UiPath’s Journey to Securing #1 Position in RPA Using Peer Review User Generated Content

Author

Hazel Kamath

UiPath offers an end-to-end platform for automation, combining the leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution with a full suite of capabilities that enable every organization to rapidly scale its digital business operations. The leading RPA company is dedicated to delivering the transformative power of automation to help digital businesses scale rapidly.

Today, UiPath, with its mission to deliver the fully automated enterprise™ has emerged as one of the leading automation software companies globally. User-generated content (UGC), in the form of peer reviews, has been this SaaS firm’s core strategy. It has helped them boost reputation, improve customer experience, and positively impact purchase decisions.

We got an opportunity to connect with Dana Mustatea, Growth (Peer Review Program), to talk about the peer review programs she manages and their impact on customer delight and conversion. Peer review UGC has been one of UiPath’s major highlights as they moved to secure the # 1 position in the RPA category.

UiPath Success Highlights

SaaS firms are under constant pressure to maximize investment in a competitive scenario. Further, buyers are less influenced by branded content. They expect organic and personal content like in peer reviews from real users.
User-generated content, specifically peer review is critical for SaaS firms as it acts as social proof and impacts purchasing decisions.
With its vision to deliver the Fully Automated Enterprise™, UiPath helps companies leverage automation to improve business processes, speed invoice processing, employee learning, and brand recognition.
Peer reviews are a huge factor that helps customers make informed decisions. That’s where peer review UGC programs help! They help UiPath close the deal.
At UiPath, they leverage buyer intent data procured from their peer review platforms. They inject the voice of customers (VoC) into their email nurture and social campaigns.
Today, UiPath is the leader on various platforms with more than 9000 reviews. They secured the leadership position within the RPA category.

So, let’s hear more from Dana!

Thank you, Dana, for taking the time to talk to us about your journey in the SaaS world so far. We are excited to know about how UiPath was able to get to #1 in RPA and how UGC peer reviews helped.

To begin with, could you share a bit about how it all started and your expertise?

I joined UiPath in a Growth Hacking role 3 ½ years ago. Currently, I am managing the peer reviews program across several platforms, such as Gartner Peer Insights, G2, PeerSpot, formerly ITCS.

My responsibility here at UiPath is to build our online reputation by automating B2B online reviews, obtaining testimonials, and using and leveraging the UGC into tactics for customer acquisition and business growth, with the help of other key departments.

Besides the peer review program, I am also an active volunteer for the UiPath Foundation that mentors kids from unprivileged families.

Initially, I was associated with one of the big data startups based in the UK. I overlooked various digital marketing operations under social media, SEO, and event management there.

I am a travelholic and love to cook. I find time for at least one recharging activity in a day, either a long walk or going to the gym.

Tell us about UiPath and how it impacts customers.

UiPath has grown to be one of the world’s leading enterprise automation software companies with a vision to deliver the Fully Automated Enterprise™. We help companies use automation to unlock their greatest potential.

Each of us here at UiPath is driven by our company values of being humble, bold, immersed, and fast. This is how we make a great impact on our customers, helping them to discover business processes through automation, speed invoice processing, and boost employee learning and recognition.

Besides helping companies globally, we have a mission in educating and offering automation skills courses to millions of learners worldwide, through our UiPath Academy and partnerships with learning platforms like Coursera.

In addition to the UiPath foundation, the company also focuses on Automation for Good (AFG) by harnessing automation to create a positive societal impact. I could go on and on about all the amazing things that UiPath does all day.

Your LinkedIn profile reads, Growth Marketing Project Manager at UiPath. Which specific program do you manage? Can you tell us more about your current role in the organization?

Recent statistics show that over the past 3 years, peer reviews have become one of the major deciding factors for customers to buy a product. That’s the reason running a program for capturing the peer experiences and product reviews is crucial in any enterprise.

At UiPath, I am working with 7 peer review platforms, with a major focus on GPI, G2, and PeerSpot, formerly ITCS. The process of collecting reviews depends on the platform, either we have concurrent activities, or dedicated campaigns covering certain industries, job titles, or product features that have to be reviewed.

Can you tell us more about peer reviews and their impact on SaaS?

Peer reviews can be anonymous and have a rating system in place, from 1 to 5 stars or 1 to 10, to rate the overall experience with the product. In general, researchers look for positive and negative reviews. They look at key points, such as customer experience, event time (review posted date and time), problems they face (if there are any), and the solutions offered for a better reality reflection.

The importance of reviews that are relative to G2 or PeerSpot reports has become increasingly high as analysts are interested to hear about customers’ experiences. It’s also crucial how we react and what we learn from there since SaaS platforms heavily rely on evolution.

We would like to hear about UiPath’s recent achievements.

