Growing a business means you will eventually deal with testimonial collection in more ways than one. Sometimes you ask customers one by one. Sometimes you want everything to run on its own. And somewhere in the middle is the method that actually keeps your sanity intact.
A lot of founders get stuck because they are not sure whether to rely on manual methods or switch to automated systems. This blog breaks it all down in a simple way so you can decide without overthinking. And why you need consider using a testimonial collection software.
How manual testimonial collection works
Manual collection is the old-school method. You reach out. You ask. You remind. You manage everything yourself. Here is how it usually looks:
- You message customers directly
- You write personalised notes
- You manually send links
- You chase people for responses
- You store things in your own folders or sheets
- You compile everything yourself
The good part is that it feels personal. When you write to a customer with care, they respond with warmth. This provides you with rich stories and more detailed information. But the moment you grow, the whole thing becomes too slow. Manual collection makes sense when:
- You have a small customer base
- You need deep personal stories
- You want high quality one to one feedback
- You do not want to rely on tools yet
But once numbers grow, you will feel the load.
Read more: How to Collect Reviews on Your Website
How automated testimonial collection works
Automation is simple. You let a system take over the repetitive work. Tools handle messaging, tracking, reminders, and storage. A clean feedback automation flow usually looks like this:
- Automatic review request after a milestone
- Automatic pull reviews from various websites
- Follow up reminders sent on time
- Responses stored in one dashboard
- Publishing takes a few clicks
- Published page of reviews auto updates
This is where testimonial tools starts shining. The process becomes predictable. You save hours every week. And everything stays clean. Video testimonial software like Feedspace make help you solve most of the automation bits and is easy. Automation makes sense when:
- You handle tons of customers
- You want a consistent pipeline of reviews
- You want clean review workflows
- You want better organisation
- You want higher output without spending your whole week on it
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Pros and cons of each method
Here is a simple breakdown so even your grandma can compare without getting confused.
Manual collection
Pros:
• Feels personal
• Works well for detailed stories
• Good for high touch clients
Cons:
• Slow
• Easy to forget
• You chase people too much
• Hard to scale
Automated collection
Pros:
• Fast
• Consistent
• No chasing
• Works at any scale
• Cleaner database
Cons:
• Can feel robotic if not personalised
• Needs setup
• Some tools feel complicated
Read more: Best Strategies to Utilize Reviews
When to choose which method
If you are a solo founder or a small team, manual work works fine in the beginning. You can control everything. You can talk to customers directly. You get a strong sense of what they feel. But yet it’s good to have a tool like Feedspace because it provides a solid helping hand even without automation.
Once your customer count increases, automation becomes necessary. Otherwise, you will spend half your week managing messages, reminders, and responses. A simple tool gives you more time to actually run your business. Think of it this way:
- Manual is for depth
- Automation is for volume
Read more: Customer Feedback Management System
Hybrid workflows that work the best
Most growing businesses use a mix of both. Manual for key clients. Automated for everyone else. Your hybrid workflow can look like this:
- Use automation to send initial requests
- Use manual messages for VIP clients
- Use automated reminders to avoid follow-ups
- Use manual calls when you need special stories
- Use tools to store and publish everything
This keeps your system warm and human without losing efficiency.
Conclusion
There is no perfect method. There is only one method that fits your stage. Manual collection works beautifully when you start.
Automation works beautifully when you scale. The smartest businesses strike a balance by combining both, allowing them to share personal stories and maintain consistent volume simultaneously.
If you want to automate the repetitive parts and keep the human touch where it matters, you can set everything up inside Feedspace and run your testimonial engine without chaos. Try Feedspace now.
