Dive Brief:
- HR leaders looking to evaluate HR/enterprise software have an emerging option akin to Yelp or other online review platforms, according to Human Resource Executive.
- The article explores the advantages of a start-up, G2 Crowd, that offers real end users' experiences through 52,000 "authenticated" reviews of all enterprise software, including 1,200 of them on Human Capital Management (HCM) products.
- In this case, HR end-users post the question-driven reviews after would-be reviewers are validated through their LinkedIn credentials which G2 Crowd validates (to avoid planted reviews and spammers). Users also are allowed to contact a reviewer on the phone or by LinkedIn's InMail, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
As is the case with many consumer-based shopping sites, you can see how many reviews each application has accumulated and even do side-by-side comparisons similar to those available at many e-tailer sites, though the article found the actual reviews to be G2 Crowd's most useful feature.
While the service has a "free" level, to get in-depth information (how much does a product cost, for example), users must obtain an upgraded membership, similar to how LinkedIn works. A full report on a product area will cost you a hefty $499, according to the article.
To build its reviewer base, G2 Crowd offers incentives, and it will give vendors that want to be reviewed a "Branding Package" (not free) offering benefits such as notifications when anyone reviews or comments on one or more of their products.
One tradeoff is the site can sell visitor contact info to vendors as a potential sales lead. That "seems fair, given the control you have over your information," says the article.
