At Blastra, we recently tested G2's new AI-powered review options—Voice Reviews and AI Chat Reviews—powered by their June 2025 acquisition of unSurvey, a Y Combinator-backed conversational AI startup. We had high expectations. After all, G2 is the leading peer review platform for B2B software, and its traditional review process is notoriously thorough: customers must verify their identity, provide detailed ratings, answer multiple questions, and even submit screenshots proving they actually use your software. It typically takes at least 15 minutes of focused effort.
When G2 announced these new "conversational" review methods, we were genuinely excited. We imagined a Boardy-style voice experience—natural, intelligent, helpful. The kind of AI that could coax thoughtful responses from busy reviewers with warmth and encouragement.
Instead? Well, let's just say we had to be very determined to stick through the entire process. And your customers probably won't be.
Table of Contents
- The Voice Review Experience: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time
- The AI Chat Experience: Where Conversations Go to Die
- The Time-Saving Myth
- Our Take: Don't Risk It (At Least Not Yet)
- The Bottom Line
The Voice Review Experience: Not Quite Ready for Prime Time
We were leaving a review for the G2 platform itself (which we love!), but the voice agent could barely pronounce "G2.com"—it came out as "Geetwo [pause] dot [pause] com." Awkward.
Beyond the pronunciation issues, the fundamental problem is that this isn't designed as a conversation. It's designed as a task queue with a voice interface.
The AI asks broad questions like "What did you like most about this software?" and then... waits. If the reviewer gets stuck or gives a brief answer, it doesn't help them expand. There are no follow-up prompts, no examples, no "Many customers appreciate features such as..."
It simply asks a question, expects a complete answer, and moves to the next question. This isn't conversational AI in the Boardy sense, where you feel like you're talking to a person and it's calming—it feels more like a voice-activated form with no assistance when your reviewer needs it most.
G2 reports that AI has increased the number of completed reviews. We're not in a position to doubt their numbers, but we won't be asking our customers to use the AI options. We simply tell them to mentally prepare for a long form and be ready with a screenshot. (By the way, both AI options let reviewers skip the screenshot part, which is rather odd—it feels like they've eased up on verification.)
The AI Chat Experience: Where Conversations Go to Die
The chat option has identical design issues, and we have receipts. Here's what actually happened when we tried to leave a review:
AI: "What do you like most about Capterra? Please elaborate on how it adds value to your experience."
Us: [Provided a thoughtful response about search visibility]
AI: "Is there anything else you enjoy or think works especially well with Capterra? If possible, could you specify some features?"
Us: "No"
AI: "Thinking about specific features or tools within Capterra, which ones do you use or value the most, and why?"
Us: "nothing comes to mind"
AI: "Understood. What things about Capterra don't work as well for you, or could be improved?"
Notice what's missing? After "No" and "nothing comes to mind," the AI just says "Understood" and marches on. A good conversational AI—or even a human interviewer—would probe differently, offer examples, or reframe the question. Instead, G2's system accepts non-answers and continues through its script.
To be fair, the final review that came out of this process was actually decent—well-structured with clear sections for what we liked, what could be improved, and the problems being solved:
So the AI does a reasonable job of turning your responses into a polished review format. But here's the thing: we're experienced reviewers who knew what to say even without prompting. Your average customer won't be.
Interestingly, this feels like an ease-up compared to the original review form, which requires all questions answered with minimum character limits. In this case, the AI may actually be doing a disservice to vendors—you want your customers to say more about you, not less.
In both cases, the experience did not feel smooth or fast. It felt awkward and irritating. We were determined to complete it, so we did—but otherwise, we would have dropped out. Yes, the original review form is brutal, but at least it doesn't pretend to be anything else. You just fill it out, zero expectations.
The Time-Saving Myth
Here's another wrinkle: even after the reviewer struggles through the conversational interface, they're not done. The system generates text from their responses, and then they have to review and edit that generated text before submitting for approval by G2. So they're essentially doing the work twice—once in the conversation, and once in the review phase. Still less work than filling out the traditional form, but more friction in the process—meaning more chances for your reviewer to jump off before completing.
(By the way, we practice what we preach: we reviewed G2 on G2 using the voice option, and Capterra on G2 using the AI chat. Yes, we actually review the platforms we work with.)
Despite the extra review step, G2 reports that their AI-powered conversational reviews deliver between 3 and 10 times more content with greater context compared to traditional reviews. If their data holds up in practice, that could be valuable for AI discoverability and search rankings—review sites like G2 are increasingly cited by LLMs when recommending software.
Our Take: Don't Risk It (At Least Not Yet)
We appreciate what G2 is trying to do here. The vision of friction-free, conversational reviews is compelling, and in theory, richer reviews on peer review platforms should help with AI-powered software discovery. But based on our testing, the execution isn't there yet.
Here's the thing: you have one shot with your customer to ask for a review. A review filled with "nothing comes to mind" four times won't be approved on G2 anyway. So prepare your customers—tell them to get ready for a long form, have a screenshot handy, and set aside 15 minutes. Don't leave it to chance and risk losing them because the AI didn't load properly or made them freak out halfway through.
The Bottom Line
We love G2, and we're looking forward to testing the updated versions of both AI options once they're out. In the meantime, stick with the old-school way. It's not glamorous, but it works.
Recommended Reading
Master your G2 presence and review strategy with these essential guides:
G2 & Capterra Review Guidelines for SaaS Growth
Everything you need to know about the traditional review process on G2 and Capterra. Learn what reviewers must prepare and how to guide customers through the 10-15 minute process successfully.
How to Get Ranked on G2: The Complete Guide
Reviews are just one part of G2 success. Discover the complete ranking algorithm and systematic approach to climbing G2 category grids and improving your visibility.
SaaS SEO & AI Tools Stack: The Complete Guide
As AI increasingly references G2 reviews for software recommendations, your review strategy needs to align with broader AI discovery tactics. Learn how it all fits together.
Want to get listed on top software directories?
Blastra automates the submission process and listings management for B2B software companies