Reputation agency scope for review software buyers

For review software buyers, choosing a reputation agency is not just a question of agreeing a list of services. You need to know which work the agency will do, which functions belong to the software, who controls the review accounts and records, and what happens when the arrangement ends. This guide gives London and Manchester teams a practical way to define that boundary and compare proposals without assuming that a city name or a software label tells you what is included.

Separate the agency, the software and the review platform

A proposal may bring together three different things: professional services from an agency, access to software, and accounts on review or business platforms. They can be sold or managed together, but they are not automatically the same service. Ask the supplier to identify each one in writing before you assess the proposal.

An agency may offer people-led work such as helping to set a response policy, preparing draft replies, advising on escalations or reporting on review activity. A software supplier may offer a tool for handling some review-related tasks. A review platform, meanwhile, is where a customer may leave a review and a business may respond. A provider can occupy more than one of these roles, so check which entity is supplying each part and which terms apply to it.

Do not infer that an agency retainer includes a particular dashboard, software seat, integration or review platform account. Nor should you assume that software access includes a person to write or approve replies. Treat every item as a proposal question: is it supplied, by whom, for which locations and accounts, and under what contract?

For example, Google Business Profile, Trustpilot and Feefo are names a buyer may encounter when mapping review destinations. They should not be treated as interchangeable with a full agency service or a general-purpose reputation-management tool. If you are deciding between review destinations as well as assessing an agency, see this Trustpilot and Feefo comparison; keep that platform decision separate from the question of who will manage your work.

Define the job before looking at a proposal

Start with a short description of the work you want done. Include the relevant trading name or names, locations, review destinations, the teams involved and the business outcome you are trying to support. These details help suppliers respond to the same brief rather than making different assumptions about the job.

Then specify the tasks. “Review management” on its own leaves too much open. State whether you want monitoring, draft replies, approved replies to be published, advice on a response policy, escalation support, reporting, staff guidance or some combination. If you do not want the agency to publish replies, make that explicit. If you do, state who gives approval and how an exception is handled.

Set boundaries for the work rather than relying on broad labels. For each requested task, ask the agency to describe what it will produce, who will do it, what information it needs from you and what is outside its remit. A clear boundary also makes it easier to identify a gap that software might fill, or a task that remains your team’s responsibility.

Use the table as a prompt, not as evidence that every agency or tool provides every item. Ask the supplier to mark each line as included, excluded, optional or dependent on another contract. If an item is not relevant to your case, record that too, so it does not reappear later as an assumed deliverable.

Make software scope specific

If a proposal mentions a “dashboard”, “platform” or “integration”, ask what that means for your use case. Request the exact product name and, where applicable, the edition or package being proposed. Then have the supplier demonstrate the specific tasks you expect to carry out, such as viewing the locations in scope, assigning work, reviewing a draft or retrieving a record. A general presentation does not establish that a particular function is included in the offer you will sign.

Examples of names associated with reputation or review-management software include Birdeye, Podium, Reputation.com and Yext. Treat names as the beginning of a shortlist, not as proof that products have identical functions, are offered on identical terms, or suit your organisation. Ask each supplier to confirm the exact product, package and service being offered and to demonstrate the functions that matter to your brief.

Ask for a written distinction between software access and agency labour. For instance, if a dashboard is used to prepare replies, establish whether the fee covers only access to that tool or also includes people to monitor reviews, draft responses and manage exceptions. Ask whether your own team can use the software without the agency and whether the proposed arrangement requires the agency to retain an administrator role.

Also identify the accounts the software will connect to and who is responsible for maintaining those connections. Do not rely on a broad promise of “platform integrations”: ask the supplier to list the relevant platforms and locations, explain what access it needs, and state what happens if access is interrupted. Confirm what functions you can use directly and what requires a request to the agency or software provider.

A product demonstration should use a realistic example of your work, but avoid sharing personal or sensitive information unnecessarily. Ask the supplier to show the route from a new review to the action you expect, including how a draft is checked and how an unresolved issue is brought to your team. Record any function that was described but not demonstrated, then have the supplier confirm it in the proposal or contract.

Assign responsibility for replies and escalations

A workable scope says who is responsible at each point in the process. The agency might monitor or prepare a draft, while your team makes the final decision; a different contract could assign those tasks differently. There is no need to assume one model is standard. Choose the arrangement that suits your organisation and put it in writing.

Agree who can approve routine replies and who must handle an unusual or sensitive case. Set out a route for complaints that raise matters beyond ordinary customer service, such as a dispute that needs review by your legal, compliance or safeguarding team. The agency should know when to stop, preserve the relevant information and refer the issue rather than improvise a response.

Define what the supplier should do when it cannot complete a task. Examples include a platform account becoming inaccessible, a review requiring internal investigation or an authorised approver being unavailable. Agree how the supplier should tell you, where the issue will be recorded and what your team needs to do next. These are operational questions, not assumptions about a promised response time.

