Freshdesk vs LinkLive comparison

Freshworks and LinkLive are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. Freshworks is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1, while LinkLive is ranked #47. Additionally, 93% of Freshworks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of LinkLive users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Freshdesk and LinkLive are competitors in the customer support and communication platform space. Freshdesk is favored for its integration capabilities, while LinkLive has the upper hand in security and compliance.

Features: Freshdesk offers robust automation, integration with various business tools, and AI-driven support features, appealing to efficiency-focused businesses. LinkLive provides strong security features, compliance with industry standards, and a single interface for switching between communication modes, making it ideal for sectors requiring high data protection.

Room for Improvement: Freshdesk could enhance its customization options and improve its interface visual appeal. Its pricing model might also be more flexible for smaller businesses. On the other hand, LinkLive could streamline its initial setup process and expand its integration options. Enhancements in user experience for new users and offering more competitive pricing could also be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Freshdesk is known for its cloud-based deployment model that enables easy setup and provides excellent customer support. LinkLive also uses a cloud-based model with an emphasis on encrypted data transfer, resulting in a more complex setup but offering high security. Freshdesk excels in quick response times, while LinkLive provides specialized support tailored for its security features.

Pricing and ROI: Freshdesk offers competitive pricing, making it a cost-effective choice for businesses focused on integration and efficiency. LinkLive requires higher initial investment but offers significant ROI for organizations where compliance and data security are priorities, justifying its premium pricing for enhanced security.

To learn more, read our detailed Freshdesk vs. LinkLive Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk vs. LinkLive

August 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 908,834 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Automation Anywhere

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

Management Consultant at Accenture

Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions

Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.

Read full review

Gauri Thakur

Director, Portfolio Projects at Microland Limited

Integrated support workflows have provided a unified view but need broader enterprise flexibility

Freshdesk's scalability could be improved for larger businesses across departments. Its intuitive interface is appealing for small to medium-sized businesses. However, when you look at larger enterprise levels, ServiceNow operates more efficiently. This scalability is an area where Freshdesk could expand its offerings. Additionally, I don't have too much hands-on experience with Freshdesk ticket routing. I need to check with the service desk team if they've used it. Similarly, for analytics capability, I haven't explored much on Freshdesk, but I have done it for ServiceNow. I have seen a lot on ServiceNow and the BMC Remedy, so I can speak better for them. I haven't had the chance to look at it so much that I can do a comparison. I haven't had much experience with Freshdesk's reporting. Within its paradigm of customer service management, Freshdesk is quite scalable. But I've said that inter-department and the interoperability is better off in ServiceNow than in Freshdesk.

Read full review

Laurie A Aspinwall

VP, Service Center & Digital Banking Manager at Newburyport Bank

Great video conferencing, in-chat calling, and document sharing

I would give LinkLive a perfect ten out of ten rating. Despite being on a month-to-month contract, we could have easily switched to another provider. However, doing so would have been more expensive and time-consuming due to the simplicity and reliability of LinkLive's system. Their system's exceptional redundancy ensures consistent uptime, minimizing disruptions and downtime. LinkLive has recently been expanded from its initial implementation in the service center to encompass the entire company. Additionally, due to our merger with another financial institution, LinkLive is now being utilized by both entities. Before I joined the company, our organization had engaged a consultant to identify suitable customer engagement solutions. At that time, I was not particularly keen on LinkLive as they were not a widely recognized name. I favored more established options like Genesys and Five9. Consequently, I was initially skeptical of LinkLive. When we first adopted LinkLive, their technology was not yet fully mature. However, over the past few years, they have transformed into a completely different company. They have made significant investments in technological advancements and have emerged as a frontrunner in the industry. Moreover, LinkLive is exceptionally collaborative. We regularly provide suggestions, and their engineers are always receptive to our feedback and are willing to implement enhancement requests. Many of the enhancements they have made are based on our recommendations. As a result, LinkLive has evolved into a highly progressive technology company, and we are proud to be associated with them. LinkLive requires maintenance when we add or remove people. We are working on an enhancement with them to automate this process, making it the same as for phone numbers. This enhancement will cover permissions, call routing, and other relevant aspects. LinkLive may not have the same brand recognition as some of its competitors, but the value it offers is unmatched. The chat functionality is far superior to anything else on the market, and the sound quality is exceptional. Additionally, the people at LinkLive are passionate about technological innovation and committed to providing their customers with the best possible experience.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The development of the company from Automation Anywhere V11 to a2019 was valuable. I found many important and new features, like changing the way we write code and programming. It became much easier and very flexible in version 2019A. It became very easy to use and the recording was also good. Excel became very good too."

