Welcome to the Referential Blog!

As a team of consultants embedded in dozens of unique customer advocacy programs at any given moment, Referential is constantly exploring, implementing, and improving on strategies and best practices.

Join us as we discuss the latest tips, tricks, and techniques in customer advocacy and customer marketing.

See a topic you’d like to learn about in greater detail? Contact us! We’d love to start a conversation.

Looking for something specific?

Technology, Best Practices, Data Management Jen Doyon, Principal Technology, Best Practices, Data Management Jen Doyon, Principal

The Road to Advocacy Program Optimization

Jennifer Doyon, a Principal at Referential, shares insights from her 15 years in customer advocacy. In this Q&A, she discusses the key considerations when selecting a Reference Management System (RMS) or Customer Advocacy Platform (CAP), and how Referential helps clients justify their advocacy program budgets, optimize platform performance, and implement best practices.

Read More

Finding the Pieces to Your Advocacy Puzzle with Influitive

In the eighth and final edition of our Summer ‘ 24 Partner Platform Overview, we highlight Influitive, a platform with a significant history and impact in customer advocacy. Founded in 2010 by Marc Organ, Influitive has evolved into a comprehensive customer community platform, offering robust targeting capabilities, flexible challenge design, and comprehensive analytics. Discover why Influitive is a preferred tool for efficient management and impactful customer advocacy.

Read More
Deeto, Advocacy Platform Overview, AI, Artificial Intelligence Natasha Owen, Senior Advocacy Consultant Deeto, Advocacy Platform Overview, AI, Artificial Intelligence Natasha Owen, Senior Advocacy Consultant

AI in Action: Customer Advocacy with Deeto

In this edition of our Partner Platform Overview series, we discuss how Deeto automates the creation of personalized reviews, matches prospects with suitable references, and tracks engagement to optimize marketing strategies. Discover the future of seamless customer experiences.

Read More
Advocacy Platform Overview, SalesForce, Orca, Fulfillment Denise Taylor, Senior Advocacy Consultant Advocacy Platform Overview, SalesForce, Orca, Fulfillment Denise Taylor, Senior Advocacy Consultant

Whale of a Difference: Orca's Customer Advocacy Solutions

Orca is mapping the ocean of customer advocacy with its AI-driven, Salesforce native solutions. Orca enhances data accuracy and security while offering advanced features like AI-powered advocate matching, automated scheduling, and real-time alerts for key customer contacts. Its tracking and management tools, coupled with customizable analytics and extensive content integrations, make Orca a useful tool for any business looking to optimize their customer advocacy programs.

Read More
Advocacy Platform Overview, Technology, SlapFive, Customer Engagement Lynn Watts, Advocacy Consultant Advocacy Platform Overview, Technology, SlapFive, Customer Engagement Lynn Watts, Advocacy Consultant

Customer Advocacy Gets a High Five with SlapFive

In today's competitive landscape, leveraging genuine endorsements is more critical than ever. SlapFive, a powerful Reference Management Software (RMS) and Customer Advocacy Platform (CAP), provides a robust solution to manage and amplify these assets. Here, we present a high-level overview of some key features that make SlapFive stand out.

Read More

Unleash Advocacy Power with Champion

In this blog, Referential explores the benefits of integrating Champion’s customer marketing platform into your business strategy. In reviewing some of Champion’s exciting features, we look at how you can measure the revenue impact of advocacy interactions in real-time, enhance customer loyalty, and optimize your advocacy programs.

Read More
Advocacy Platform Overview, Base.ai, Data Migration, Customer Communities Kristian Gallego, Advocacy Consultant Advocacy Platform Overview, Base.ai, Data Migration, Customer Communities Kristian Gallego, Advocacy Consultant

Let’s Talk Base Jumping        

Referential serves a diverse range of clients, from Global 500 enterprises to start-ups. In this blog, part of our Partner Platform Overview week, we highlight our recent experience migrating a global enterprise client from their existing Customer Advocacy Platform to Base.ai. With a tight deadline and nearly a decade of data to transfer, we ensured a seamless transition in just under a month!

Read More

Stepping Up to the ReferenceEdge

These features of Point of Reference’s ReferenceEdge provide powerful tools to enhance a program’s customer advocacy efforts, and these are just a few examples of the capabilities we’re excited to see in action with our clients!

Read More
RO Innovation, Fulfillment, Upland Software, Recruitment, Advocacy Platform Overview Emily J Feber, Advocacy Consultant RO Innovation, Fulfillment, Upland Software, Recruitment, Advocacy Platform Overview Emily J Feber, Advocacy Consultant

Fulfillment in Upland Software’s RO Innovation

Whether you're new to RO Innovation or an existing Upland customer, the platform offers a seamless fulfillment tracking experience, especially when managing activities across multiple accounts and contacts. By embracing the best practices, you can ensure optimal tracking, keep the request queue organized, expedite turnaround time, and most importantly, gain a sense of control and efficiency.

Read More
Customer Engagement, Best Practices, Program Management Ryan Quackenbush, Principal Customer Engagement, Best Practices, Program Management Ryan Quackenbush, Principal

Program Management of an AdvocateHub: Let’s Talk Naming Conventions

When you become an admin of an Influitive AdvocateHub, it is essential you think both short and long term about overall strategy. This post explains a simple best practice that enables admins to see the dates, target audience, challenge creator and more at a simple glance and, more importantly, with a simple search!

Read More
Data Management, Technology Anonymous Data Management, Technology Anonymous

Best Practices for Integrating RO Innovation with Salesforce

Have you ever dived into fulfilling an urgent reference request only to spend the next precious minutes hopping back and forth between your CRM and reference management systems, verifying that you’re using the most up-to-date customer data to identify the best-matching reference? Having easy, seamless access to current, real-time data – like account ownership, product usage, customer location and contact titles – can make a world of difference in how efficiently you can hone in on an ideal match for a reference request.

Read More
Data Management Lynn Watts, Advocacy Consultant Data Management Lynn Watts, Advocacy Consultant

“What Came First, the Data or the Customer Advocacy Program?”

As Advocacy Consultants a lot of our time is spent reaching out to and learning about customers, either via email, phone, at events or through the internal support and sales teams associated with a customer. Each time we make a connection, we find out new information; customer insights that need to be added to our reference management systems (RMS) to ensure the most up-to-date details are available to use. Of course, over time, this information can become old and incorrect, or gaps may appear, but inaccurate data is of little use to its users!

Read More