Customer advocacy at Birdeye: Candid about challenges, clear on outcomes

Customer advocacy is tested in moments of truth—when a profile needs a quick fix, a critical text message needs to be sent, or a review requires a response that sounds like a human wrote it. These high-stakes interactions either build lasting trust or waste valuable time. At Birdeye, we are built for these moments.

Summary

We don’t shy away from candid feedback. Our customers are vocal about challenges such as Google Business Profile (GBP) verification hurdles, changes to texting numbers, a steep learning curve, or cost. But here's the fuller picture: those challenges lead to verified profiles that drive discovery, SMS messages that get opened, and teams that save countless hours while their reviews and calls consistently increase. 

This blog post is straight talk. We’ll provide a clear, fact-based examination of both sides of the coin. We'll examine common concerns and reveal the reality behind them, all anchored in real customer stories and quantifiable outcomes. Read the evidence and see how Birdeye handles customer advocacy when it counts.

Before going deeper into what customer advocacy at Birdeye looks like, let’s understand what it really means.

What is customer advocacy?

Customer advocacy is the point where happy customers become public supporters of a business. They recommend the brand to peers, post reviews without being nudged, share real outcomes in case studies, join reference calls, and speak up when a brand deserves credit. It’s earned through consistent value and steady help when it matters.

Some people confuse customer advocacy with simply responding to tickets. But support only solves issues while advocacy creates fans. It turns everyday wins into proof that others can trust—reviews, ratings, quotes, success stories, and referrals—that build confidence long before a buyer even makes contact.

So, what does it take to turn customers into your advocates?

Core elements of customer advocacy

• Clear outcomes: Visible wins that customers can point to, not vague promises.
• Helpful onboarding and guidance: Fast setup and easy paths to first value.
• Fast, human responses: Timely replies to reviews and messages that sound real.
• Feedback loop: Customer ideas that directly shape product improvements.
• Ethical outreach: Consent, relevance, and respect for customer time.
• Community and education: Webinars, how-tos, and user groups that make everyone better.

At Birdeye, customer service sets the tone—fast answers, real people, and follow-through that builds advocacy. Our 4.7/5 G2 satisfaction score, earned from thousands of verified users, reflects the trust and loyalty our customers place in us.

How Birdeye handles customer advocacy

The following pillars show how Birdeye turns everyday service into advocacy across onboarding, support, profiles, messaging, insights, and reporting. 

Each pillar is designed to deliver real results, and our customers agree. 99% of Birdeye users rate the platform 4 or 5 stars, reflecting consistent results across industries and locations.

Today, more than 200,000 businesses trust Birdeye to manage their customer experience and reputation. As a $100M+ ARR business, we’ve grown alongside our customers by focusing on measurable outcomes that drive real advocacy.

1. Quick start

Birdeye’s guided onboarding covers everything – locations, business listings, messaging channels, templates, and core CRM/POS connections. Our done-with-you setup and clear playbooks help teams reach first value quickly.

2. Real support

Birdeye’s in-app help, up-to-date knowledge base, and Customer Success Managers, who understand each account and goal, keep momentum high. We ensure your questions get real answers with clear ownership and next steps.

3. Multi-platform listings presence

Birdeye manages business listings across major platforms, including Google, Apple, Yelp, and more. Profiles stay in sync across locations with clean categories, services, and hours, and updates go live consistently, so search visibility is backed by reliable data.

4. Review growth with a human touch

With Birdeye, automated review requests sent via the best channels keep feedback flowing at a steady cadence. Our AI-assisted replies and personalization tokens ensure responses sound natural and on-brand.

5. Messaging that gets seen

Birdeye’s unified inbox brings text, chat, and social into one place. From there, you can use segmentation and smart send times to ensure messages reach people when they are most likely to respond.

6. Insights that prompt action

Birdeye surfaces sentiment trends, keyword highlights, and alerts that pinpoint areas that need attention. Actionable worklists then turn those signals into fixes that improve both service and reputation.

7. Built-in compliance

You stay policy-compliant with Birdeye. Our opt-in tracking, 10DLC guidance, and audit trails keep outreach aligned with regulations. That way, your teams can message confidently, knowing all consent and records are properly documented.

8. Team-ready controls

Birdeye maps roles, permissions, and location groups to multi-location workflows. Each person gets the access they need without adding complexity for others.