"Automation Anywhere's most valuable features include generative AI, similar to Copilot, which will significantly benefit developers; low-code or no-code technology; and document automation capable of extracting data from structured and unstructured PDF formats, presenting it clearly and easy to follow."

"The ease of access and deployment are the most valuable features."

"Object cloning with an option to enter wildcard selection was very useful when working in a web application that generated dynamic HTML content."

"Automation Anywhere greatly improved our processing time since robots can execute process steps faster than human resources do."

"In terms of approximate time savings, traditionally processing an invoice took twenty minutes, but with all of this—not just Document Automation, but with all the other features—we are able to cut it down to less than five minutes, achieving almost a seventy-five to eighty percent efficiency gain."

"We have seen AA bringing immense value to the clients once operational."

"Automation Anywhere has led to faster growth in our organization."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"Freshdesk is very easy to use and understand; it has one of the best ticket systems that is easy to understand and provides the best visibility to customers."

"It's a product that is very easy to use and very user-friendly."

"When it is the appropriate solution, Freshdesk is fantastic."

"Getting Freshdesk was like a breath of fresh air because it was simple to use and required zero or negligible training effort on the part of my team."

"I recommend it because I think anybody who tries Freshdesk will be convinced that this is one of the best tools they could use for their organization."

"It generated reports for us, which helped us identify the status of requests and the aging of requests."

"Freshdesk is a time saver and reduces the need for fewer employees."

"It's free of charge for us. For our scale of business, it's very important. We don't have a lot of tickets."

More Freshdesk pros

"Within two months from a business standpoint, it was a slam dunk success."

"Because of the effective tool and good experiences, we upgraded to the latest version with document sharing and video."

"Being the president of our organization, I love the secured email because there are a lot of messages that I have to send out that are secure. There have not been any issues with sending the messages or with individuals receiving and viewing them."

"Our agents find the authenticated session feature to be the most helpful. It can take 30 to 45 seconds to verify someone with verifying questions through digital banking, and we didn't have the capability of verifying questions through digital banking before LinkLive. This feature allowed us to work in partnership with our digital banking provider, who can see that a customer is within an authenticated digital banking session. They do not need to ask verifying questions again to ensure that the person is who they say they are. That is one of the nicest things for us, and especially for our agents."

"Since we implemented LinkLive, it's been something we no longer think about as leaders, as staff, or as an organization."

"More customers are getting taken care of, and that means we are seeing customer satisfaction."

"LinkLive makes us more progressive in terms of efficiency and productivity. It is just a better customer experience."

"It improves our member experience and keeps them as members of our credit union."

Cons

"I am currently on 11.3.4.2 and the analytics feature of AA, Bot Insights, needs improvement. It is not easy to implement. It is not intuitive for the developer as you have to mark variables for analytics."

"In the last two years, with the help of IQ Bot, and what I learned today about this Attended Automation 2.0, I think they are addressing vital key challenges that we have faced so far."

"Product support for our customers needs improvement. They should increase the support personnel."

"The licensing model could be a lot less complex, mainly due to their different structures, which are not straightforward."

"Currently, Automation Anywhere's debugging functionality is minimal."

"Automation Anywhere could improve its integration with Python and other programming languages."

"Automation Anywhere should implement this feature. They should also decrease their cost."

"We've had a lot of issues with the installation and performance on a variety of computers, onshore and offshore. Our network bounds multiple domains, and we've had issues there, as well. So, we are looking forward to the web-based development versions."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"I would like to be able to change the subject in emails for ourselves. If we could have the option to do that, it would improve our speed and the overall cleanliness of the CRM."

"The billing issues I have with Freshdesk are in terms of additional users getting subscribed without my intervention."

"It would be helpful to pull reports or schedule them based on agents, users, ticket numbers, or responses."

"More automation would be beneficial, as it could greatly improve our efficiency and reduce manual tasks."

"There are a few things we have asked for, like a forward button. When a ticket comes in, we forward it, but it doesn't sync up with the forward."

"They were just constantly trying to get us to implement break fix after break fix after break fix instead of putting us on the right product in the first place. It wasted a year's time and money."

"Having so many tags makes everyday work a lot more complicated, and a lot more time-consuming."

"With the advancements in AI now, I will say Freshdesk should consider integrating more AI, but so far, I am satisfied with every single feature."

More Freshdesk cons

"Our agents have made some requests for some automated responses and some ways that they could improve the way those get pushed out. Right now, the way that canned responses are set up, they could be set up with as many responses as you want. However, the one thing that they liked from our previous providers is that you could categorize responses. So, if you have a certain area where you might have four or five responses related to one topic, then you could easily just click on the topic and see your responses. That is one area which is not a huge deal, but it gives back those five seconds that you are looking for a response to get more lengthy responses out to a customer. It would be nicer to have that a little bit more available."