In terms of brand positioning, UiPath is the leader on each platform with over 9000 reviews. We earned important recognition last year, such as the inclusion as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation that secures our #1 leader position within the RPA category.

Can you tell us how UGC (peer reviews) helped UiPath achieve its business goals?

Although peer review content is a small part of UGC, it is very crucial for a SaaS company.

The content is organic and personal – they are created by real users. Here, we may even say that content is the alter ego of experience.

Though consumers are savvy about marketing strategies nowadays, they are less influenced by branded content. That’s the reason why UGC (reviews) is important.

Peer-reviewed content highly impacts purchasing decisions at every stage. In a sense, the content is injected in each step to the final conversion. Reviews would be the first interaction, followed by active research (case studies or video testimonials), targeted ABM campaigns, industry reports, and product highlights.

The peer reviews represent an important pillar for both sales and marketing departments, as it captures user experiences and creates awareness around the product.

So, how would you define the process and the impact of peer reviews on your customer conversions?

We start by adding review widgets, creating sales assets, such as reference pages, with industry-specific content, by company size or job title, or from certain regions, and specific product functionalities that were addressed by the reviewers.

Besides, we leverage buyer intent data procured from peer platforms, using competitive quotes or placing the content within our email nurture campaigns. Also, we inject the voice of customers through our social media channels.

Our lead funnel, from the peer reviews perspective, looks like –

Active research on any of the peer platforms, followed by a competitor comparison, downloading a material, addressing specific questions, and finally making the purchase decision. This is how a review helps in closing a deal.

What is it like working in the SaaS space?

Working in a SaaS domain brings a lot of satisfaction. You have the chance to be part of a great story. With UiPath, I get to grow and be able to meet some of the greatest minds.

Voice of Customer (VoC) is in tremendous demand, especially in SaaS. As marketers, we have to incorporate these golden assets into our SaaS marketing strategy.

Any advice you’d like to give to marketing professionals, especially in the SaaS domain?

I have received a wonderful piece of advice back in my early days as a marketer –

Spend the first half-hour of the day reading the latest news from the industry. In the SaaS domain, things do change overnight.

How have you been maintaining a work-life balance during these times?

I’m feeling fortunate to be part of UiPath, a company that puts our mental health first. Since the pandemic started and we moved our offices to home, we had some great, funny, and productive perks that maintained us happy and in control during this disruptive period for us.

We have had Slack channels for cooking and coffee chats. organized gym sessions via Zoom, wine-tasting sessions, a lot of contests and more laughs. Also, we made sure all our meetings were held with cameras on, even though we all know that the pajamas were the outfit 🙂

Our CEO, Daniel Dines, made sure that he was personally checking on us – we had more meetings with him and also the entire management team during this period. This makes us feel more relaxed and confident. Personally, I’ve succeeded in staying active, moving the gym to my living room, and trekking frequently.

Tell us about the books you’ve been reading or any podcasts you’d recommend?

A book that I recommend is ‘Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break’.It helped me a lot to stay on track during the pandemic.

I follow podcasters—Brene Brown, Esther Perel, whom I find amazing.

Any new skills you aspire to learn?

I am planning to take an Evangelism Marketing Course this quarter. It will really help me understand how our brand fits into a customer’s life and what impact it’s made.

Anything else you would like to talk about or promote via this interview?

I’m excited about our upcoming event – UiPath’s Reboot Work Festival, which is going to take place virtually on April 12, 2022.

The way we work and how we view work have changed so much in the past couple of years, and we’re breaking into a new world of work – a world where amazing breakthroughs are eclipsing outworn, outmoded, and outdated approaches.

At UiPath, we believe automation is the catalyst for inspiration. We are planning to have engaging talks from thought leaders at UiPath and many of our customers and industry leaders about how they’re using automation to inspire employees and reinvent how they work.

I encourage people to visit UiPath.com to find out more and register to attend!

SaaSy Tidbits from Dana Mustatea

SaaS is a dynamic domain where things change overnight. So, keep reading to stay on top of the industry trends.
UGC, in the form of peer reviews, is a core strategy that no SaaS firm can afford to ignore. They not just boost reputation but also influence purchase decisions.
Reviews on platforms like G2 and PeerSpot are of great importance for SaaS companies because analysts and buyers want to hear about customer experiences.
Injecting the voice of customers (VoC) into your SaaS marketing strategy is a sure-shot way to achieve a leadership position in the current competitive landscape. Generating such organic and personal content is critical for SaaS conversions.

So, that was from Dana on how UiPath leveraged UGC peer reviews to steer their firm towards success. Everyone in our SaaS content marketing agency is awed by how UiPath excels at injecting the voice of customers into their strategy. We feel that’s a surefire way to win customer trust and loyalty.

If you have any questions about UiPath’s strategy or want to know more about Dana, feel free to get in touch with her on LinkedIn or visit their website.