9. Continuous improvement

At Birdeye, clear feedback paths inform our roadmap, and frequent releases deliver meaningful fixes and enhancements. As a result, you’ll see your ideas turn into features that remove everyday friction and enhance your experience.

10. Measurable outcomes

Birdeye dashboards make it easy to track reviews, calls, clicks, messages, and revenue signals, allowing you to share your progress. Teams can confidently compare locations over time and report what changed.

With these pillars in place, here’s how Birdeye addresses common concerns and turns them into clear, customer-focused outcomes.

Addressing customer concerns head-on

While customers share candid feedback, 96% say they would recommend Birdeye to others, proving that trust grows even when challenges arise.

1. Google Business Profile verification support

Birdeye equips businesses with accurate and attractive Google Business Profiles, as well as ongoing optimization. Verification timing is handled by Google and may require additional steps before connection. Once ownership is confirmed, Birdeye representatives help connect pages and move things forward.

Let’s take a look at some positive experiences of Birdeye customers:

• Skogman Companies saw their online presence soar with Birdeye’s help, gaining an impressive 106.1K increase in Google Search views. The partnership also included successful management of their Google Business Profile, a factor they describe as “immensely important for Google’s ranking algorithm.”
• Bed Pros Mattress saw their web presence improve “like flipping a switch” by automating their listings with Birdeye. This ensured accuracy and consistency across platforms, including Google, which in turn significantly boosted their SEO.
  
• Coleman Taylor Transmissions found Birdeye Listings AI “incredibly user-friendly” for keeping their Google Business Profile updated. This consistency led to powerful results: 475.7K profile impressions and 80.3K call clicks from Google alone.
  
• Firstmark Credit Union used Birdeye’s premium Google partnership to expedite their Google Seller Ratings process from months to weeks. The result was a significant boost in their click-through rate (CTR), which climbed to 10% from their previous 4%.

Key takeaway: Birdeye turns verified ownership into visibility, pairing clear guidance with at-scale listings management that drives measurable engagement.

2. Texting number stability

Birdeye’s messaging is designed for efficient and reliable communication across teams and locations. It can be stressful for a user when a texting number isn’t guaranteed to always match their landline, which can cause issues with consistent communication and templates. 

However, many Birdeye customers find the platform’s messaging capabilities, including texting, to be a game-changer. They love how efficient and reliable the platform is, as well as how it facilitates better communication with their customers.

• Chateau Development found that using Birdeye’s Unified Inbox for text messaging made communication “much easier” for their team. This led to a “much higher response rate and interaction” with prospects and an impressive 98% open rate for their text messages.
  
• Birdeye’s Mass Texting was so easy for Complete Care to use that they could “create any message at any time” for their segmented audiences. This simplicity led to immediate patient engagement, as they “see people open and respond to the message.”
  
• SEV Laser significantly doubled their monthly review volume by using Birdeye’s SMS outreach to request reviews. This direct and personalized approach created a stronger connection with their clients, resulting in a significant increase in feedback.

3. Pricing and value

For any business—from a single location to a large enterprise—Birdeye’s value lies in efficiency. It consolidates multiple tools for tasks such as review management, messaging, and social scheduling into one system. This reduces complexity and boosts return on investment (ROI) by freeing up time and resources, making Birdeye a powerful investment. Many Birdeye customers emphasize that the platform’s efficiency and results justify its cost. 

• Kona Cleaners described Birdeye as “affordable” and “user-friendly,” a tool that “more than pays for itself” by attracting new customers through online reviews.
  
• Complete Care saw a remarkable 3,653% increase in reviews after implementing Birdeye. They also experienced a decrease in their cost per lead and cost per click, confirming that the platform saved them “a ton of time” daily on review responses.
  
• Orange Fish Consulting found Birdeye to be a “cost-efficient opportunity,” as they were able to cut their clients’ CRM budget and PPC spending within the first year of using the platform.
  
• Quick Care Med explicitly stated that Birdeye is “worth every penny.” They confirmed the platform not only saved them “considerable labor hours” but also “transformed” their business by enhancing its online reputation, which is why they “always include it in our budget and will continue to do so.”

With Social AI available on a free plan, businesses can test and benefit from Birdeye without upfront cost, which makes it easier to grow their reputation and visibility at their own pace.

4. Auto-review responses sounding repetitive

Birdeye offers AI assistance and editable templates to keep review replies personal and on-brand. Without adjustments, these automated responses can feel monotonous. However, customers can utilize the built-in tools to make quick changes and modify the language as needed. Let’s take a look at what customers report:

• American Pacific Mortgage used Birdeye’s AI-generated responses to manage high volumes of reviews while still “maintaining a personal touch.”
  
