What's New in Podium: January 2023

Welcome back to What’s New in Podium for January 2023! We have been busy building new features to help you communicate faster and more easily with your customers—all while providing them with an ultra-convenient experience. 
<h3>First Up: Podium Phones.</h3>
You’ve been managing all your text messages in Podium, and now you can manage all of your phone calls there, too!
Podium Phones is now available via desk phone, web phone, and on the mobile app. We know you probably spend the majority of your day on the phone with leads and customers. By bringing phone calls into Podium, you’ll be able to turn more callers into customers by centralizing calls, texts, social media messages, and more in one easy-to-use inbox. Plus, with features like voicemail transcriptions and the ability to route calls to text messages, you’ll miss fewer calls and save loads of time, too.
Visit <a href="http://podium.com/phones">podium.com/phones</a> to upgrade your phone system today. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-25772 size-large" src="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-1024x1024.png" alt="" width="640" height="640" srcset="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-300x300.png 300w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-150x150.png 150w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-768x768.png 768w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-500x500.png 500w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-360x360.png 360w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-160x160.png 160w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-350x350.png 350w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-100x100.png 100w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1-343x343.png 343w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phones-DesktopMobile-Square-NBG-1.png 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
<h3>Manage Quotes and Estimates in Podium Payments.</h3>
Customers using Podium Payments can now quickly create, send, and manage quotes and estimates of work from Podium.
Many of our customers rely on estimates and quotes as a part of their customer experience. Now you can create, send, and track estimates from within Podium. No more need for an external system of record, spreadsheet, or pen and paper to track the status of quotes, and customers can easily view and approve the quote from their mobile device. 
<a href="https://www.loom.com/share/8e6f490fa98145c49cd626c2ee0dff54">Learn how to send an estimate with this 1 minute video</a> OR <a href="https://help.podium.com/hc/en-us/articles/11709440221971-Estimates-and-Quotes">Learn more here.</a> 
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-25775 size-full" src="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Estimate_Approved_v2.gif" alt="" width="375" height="812" />
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<h3>New &#8220;Text Us&#8221; icon for Webchat.</h3>
The Webchat icon on your website used to be a small round icon with a chat bubble or Podium logo. Now it’s a button that says, &#8220;Text Us.&#8221; 
Customers that were a part of the beta period for the new icon have seen a 70% increase in Webchat leads! That means quicker responses for your customers and more new business for you.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-25776 size-full" src="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat.png" alt="" width="512" height="287" srcset="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat.png 512w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat-300x168.png 300w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat-360x202.png 360w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat-160x90.png 160w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat-350x196.png 350w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Text_us_webchat-100x56.png 100w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />
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<h3>Customize Your Customer Data with Custom Fields.</h3>
The options for data you can now collect in Podium are endless.
Custom fields are an effective way to customize your CRM, track customer behavior, and store the information that matters most for each customer. Along with the standard fields that were already available on a contact’s profile, you can now add fields for information relevant to your business. Examples could include “Car Model” for an auto dealer, “Member Number” for your loyalty program, or even “Birthday.” 
Custom Fields are now available in your Podium account. <a href="https://help.podium.com/hc/en-us/articles/12809785371539-Creating-Custom-Contact-Fields">Visit the Help Center</a> to learn how to start using them today. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-25773 size-full" src="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields.png" alt="" width="512" height="402" srcset="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields.png 512w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-300x236.png 300w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-360x283.png 360w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-160x126.png 160w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-350x275.png 350w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-100x79.png 100w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Custom-Fields-437x343.png 437w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />
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<h3>Schedule Messages from the Podium Mobile App.</h3>
Write now, send later—now available on the mobile app.
By popular demand, we’ve now added the ability to schedule messages from Podium ahead of time, so you can send your message at the right time, no matter when you write it. Simply type your message, then press &amp; hold the send button to schedule.
<a href="http://app.podium.com">Log in</a> to your Podium account to try it today!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-25774 size-full" src="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging.png" alt="" width="236" height="512" srcset="https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging.png 236w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-138x300.png 138w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-230x500.png 230w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-184x400.png 184w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-74x160.png 74w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-161x350.png 161w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-46x100.png 46w, https://cmsaustralia.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Scheduled_Messaging-158x343.png 158w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" />

Introducing Podium Phones, some exciting changes to Podium Payments, an update to Webchat, and more.