If replies are published in your organisation’s name, decide who has final authority to approve them and how that authority is recorded. A contract should not leave the agency to infer whether it may publish, amend or remove content. Your internal policy should also tell staff where to direct an enquiry that arrives through a review channel but needs a response from another team.

Check UK rules and information handling

Review work can involve statements about a business, customers’ experiences and, in some cases, personal information. Name the people responsible for checking the relevant issues in your organisation and at the supplier. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) publishes guidance on online reviews; the Advertising Standards Authority’s CAP Code is relevant where review material is used in advertising. The right question for a proposal is not simply whether a supplier says it is “compliant”, but what work it will do and what decisions remain yours.

Where the service handles personal data, identify the applicable data-protection roles and arrangements before sharing information. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s data-protection regulator; the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 form part of the UK data-protection framework. Ask what information the supplier needs, why it needs it, who can access it, and what the contract says about handling and returning or deleting it at the end of the work.

The details depend on what your organisation and the supplier actually do. Do not assume that a software vendor or agency takes over every responsibility simply because it can access a review account. Ask your data-protection contact to consider the proposed data flows and the supplier’s terms. For more background on the regulatory context, see this guide to UK regulation for reputation management.

Keep the scope for legal or regulatory advice distinct from routine review handling. If a supplier claims it can advise on a regulated issue, ask who will provide that advice and what is covered by the engagement. Your team should decide who is authorised to make decisions about legal risk, advertising claims or formal complaints; an agency or software account should not silently become the decision-maker.

Compare proposals by the same questions

For London and Manchester buyers, use the same brief to test what each supplier actually offers. A city label does not tell you which staff will work on an account, what software is included or where responsibility sits. Ask for the proposed team and the delivery arrangements rather than treating the agency’s registered address as a description of the service.

Make a comparison sheet before requesting proposals. Use common fields for the work requested, the named software, locations and platforms in scope, access roles, reporting, exclusions, contract term and handover. Ask suppliers to identify any assumption they have made. If they propose different approaches, record the difference instead of forcing unlike services into a single headline label.

Use this checklist to complete the brief:

You can use the same questions when reviewing different charging structures, but do not mistake a label for a comparable scope. A retainer, a project engagement or a software subscription may cover different things. For more on the distinction between reputation-management charging models, compare the commercial structure only after you have recorded the work and access included in each proposal.

A useful proposal makes gaps visible. If a supplier says that a task is included, ask where it appears in the written scope and how it will be delivered. If it is excluded, ask whether the work is handled by another provider or by your own team. If the answer depends on a platform, account permission or product package, record that dependency explicitly.

Check access, records and exit before signing

Software access and account control deserve attention before the relationship begins, not only when it ends. Identify who creates and administers each account, which people need access and how access will be changed when a staff member or supplier leaves. Ask whether your organisation can retain an administrator role and what permissions the agency needs to perform the agreed work.

Ask what records will be created and where they will be held. Depending on the work, these might include draft and published replies, approval notes, escalations, reports or correspondence with a supplier. Do not assume every product stores the same information or makes it available in the same way. Have the supplier explain what can be viewed or exported, by whom, and whether that answer differs between the product and the agency service.

The contract should describe what happens on exit: how access is revoked or transferred, what records or working materials will be provided, how open tasks are handled and what happens to information the supplier no longer needs. Ask for this in terms you can test, rather than relying on an assurance that transition will be straightforward. Confirm that the plan covers both the software relationship and the agency’s work.

Before signing, read the proposal alongside the contract and any software terms it relies on. Check that the named product, tasks, locations, account permissions and exclusions agree across the documents. If a demonstration or sales conversation promised a function or deliverable that is absent from the written terms, resolve the difference before the work starts.

Common questions

Does an agency retainer automatically include review software?

No. Ask the agency to name the software, state whether access is included and explain which functions and users the proposal covers. Confirm separately whether people-led services, such as drafting or monitoring, are part of the scope.

Are Google Business Profile, Trustpilot and Feefo reputation-management tools?

They are names buyers may encounter when mapping review destinations, but they are not a substitute for checking what an agency or a software supplier provides. Establish which accounts and tasks are included in your own proposal.

How should a London or Manchester team compare agency proposals?

Send each supplier the same description of the work and compare the named tasks, software, access, responsibilities, exclusions and exit arrangements. Do not infer the service from the supplier’s location.

Who should approve replies written by an agency?

Your organisation should decide who has authority to approve or publish replies and set out the process with the supplier. The proposal should describe the agency’s role, the approval route and how exceptional cases are escalated.

What should happen to review records when the arrangement ends?

Agree in advance what information or working materials will be handed over, who will provide them, how account access will change and how information will be handled under the contract. Confirm that the written terms cover both the agency service and any software access.