RatePoint Introduces Free Service for Small Businesses to Improve and Promote Their Reputation

NEEDHAM, Mass., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- RatePoint, Inc., a leading provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services, today announces the availability of a new "free forever" account for small-business owners. The free account from RatePoint will make it easier for small businesses to find new customers and build stronger relationships with existing ones.  Small businesses can create and manage customer communication and content, as well as integrate into social media from a single platform.

RatePoint's free account allows small businesses to take advantage of the following features:

• Unlimited collection of reviews and testimonials from customers
• Unlimited automatic posting of content, such as newsletters, coupons and offers to Facebook and Twitter by simply checking a box
• Unlimited use of online surveys to collect customer insights
• Unlimited e-mail campaigns to a list of up to 125 contacts

"Previously, the way someone learned about a business was what the company said about themselves. Now they are relying on what others are saying about a company," said Neal Creighton, co-founder and CEO of RatePoint. "The social web provides an opportunity for small businesses to enhance how potential customers find them and build relationships with them. RatePoint's free account gives small business owners a free way to encourage customers to create content, enhance their communication and build lasting relationships with customers."

Nielsen reported in October 2009 18 percent of online users use social media as a core navigation and information discovery tool, a figure Nielsen expects to grow as social media usage continues to increase.(1)

In addition to social media communication, RatePoint's free account also provides small businesses with a 30-day trial of RatePoint's dispute resolution service and publishing tools for customer reviews.

RatePoint's dispute resolution service is a fast, online process that helps small businesses manage negative customer feedback or disputes before they are posted online. RatePoint reports that more than 90 percent of customer disputes are resolved through its dispute resolution process.

RatePoint's review publishing tools empower small businesses to easily publish testimonials and reviews on their Website and externally to the more than 350 million active users on Facebook and the estimated 26 million U.S. adults who will access Twitter in 2010.(2)

Full-time access to dispute resolution and review publishing tools are available in a paid RatePoint subscription, a complete solution to help small-business owners improve customer satisfaction, build credibility and increase profitability.

About RatePoint, Inc.

RatePoint, Inc., the leading provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services, helps businesses protect and build their online reputation, allowing businesses to harness the power of credible customer feedback and leverage it into a sales, marketing and customer service asset.

RatePoint's easy-to-use, Web-based communication services include customer feedback tools to collect business reviews and product reviews as well as email marketing, survey and dispute resolution capabilities to provide small- and medium-sized businesses with the ability to collect, manage and promote customer feedback directly from their Web site. For more information, contact us at: 888-777-1636 or visit: www.ratepoint.com.

(1) Nielsen, October 2009 – "Social Media: The Next Great Gateway for Content Discovery?"

(2) eMarketer, September 2008

SOURCE Airfoil Public Relations