Overall, I am satisfied and will continue to use Benchmark . I started on a Free Trial and upgraded to a paid service. I plan on sticking to Benchmark for a quarterly newsletter and using to send invitation or special emails.
Pros
This platform is very user-friendly. It doesn't take much effort to get up to speed on how to use it, and there are many email templates to choose from so you don't always have to create something from scratch! I think it's good value for the money, and the support team has been very helpful in my experience.
Cons
There ares some features where I feel limited. I am not too experienced with softwares like this, so I don't know what's available....but I really wish there was a pop-up feature, where users could click on a button and it would connect to their email to forward a newsletter for example. I also have experienced some deliverability issues and have not been 100% satisfied with the response. I think with this and being a new user, it takes time to learn and develop the best strategy.
Hello Andrew,
Thank you for the review and high rating.
Regarding the feature you mentioned, we do have a forward option for the campaigns you send. When you have a moment, log in and chat with us, we'd love to show you how this feature works and also how to improve your deliverability.
- Benchmark Team
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
Benchmark helps us communicate with our clients in a way that is both easy for us to use and easy on the eyes (for clients).
Pros
Creating and using lists is very easy, especially with the new upgrades! Adding contacts to lists works well with various options. I tend to upload excel files to make new lists, very easy within Benchmark.
I do like that it's easy to merge lists -- and that the software only accepts one contact (if that contact is already on the merge to list).
Somewhat easy to use when creating emails -- selecting blocks and design [but the source code isn't as easy to decipher and use (my commands do not seem to "take").] Using attachments and links and media is pretty easy as well.
The reports (opens, click thrus etc) are very good! [However with the new interface, it's not as easy to back-track to the original Email Report (I find myself having to choose again from the report list).]
Cons
I don't really like that I can't "re-send" emails on my own schedule (not have to wait 1 week after last send).
Also, emails from Benchmark DO get caught up in Junk Spam Trash Promotions folders of recipients and we do need to remind them (often) to check for their email.
Also, when "copying" an email to use and re-name as a new email, I do not like that the software selects the "old" contact list to also mail to -- I've mistakenly sent emails to old contact lists and that was not a good thing in my situation.
Hello Marcy,
Thanks for your feedback.
Whenever you have a moment, chat with us and let us know about your concerns, we'll be glad to assist you.
- Benchmark Team
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 7/10
Overall I enjoy using it very much.
Pros
Unlike other email programs, benchmark allows me to send as many emails as I need without having to pay extra. I think benchmark is one of the only platforms that allows me to pay on the basis of the number of records and add the number of emails that I send.
Cons
Sometimes there is massive delays in receiving test emails.
Hello Michael,
Thank you for your review.
Please don't doubt to chat with us if you're encountering issues with our test emails. We'll be glad to help.
- Benchmark Team
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
We are a Provincial Health Authority covering an area roughly the size of France, and current health related information is critical to our subscribers. Benchmark resolved an issue of timely, wide reach that we had been trying to resolve.
Pros
The best part of this software is the ability to plan the reach in advance so our contacts are kept 'in the know' even when the editor is otherwise occupied with meetings, conferences, etc. We have three separate weekly and bi weekly going out to three different audiences, covering 2,500 individual contacts, and we can pre-populate weeks in advance and backfill where necessary at the last min, or just let the information go as scheduled.
Cons
The learning curve was steep, but short. We had a couple of false starts to begin with, but learned from our errors.
Line spacing can be an issue. Even when the preview shows single spaced sometimes the publication comes out 1.5 or double spaced - not a big problem for our use, but we get some calls from our constituents about "weird formatting".
Hello Brian,
Thank you for your feedback and great rating.
Chat with us to help you with the formatting of your email, sometimes something as small as copying and pasting can affect the format.
- Benchmark Team
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
I have used other email marketing programs. I chose Benchmark because I wanted an inexpensive option for a project for a client. I would say Benchmark is easy to use and easy to learn especially if you have ever used an email marketing program before. But like all software programs, it has its quirks and you learn to get around them. But Benchmark's tutorials, FAQs and feature lists may not supply you with all the information you need. For instance, there are two email automation programs that each offer only one or two automated steps after the trigger. Nowhere in the documentation did it clearly state that only the Automation Pro, that is still in Beta, offers a customer's journey that you can use to send out more than two emails in a sequence. On the other hand, don't pay for more than you need. If you blast out emails to a list of established customers with only quarterly sales discounts, or discounts for birthdays and holidays, Benchmark is enough. And Benchmark is inexpensive. But if you want to onboard various segments of your customers, educating them and eliciting their engagement, this is not the email marketing program for you. There are two locations for live support, one is offshore and the other is domestic. The offshore folks are nice people but they mainly operate by rote. The domestic support gets it right, but I am still waiting to find out if a personalized greeting can be added to the Automation Beta. In my opinion, a personalized greeting should be a standard feature in a customer's journey. I don't know if it is or not and none of their stated info tells you.
Pros
Benchmark is easy to use. Easy to set up. Good for very simple customer outreach, i.e a storefront that collects emails and wants to alert customers to sales.
Cons
Very limited feature set. Not standard at this point.
Hi Judith,
We appreciate you using Benchmark Email and taking the time to provide some feedback. Thank you for your kind words in regards to our ease of use as well.
We do, however, want to address some of your points in regards to our FAQs and tutorials as well as Automation Pro. Admittedly, our FAQs and tutorials are an area we¿d like to put more focus on. That¿s why we¿ve recently established a training department to help keep those areas better up-to-date and helpful to marketers. Our tools are constantly evolving and the support resources we provide must as well. We¿re confident this new department will succeed in this regard, as well as with keeping all support offices across the globe on the same page.
Your feedback in regards to Automation Pro is an integral part of the beta process. We expect new features to continue to be added to the automation platform throughout the beta period and after.
Again, thanks for the kind words and feedback.
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 6/10
Free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 14,000 emails per month.
$13.99/month for 600 subscribers and unlimited sends per month.
$21.99/month for 1,000 subscribers and unlimited sends per month.
$27.99/month for 1,500 subscribers and unlimited sends per month.
Contact Benchmark for further information regarding large, extra large and massive pricing plans.
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