• Best POS Technology, LLC utilized Birdeye’s AI-assisted responses and templates to provide “swift replies” that are acknowledged “in a personalized manner.” This process saved them time while ensuring quality interactions.
  
• Fairlawn Real Estate uses Birdeye to automatically respond with “custom replies, seamlessly incorporating personalized tokens such as the reviewer’s name and location.” For more detailed feedback, Birdeye AI helps draft “tailored responses to reflect genuine care and attention.”
  
• Avondale Toyota also leveraged Birdeye’s AI to personalize review replies at scale. This resulted in impressive average response rates of 93% and higher.

5. Occasional downtime or slow performance

Customers praise Birdeye for its robust performance, efficiency, and real-time capabilities that streamline operations. While some have noted occasional downtime or slow performance, the overwhelming feedback confirms the platform’s reliability in simplifying operations rather than hindering them.

• Chateau Development found that Birdeye Inbox’s “browser and email alerts immediately let the leasing team know when they have an incoming message,” enabling quick and direct responses.
  
• MedLink Georgia praised Birdeye for making “managing patient experience so easy” and helping them “respond to patients in a flash.”
  
• Fairlawn Real Estate highlighted how Birdeye Insights AI helps them “resolve [issues] proactively before they escalate.” They noted that the platform’s integrated data enhances their “operational agility, response times, and overall solutions.”
  
• Moss & Company stated that Birdeye “saves us a lot of time, provides consistency, and streamlines our process.”

6. Initial learning curve

Many customers praise Birdeye for its intuitive design and ease of use. Although some have mentioned a learning curve that makes the platform feel a bit overwhelming at first. However, the robust onboarding support ensures users quickly get up to speed and streamline their operations. Here’s what customers report:

• Southern Careers Institute praised Birdeye as one of the “easiest platforms and teams to work with,” noting it is “very easy to learn.”
  
• Skogman Companies described their implementation process as “a breeze,” noting that “Birdeye was so helpful in getting things set up.”
  
• VanDyk Mortgage Corporation found Birdeye to be “the easiest” of three new marketing technologies they implemented, with the Birdeye team doing “most of the work” for their listings setup.

Key takeaway: This widespread feedback emphasizes Birdeye's user-friendly nature and the comprehensive support provided to ensure a smooth transition and rapid adoption of the platform.

7. Contacts and campaign customization

Birdeye offers extensive customization for campaigns and targeted messaging, allowing you to create personalized outreach that resonates with your audience. While some users express a desire for more detailed contact profiles and the ability to send “texting blasts,” the platform’s features already provide powerful tools for building custom, highly targeted campaigns.

• Southern Careers Institute successfully set up “multiple customized campaigns” for different segments, like new students and graduates. They were able to reach over 30,000 graduates with a single drip campaign, collecting “critical information about the respondents” for future business decisions.
  
• Complete Care found it “so easy to create campaigns and send out messages to segmented audiences at the right time” for promotions and patient education using Birdeye’s Mass Texting.
  
• Exclusive Furniture uses “completely customizable templates” to offer different incentives and segment referral campaigns with Birdeye.
  
• VanDyk Mortgage Corporation utilizes “custom triggers” to send review requests at specific milestones to various participants, including borrowers, co-borrowers, and agents. They can also customize surveys to collect specific data.

Key takeaway: These examples consistently demonstrate how Birdeye's capabilities enable targeted, customizable communication that can be utilized for a wide range of marketing and feedback purposes.

FAQs about customer advocacy in Birdeye

Why customer advocacy with Birdeye works

Birdeye turns everyday customer moments into public proof. Listings stay accurate across Google, Apple, Yelp, and more. Messages land and get answered. Reviews keep coming in, and the replies sound like they were written by a person. Insights flag what needs attention, compliance keeps outreach clean, and dashboards show what changed.

While some steps involve outside platforms, such as Google’s verification and carrier rules for texting, Birdeye guides the process and maintains momentum. That’s why the stories in this blog post highlight clear gains in visibility, responses, and time saved.

If similar outcomes are on your list, start small with the free trial of Birdeye Social AI for publishing and engagement, then add reviews, listings, and messaging when ready. Prefer a quick walk-through? Watch our free demo to know more about how Birdeye can take your marketing efforts to the next level.