportunities ripe for referral and providing insight into customer sentiment through the lens of revenue.
Upland’s Rant and Rave software, in contrast, is just one of many services offered by Upland. Although some of its features, such as its machine learning algorithms for ‘empathetic’ automated communication with customers could be very useful, it has some limitations as a CXM platform, as one user describes here.
Qualtrics CX
Qualtrics is a well-known CXM platform with particular strengths in data collection, analysis and insight.
Qualtrics tends to be used by larger organizations, thanks to its wide range of survey tools and its complementary employee, partner, and brand experience products.
Given its well-respected name and comprehensive functionality when it comes to CXM, it’s not surprising that Qualtrics scores well for nearly all department-specific capabilities according to the Gartner 2021 Critical Capabilities report.
However, it’s worth noting that Qualtrics scores substantially lower for customer service departments, although the relatively recent acquisition of text analytics vendor Clarabridge may help improve ratings in this area in the future.
One of the drawbacks of Qualtrics is that users find it more difficult to use and set up compared to the average. Reviewers also rated the quality of support below average compared to similar products.
Top industries: Financial Services/Insurance, B2B, Retail
G2 Score: 4.3/5
Pricing: Customized pricing for its XM platform, but basic survey tools are free.
How Does Qualtrics Compare to Upland?
According to the 2021 capabilities report by Gartner, Qualtrics ranks substantially higher (3rd place) for B2B VoC as compared to Upland (12th place).
This reflects the relative wealth of well-established tools for data collection and analysis offered by Qualtrics, which is why it tends to be used by many university and insights departments.
Upland, in contrast, is more limited in terms of functionality and customization. However, users have noted that there seems to be a strong culture of support amongst users of Rant and Rave. For some potential users this may be a real plus, especially compared to the relatively steep learning curve associated with Qualtrics CX.
AskNicely
AskNicely customer survey software aims to collect detailed customer feedback in a fun way.
However, that’s not all — AskNicely has some great features to help your employees up their game when it comes to delivering great CX.
Not only can AskNicely be used to set up workflows for effective and prompt case management, but it’s best-known for its gamification features helping to foster internal buy-in while maximizing scores for customer sentiment. The platform also helps managers acknowledge team members with particularly high performance for customer service.
Users of AskNicely particularly appreciate its easy-to-use interface and great customer support, but some reviewers have been more critical of the levels of customization available, particularly for more complex surveys.
G2 Score: 4.7
Pricing: Contact the vendor for more information.
How Does AskNicely Compare to Upland?
Both AskNicely and Upland do well when it comes to collecting customer feedback, but AskNicely is more focused on doing this through surveys, rather than listening posts.
AskNicely is also more about gamification to increase the success of your CX team, whereas Upland uses AI to generate more natural and empathetic automated responses to customers.
Potentially, both could be really useful tools for B2B; it just depends on your particular priorities.
Google Surveys
Originally designed for users wanting to monetize their online content, Google Surveys is just one tool from Google’s Marketing Platform.
Google Survey’s main function comes as no surprise (given its name) and could be compared to other more basic survey tools, such as SurveyMonkey.
According to reviews on G2, Google Surveys tend to score higher for ease of setup and administration but SurveyMonkey does better when it comes to survey insights, customization and management.
G2 Score: 4.5/5
Pricing: Two available pricing tiers are available: ‘Surveys’ and ‘Surveys 360’. 'Surveys 360’ has variable pricing options, is the more advanced option, and recommended for larger businesses. Whereas the more basic ‘Surveys’ option starts at 10c per completed survey.
How Does Google Surveys Compare to Upland?
Although both Upland and Google Surveys are focused on collecting customer feedback, Google Surveys is a much more specialized tool.
Depending on your particular priorities and company’s preferred way of measuring customer feedback, that specialization might be a good thing.
For example, one user expressed their frustration with Upland’s lack of customization options for frontline systems on Gartner. Google Surveys, on the other hand, has received praise on G2 for its custom targeting questions.
SurveyMonkey
More of a survey tool than a full CX management platform, SurveyMonkey has been particularly popular in recent years.
Small businesses, in particular, have benefited from its free survey tools. Momentive has now acquired SurveyMonkey, and the platform is increasing its offering for the Enterprise sector, too with improved tools for administration, integration, and security.
Users rate SurveyMonkey as easier to use and set up higher than other survey platforms. However, users also report that SurveyMonkey can be quite limited when it comes to customization.
G2 Score: 4.4/5
Pricing: A variety of plans are available for individuals and teams, and there are custom plans available for enterprise-level organizations
How Does SurveyMonkey Compare to Upland?
Upland Rant and Rave is more about collecting customer feedback across a range of channels (for example, email, SMS and chat apps), rather than surveys specifically. SurveyMonkey, on the other hand, does exactly what it says on the tin: a versatile tool to design, distribute, and analyze surveys.
CustomerGauge: The VoC Platform Designed for B2B
CustomerGauge is there to meet the specific needs of B2B. Thanks to our wealth of experience, we’ve got reducing churn, closing the loop, and driving revenue down to a fine art.
Why not get started today? Reach out for a demo here!
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