"The onboarding process could be enhanced by providing comprehensive training to all users, not just administrators."

"Our agents have made some requests for some automated responses and some ways that they could improve the way those get pushed out."

"The initial enrollment of employees can be a little bit challenging. It tends to require the need to reach out to Link-Live support to iron out a bug or two."

"I would like LinkLive to rework the notification system. There's an audible sound, and an alert pops up on the screen. However, in Microsoft Teams, an unviewed chat message appears red on my taskbar. That doesn't happen in LinkLive. My only enhancement request is to improve the notifications."

"On the back-office side, it houses email addresses for when you look at the agent hunt groups. I can't use my work email address in my own online banking account because it messes up whether I'm an employee or a customer."

"In the browser-based experience, I would love to see a hold button. Presently, you have to drag the hold music into a call and then drag it out. A hold button would really be easier, particularly if you have to put someone on hold multiple times."

"I would like to see more video conferencing, some degree of mobile apps, and artificial intelligence. That's the wave of the future with healthcare. Our providers are all on-the-go, so anything that allows them to remain mobile and not have to go to a desk to take a phone call, would be a good addition."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe it is $10,000 for Bot Creator."

"I think the solution's pricing is reasonable."

"Its cost is good."

"We would like to use Citrix going forward. We use Bot Runners to scale up, and it gets to be expensive. Using Citrix, it can mitigate costs."

"The cost of Automation Anywhere is high in Turkey due to the weak economy."

"My only suggestion in terms of pricing is very generic and that is to consider that as much as RPA saves cost and does automation, please get a realistic estimation done on whether you are really achieving any ROI over your investment with RPA."

"Regarding the price, licensing, and maintenance, Automation Anywhere provides its customers with its best and affordable value."

"Including the AWS setup and everything per license, it costs us around $10,000 on an annual basis. I believe that is pretty reasonable considering the teams that we have."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"The price could be better, but it's okay. Compared to ServiceNow and JIRA, Freshworks offers a competitive price. There are also additional licensing costs because you need Microsoft Outlook. Each new email account costs around $15 to $19."

"The best system plan is enterprise. It costs basically 79 Euros per agent per month when it's billed annually and 95 Euros per agent per month when it's billed monthly."

"It was definitely not expensive. It was two grand or maybe three grand total for a year. It has just straight and simple standard licensing fees. There is no additional fee."

"We use a licensing model only so we pay for the number of agents we have configured in the system only."

"Freshdesk was the best solution with the best price. It was cost efficient and included all the features that we needed."

"We use a combination of Freshdesk, Freshservice, and Freshchat. We use the whole suite. Weirdly enough, we pay more for Freshdesk than we do for Freshservice. I would rate it a three out of five in terms of pricing. You can get different bundles, and you can always move to different plans that are standard. Freshservice can go anywhere from $19 up to $120 per agent, per month. There is such a wide range, and it is very customizable to your needs."

"We pay approximately $70 per agent to use Freshdesk. We have 10 agents, which is approximately $700 or $800 per month. It is a fixed license, there are not any additional fees."

"It is costly."

More Freshdesk pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is fair."

"In terms of cost, LinkLive was similar to other products. I find it reasonable. Its features, for the cost, were a better deal comparatively speaking."

"You definitely get more bang for the money with LinkLive.You can get a more expensive product that does what this one does, and possibly more, but for the cost, it works perfectly with our core system."

"The pricing is exceptionally competitive, and the value we receive from LinkLive for the cost is a significant advantage."

"We have been very comfortable with the pricing. We are a smaller financial institution so pricing is always a factor. We feel that we are just getting a ton of value for what we are spending."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Help Desk Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Construction Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	81
Large Enterprise	558

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	29
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

See all answers

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

See all answers

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Freshdesk?

I think the main problem with Freshdesk is the deep settings, interface, and analytics. When you need complex cross-f...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Freshdesk?

My main use case for Freshdesk is customer support tickets. A specific example of how my team uses Freshdesk for cust...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Freshdesk?

My advice for others looking into using Freshdesk is to consider that compared to Zendesk or Salesforce, where the se...

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

ServiceNow vs Freshdesk

Compared 11% of the time

Zendesk vs Freshdesk

Compared 7% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Freshdesk

Compared 6% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Freshdesk

Compared 4% of the time

BoldDesk vs Freshdesk

Compared 2% of the time

More Freshdesk Competitors

Genesys Cloud CX vs LinkLive

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Webex Contact Center vs LinkLive

Compared 18% of the time

Avaya Infinity Platform vs LinkLive

Compared 13% of the time

Talkdesk vs LinkLive

Compared 12% of the time

Amazon Connect vs LinkLive

Compared 7% of the time

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk

August 2026

Download Freshdesk product report

Buyer's Guide

LinkLive

August 2026

Download LinkLive product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

No data available

Revation LinkLive

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Freshworks

Demo not available

LinkLive

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

Freshdesk enhances support operations with features like a centralized ticketing system, omnichannel communication, and seamless tool integration. It addresses customer queries and automates processes, driving efficiency and satisfaction.

