How to Choose Review Management Software (Features, Compliance and Questions to Ask)
What review management software should actually do, which features are worth paying for, the compliance traps to avoid, and the questions to ask any vendor before you sign.
By Editorial Team
8 min read
Good review management software does three jobs: it makes it easy to ask every customer for a review, it puts all your reviews and replies in one place, and it alerts you when something needs attention. Choose based on the platforms your customers actually use, how you’ll send requests (email, text or both), and whether the tool keeps you on the right side of Google’s rules and the FTC’s rule on consumer reviews. Features that filter unhappy customers away from public review sites are a liability, not a benefit.
This guide doesn’t rank vendors. Products change quickly, and the right choice depends on your business. Instead, it gives you a checklist you can take into any demo.
What review management software does
Most tools in this category combine some or all of the following:
- Review requests. Sending customers a message after a purchase or appointment with a direct link to leave a review.
- Monitoring. Pulling reviews from Google, Facebook, Yelp and industry sites into one feed.
- Response inbox. Letting you reply to reviews from one screen, where the platform allows it.
- Alerts. Notifying the right person when a new review, especially a negative one, arrives.
- Reporting. Showing trends in rating, volume and response time, often by location.
- Display. Widgets that show reviews on your website.
You rarely need all of it. A single-location business with one review platform needs far less than a franchise with forty locations.
Features that matter
| Feature | What good looks like | Who needs it most |
|---|---|---|
| Email and SMS requests | Both channels, sent automatically after a completed job or visit, with a customizable message and a reminder option. | Most businesses with customer contact details |
| Direct review links | Links that open the review form on the right platform and the right location, in as few taps as possible. | Everyone |
| Unified response inbox | All reviews in one place, with the ability to reply, assign to a colleague and see who replied. | Businesses on several platforms |
| Alerts | Instant notice of new reviews, with rules such as “notify the location manager for anything under four stars.” | Anyone who wants to reply within a day or two |
| Multi-location reporting | Rating, volume and response time by location and region, with exports. | Franchises and chains |
| Integrations | A connection to your CRM, point of sale, booking or practice management system so requests go out without manual uploads. | Businesses with high customer volume |
| User permissions | Separate access for owners, managers and agencies, and a record of who did what. | Teams and multi-location businesses |
Integrations are often what decides whether a tool gets used. If someone has to export a customer list and upload it every week, requests will stop within a month or two.
Compliance checks before you buy
Some features common in this market can get your reviews removed or put you on the wrong side of the law if used the wrong way. Check each of these in the demo.
Review gating
Many tools ask customers “How was your experience?” first, then send happy customers to Google and unhappy ones to a private feedback form. That is review gating. Google’s policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews, and the FTC’s guidance for marketers has warned against it too. Our guide on what review gating is explains the details.
A private feedback form isn’t a problem in itself. The problem is using it to filter who gets asked for a public review. Ask the vendor whether every customer can be shown the public review link, whatever their answer to the first question, and configure it that way.
Incentives
Some tools support rewards, contests or discounts for leaving reviews. The FTC’s 2024 rule bans incentives conditioned on a review’s sentiment, and Google’s policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews at all. The safest setup is simple: no rewards for reviews on Google.
Text message consent
Automated text messages to customers are covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and, in some states, additional rules. At a minimum, collect consent to text before you send, identify your business in the message, and honor opt-out replies such as STOP. Ask the vendor how the tool records consent and handles opt-outs, and have a lawyer review your setup if you text at volume. Our review request text message templates show how to keep messages short and compliant.
Review display
If the tool shows reviews on your website, check whether it lets you hide negative ones. Showing only positive reviews while implying they represent all feedback can run afoul of the FTC’s rule on review suppression.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Which review platforms can we monitor, and which can we reply to from inside the tool?
- Can every customer be sent the public review link, regardless of their answer to any satisfaction question?
- How do you record SMS consent and handle opt-outs?
- Which of our systems (CRM, point of sale, booking, practice management) do you integrate with, and who sets that up?
- How are alerts configured, and can they go to different people by location?
- Who owns our data, and can we export reviews, replies and customer records if we leave?
- What is the contract length and notice period?
- How is pricing calculated: per location, per user, per message, or a mix?
- Does the tool include AI-drafted replies, and can we edit every reply before it’s posted?
- What support do we get during setup, and afterwards?
Pay attention to how the vendor answers question 2. A vendor who treats gating as a selling point is telling you something about how they see the rules.
A worked example
This is an illustrative scenario, not a real business.
A home services company with three locations gets most of its work through booked appointments. The owner shortlists two tools. Tool A has more features on paper, including a “protect your rating” flow that sends customers who rate the job three stars or lower to an internal form. Tool B has fewer features but integrates with the company’s scheduling system and can send an email and text automatically when a job is marked complete.
In the demo, the owner asks Tool A’s vendor whether the rating filter can be switched off so everyone sees the Google link. It can, but it’s on by default. The owner also realizes that without a scheduling integration, someone would have to upload customer lists every week.
She picks Tool B, confirms that text consent is collected on the booking form, and sets alerts so each location manager hears about new reviews for their location. The owner keeps replies human: the tool suggests drafts, but managers edit each one before it goes live.
Not sure where to start?
Get a free audit of your search results and review profiles, with a prioritized fix list.
Get a free auditWhen you don’t need software
Software isn’t always the answer. You may not need it if:
- You have one location and get a handful of reviews a month.
- Almost all your reviews are on Google, where Google can already notify you of new reviews and lets you reply from Search or the Google Maps app.
- You can build a reliable habit: a short link on receipts, a line in your follow-up email, and a weekly check of new reviews.
Google gives you a shareable review link from your Business Profile at no cost. For many small businesses, that link plus a consistent routine does most of what a paid tool would.
Software starts to earn its keep when you have several locations, several platforms, a high volume of customers, or a team that needs shared visibility. If you also need listings, listening or survey tools, our overview of reputation management software covers the wider categories.
DIY software or a managed service
Software gives you the tools; someone still has to use them. The difference between buying a tool and hiring a service is who does the work.
| Software you run yourself | Managed review service | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sends requests and replies | Your team | The provider, with your approval where needed |
| Best for | Teams with time and a clear owner for reviews | Busy owners, multi-location businesses, sensitive industries |
| Main risk | The tool is set up, then ignored | Choosing a provider who uses shortcuts that break platform rules |
If you’re considering a service, the same compliance questions apply, plus a few more. Our guide on choosing a reputation management company covers the red flags. If you’d rather hand the whole job over, our review management service handles requests, replies and reporting for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is review management software?
It’s software that helps a business ask customers for reviews, monitor reviews across platforms, reply from one place and track results over time. Some tools also add website review widgets and multi-location reporting.
Is it legal to use software to ask for reviews?
Yes. Asking customers for honest reviews is allowed. What’s not allowed is asking only happy customers (review gating), offering incentives tied to positive reviews, or writing fake reviews. For text messages, you also need customer consent under the TCPA.
Can review management software remove bad reviews?
No. Software can help you find and report reviews that break a platform’s rules, but only the platform decides whether to remove them. Be cautious of any tool or vendor that suggests otherwise.
Should I use AI to reply to reviews?
AI can help draft replies, but a person should read and edit each one before it’s posted. Generic or inaccurate replies are easy for readers to spot, and in industries like healthcare a careless reply can disclose private information.
