Get Reviews and Take Payments in Record Time

What's New in Podium: April 2022

April at Podium has been a big month for making things you do every day in Podium easier, faster, and more delightful than ever.  
First, we have added new functionality to send review invitations from anywhere within the Podium platform. This change makes sending reviews almost effortless. 
Next, we have introduced a way to see the faces behind the reviews of your business which allows you the opportunity to further connect with your customers.
Lastly, we have enhanced our payment experience in an effort to make it easier and faster for you to receive payments from your customers.
<h3>Sending Review invitations just got 2x faster </h3>
Review Invitation Shortcut &amp; Form: You can now send review invitations from anywhere in Podium. And, we’ve added a “send review invite” shortcut right on the Reviews main page.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="664" style="object-fit: contain;" class="alignnone wp-image-21065 size-large" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-1024x664.png" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-1024x664.png 1024w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-300x195.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-768x498.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-1536x996.png 1536w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-600x389.png 600w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-360x234.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-160x104.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-350x227.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-100x65.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first-529x343.png 529w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-first.png 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
This new invitation experience also minimizes the number of steps required to send an invite. We include your default location and review template—saving you a few steps with routine invitations. 
Simply select a recipient and location (if you have more than one) and you’re ready to get your next five-star review.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="936" height="608" style="object-fit: contain;" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21066" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second.png" alt="" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second.png 936w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-300x195.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-768x499.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-600x390.png 600w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-360x234.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-160x104.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-350x227.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-100x65.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/reviews-second-528x343.png 528w" sizes="(max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px" />
Send a review invitation from the main navigation bar: We’ve also added the capability to send a review invitation directly from the “+” button—no matter where you are in Podium. Once clicked, you can select a recipient, location, and template using the same review invitation form.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="665" style="object-fit: contain;" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-21064" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-1024x665.png" alt="" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-1024x665.png 1024w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-300x195.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-768x499.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-1536x998.png 1536w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-2048x1330.png 2048w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-600x390.png 600w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-360x234.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-160x104.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-350x227.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-100x65.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Mega-Button@2x-528x343.png 528w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
With this release, we’re making the process of getting reviews as effortless as possible—getting you more great reviews and saving your team serious time along the way.
Read more about the update <a href="https://help.podium.com/hc/en-us/articles/5794860337939">here</a>.
<h3>The customers behind the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: </h3>
Reviews Profile Pictures: We’ve pushed out new functionality that enables Podium to find and pull in Facebook profile pictures in addition to reviews. 
Now you can see the people behind your reviews in Podium!
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1498" height="871" style="object-fit: contain;" class="alignnone wp-image-21067 size-full" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-04-13-12.40.10.gif" alt="" />
<h3>Taking payments is more convenient than ever</h3>
New Payment Experience: Whether you collect payments through text, card readers, or even by manual entry, we&#8217;ve made it easier and more convenient for your team by creating a new experience where you can access all your payment options at once. 
Payments can now be carried out from their own dedicated browser tab, accessed from either the Payments page or the “plus” icon in the top right corner of the Podium dashboard.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="948" style="object-fit: contain;" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-21068" src="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-1024x948.png" alt="" srcset="https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-1024x948.png 1024w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-300x278.png 300w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-768x711.png 768w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-1536x1423.png 1536w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-540x500.png 540w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-360x333.png 360w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-160x148.png 160w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-350x324.png 350w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-100x93.png 100w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first-370x343.png 370w, https://cms.podium.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/payments-first.png 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
By centralizing payment activities, your business can view and manage payment activity and all other customer interactions in separate windows, improving efficiency and organization across your customer interactions. 
Take a look at the new experience in Podium today. If you’d like to learn more about getting started with Podium Payments, check out this <a href="https://help.podium.com/hc/en-us/articles/5339693945235">guide</a>.
<h3>Marketing Challenges for Small Businesses &amp; How to Fix Them</h3>
In a recent Podium survey, 9 out of 10 consumers stated they would go out of their way to solicit local businesses in their community. After the uncertainty of the last two years, this is a welcome change for businesses that depend on a local customer base. The question is, how can local businesses make the most of this opportunity? 
In this <a href="https://www.podium.com/article/3-marketing-challenges/">article</a>, we’ll outline some of the top marketing challenges we hear about from our small business customers and share actionable tips to help you address those challenges and meet your marketing goals.