Freshdesk offers robust capabilities for managing customer support, enhancing efficiency through automation and integration. Its streamlined ticketing system centralizes queries from multiple platforms, including email, chat, and social media. Features like a knowledge base help reduce repetitive inquiries, while its easy integration with tools such as Slack and Jira supports effective team collaboration. However, users seek improvements in customization flexibility, scalability, and pricing for advanced features. Performance issues may arise with high volumes, and there's room for improved API limits and cloud availability. Freshdesk's automation and communication abilities make it crucial for both internal IT and external customer service, ensuring seamless resolutions and SLA compliance.

What Features Stand Out in Freshdesk?

Ticketing System: Centralizes customer interactions for streamlined management.
Omnichannel Support: Integrates communication platforms for consistent service.
Automation: Reduces manual tasks, boosting efficiency.
Knowledge Base: Decreases repetitive inquiries with self-service resources.
Tool Integration: Connects seamlessly with platforms like Slack and Jira.
Analytics & Reporting: Tracks performance for informed decision-making.

What Benefits Should Users Look For?

Improved Efficiency: Automation and centralized systems enhance support speed.
Customer Satisfaction: Consistent and responsive service elevates user experience.
Scalability: Adapts to growing support needs with integrations and customization.
Reduced Manual Effort: Automates repetitive tasks, allowing focus on complex issues.

Freshdesk is widely adopted in industries like IT and customer service, where efficient issue resolution and communication are critical. By converting emails to tickets and automating assignments, companies enhance their response times and maintain SLA compliance. Its integration capabilities support diverse tools, facilitating a multi-channel approach for superior customer experiences.

Freshworks

LinkLive is an advanced communication platform designed to elevate the way businesses interact with their customers securely, enhance personalized customer engagement and team collaboration. The platform utilizes a combination of human expertise and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide secure communication solutions, and improving operational efficiencies. It was formerly known as Revation Systems.

At its core, LinkLive unifies voice, video, chat, and email communications into a single, integrated platform. This consolidation enables businesses to offer a more cohesive and responsive customer service experience. Users can seamlessly switch between communication modes, ensuring that customer interactions are both flexible and efficient.

LinkLive places a strong emphasis on security and regulatory compliance, making it an ideal choice for sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government, where data protection is paramount. The platform incorporates end-to-end encryption, robust access controls, and audit trails to safeguard sensitive information and comply with industry regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and more.

Leveraging AI and machine learning, LinkLive offers advanced personalization capabilities. It can analyze customer data in real-time to provide personalized interactions and recommendations. This level of insight helps businesses tailor their services to individual customer needs, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty.

Charles Larsen, a Senior Director at Banner Health, shared with us that LinkLive is "very reliable and we haven't had much experience with any downtime or dropped calls, which, of course, is one of the most important things to us. That's been a big win for us."

Emily Aubele, Quality Assurance Director at United Way of Pennsylvania, shared with us that they chose LinkLive over other vendors, because with LinkLive, "all of the applications are in-house, meaning the chat, the text—everything that you use—is developed and maintained internally by LinkLive. In the other systems, chat, text, and video were all third-party applications."

LinkLive

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

Honda, 3M, Hugo Boss, Petronas, Sony Pictures, The Atlantic, goodreads, Clear Channel Radio, Penn University of Pennsylvania, unicef, Kuoni, Movember

1. AT&T 2. Verizon 3. T-Mobile 4. Sprint 5. Comcast 6. CenturyLink 7. Vodafone 8. Orange 9. Telefonica 10. BT Group 11. Deutsche Telekom 12. Telstra 13. NTT Communications 14. China Mobile 15. SoftBank 16. SK Telecom 17. Telecom Italia 18. Bell Canada 19. Rogers Communications 20. Telus 21. KDDI 22. Swisscom 23. Telkom Indonesia 24. Singtel 25. Etisalat 26. Ooredoo 27. Turkcell 28. Saudi Telecom Company 29. Telecom Egypt 30. PLDT 31. MTN Group 32. América Móvil

Buyer's Guide

Freshdesk vs. LinkLive

August 2026

Free Report: Freshdesk vs. LinkLive

Find out what your peers are saying about Freshdesk vs. LinkLive and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Freshdesk vs. LinkLive report.

See our list of best Help Desk Software vendors.

We monitor all Help Desk Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.