Traditionally, feature request collection is a tedious, disorganized process with varied results. Companies send cold emails to their customers, hope they respond, and if they’re lucky, store their response in a spreadsheet that has little to no structure.
To avoid running into these sorts of issues when picking a feature request tool, keep these tips in mind.
First, a feature request collection tool should be customer-friendly. It should interrupt your customer’s experience as little as possible and flow naturally with the rest of your website’s interface. If it’s overly complex, frustrating, or time-consuming, then the majority of your customers are going to ignore it.
Choosing a customer-friendly tool also means looking for one that seamlessly fits in with the rest of your website’s design. The colors, fonts, and integration should make it appear as natural and consistent as your home page. A tacked-on feature request collection tool will disrupt your website’s UI and turn customers away from interacting with it.
As mentioned before, a common method of keeping track of requested features is to store these suggestions in a spreadsheet. While this technically stores your requested features, it creates a few problems, particularly when it comes to organization.
The longer your list of requested features is, the more likely it is that you’re going to have repeated or similar suggestions cluttering your spreadsheet. You might only have a vague idea of which features are the most requested and which ones you should really be focusing on. After a few months, the spreadsheet of suggestions becomes more like a bin where you toss in potential features, making it completely ineffective.
The right collection tool will be able to organize all of your customers’ requested features easily, combining duplicate/similar suggestions on the fly. You should also be able to apply a priority to each feature, add tags for better filtering, and divide the requests into different categories.
Here are three metrics that you can use to sort your feature requests.
1. Benefits
Businesses can organize their feature requests by the benefits each suggestion offers as well. For example, if customers are asking for several different features that will help them save time, you should be able to group and rank these features, ultimately settling on the best time-saving feature being requested. This also helps you avoid making redundant features that provide the same benefit.
2. Demand
Another key way to organize your feature request collection is by demand. How many people are asking for this feature, and is it enough to warrant the implementation of the feature?
By sorting through feature requests in this way, makeup-retailer Sephora found that a primary pain point of its customers was that they ordered makeup that didn’t match their complexion. To address this issue, Sephora created educational content to help customers make the right decision when ordering, which ended up being a big success for the company. Knowing which features are in the most demand will help you make similarly well-informed decisions.
3. Cost
Sorting the different feature requests by the cost of their implementation will give you a good idea of which features to implement right away, which to budget for later on, and which are so expensive that they will never be worth implementing. It’s a great way to help you determine where to place your focus.
The last thing you want is for your customers to feel like the feedback that they’re providing you is going unheard. To prevent this from happening, look for a feature request collection tool that makes it easy to reach out to your customers. Giving customers personalized responses to their feedback will help foster relationships between them and your brand, making them feel more appreciated by and connected to your service.
The internet has made it much easier to collect feature requests. So much so, in fact, that there are several ways to collect feedback from your customers. One such way is social media. Social media platforms are a great place to look for feature suggestions and pain points, as are customer reviews and interviews. Integrating personalized cold emails into your strategy can significantly enhance direct communication with customers, allowing for more specific feedback and feature requests. This method stands out by enabling targeted conversations, capturing unique insights directly from users, and fostering a deeper connection with your audience.
You can even look for feature requests internally by talking to customer service and sales representatives. These individuals are sure to hear what features your customers are looking for on a regular basis.
Fortunately, there are plenty of feature request collection tools to choose from today. Although you can always go the DIY route and only use a spreadsheet, using one of these tools will give you a simple, integrated feature request collection that you and your customers will love.
The tool brings together the different elements of feature request collection (customer communication, organization, simplicity, integration) into a single, easy-to-manage application.
Customization is at the heart of what makes Usersnap such a versatile and customer-friendly tool. You can choose exactly where and how it’s integrated on your website, as well as how you ask the question to your customers.
Integration is fast as well; in just 20 seconds you can start receiving feedback, bringing you closer to your customers than ever before.
But it’s what happens behind the widget that makes Usersnap’s feature request tool shine. You have access to a Project List page, where you can quickly organize all of your feature requests using custom labels and filters. And for businesses that want to leverage their data, Usersnap has real-time statistics that give you deeper insights into what your customers want.
Here’s a 60-second demo:
Feature request collection tools are a valuable way for product managers to gather customer feedback, organize that feedback, and create a plan of action. If you’re interested in incorporating a feature request collection tool into your workflow, you can start a unlimited free trial with Usersnap’s feature request tool today.
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