What is our primary use case?
We generally use it for B2B (business-to-business) marketing automation. We can build customer journeys and generate emails.
And we can do email marketing. It also has the ability to create Lead campaigns and drip campaigns and then send those leads out to a CRM or another tool like Salesforce.
How has it helped my organization?
Eloqua's reporting is very strong. Oracle, by default, provides many out-of-the-box reports – probably more than 150 – that cover the most common use cases.
Additionally, there's a feature called Insight, where you can build customized reports without any coding. These reports can be scheduled for delivery to your inbox at regular intervals – monthly, weekly, etc.
What is most valuable?
It's very flexible to use and robust. Integrations are very easy and user-friendly. I've used other marketing automation tools, like Marketo, that require more technical knowledge. Eloqua is straightforward and user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
Eloqua doesn't have built-in features for WhatsApp marketing or SMS functionality. They provide SMS, but you need to purchase it as an add-on. It would also be helpful to have a social media management tool so you can schedule posts directly from Eloqua.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Oracle Eloqua for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In eight years, I've never seen downtime with Eloqua. We've run campaigns with hundreds of thousands of contacts at a time with no issues around email delivery or system outages.
The only limitation would be file hosting. Sometimes, there are size restrictions on files, but overall, it's a very good tool.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are about 20-25 people using Eloqua heavily within the marketing operations team. This is likely standard for companies that have a dedicated marketing team.
The number could increase significantly depending on the company's size.
How are customer service and support?
The support team is very good. For non-critical issues, they usually take one day to reply.
For critical issues, they respond immediately. They categorize service requests, so immediate responses aren't always guaranteed. However, the support for critical issues is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
The initial configuration can take a couple of months, but the overall setup is very easy and straightforward.
It's deployed on the Oracle cloud.
What other advice do I have?
The first consideration should be the cost. Oracle Eloqua can be a little bit costlier compared to alternatives like Salesforce. However, Oracle Eloqua does offer a robust feature set.
Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten.
*Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.