What do you do if customers are not providing feedback as a Product Manager?

Sometimes if there's not much being said by your customers, it's probably your fault. It could be the questions you are asking, style, topics, or all of them combined. The problem stems from being product-centric rather than customer and problem-centric. Forget your product for a minute and try to come up with foundational questions your customers are familiar with. Allow them to elaborate and ensure you're understanding them correctly by rephrasing their points. Dialogue is encouraged when there is trust between your customers and yourself. And that requires authentic conversations

Sometimes, silence speaks volumes. If customers aren't vocalizing their thoughts, it might be because we're not asking the right questions. We need to shift our focus from not just product-centric inquiries but also to customer-centric inquiries. We have to take the responsibility to break the and invite conversation. Instead of bombarding them with generic surveys, let's engage in authentic conversations. As Maya Angelou famously said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." By fostering trust and empathy, we create a safe space for customers to share their candid feedback.

This is where you need to pick up the baton and encourage the conversation. Sometimes your customers deal with multiple brands and it can be overwhelming for them also. As an SME you need to build an open relationship here so that customers enjoy giving feedback and see it very much as collaborative.

Here's a strategy to encourage customer dialogue: 1. Make Feedback Frictionless: Offer multiple channels (surveys, in-app buttons, social media) to provide feedback easily. Keep surveys concise and targeted. 2. Incentivize Participation: Consider offering discounts or rewards for completed feedback. Publicly recognize valuable contributions. 3. Highlight the "Why": Explain how feedback improves the product and their experience. Share success stories of how past feedback led to positive changes. 4. Actively Listen & Engage: Respond promptly and acknowledge all feedback, even negative. Show customers their voice matters.

To encourage customer feedback as a product manager, you can: 1. Simplify Feedback Channels: Make it easy for customers to give feedback with visible links or buttons. 2. Incentivize Feedback: Offer rewards like discounts or freebies for feedback. 3. Use Surveys Wisely: Employ short, targeted surveys to respect customers' time. 4. Engage on Social Media: Monitor and engage with customers on social platforms and forums. 5. Conduct User Testing: Invite users for testing new features and provide feedback. 6. Customer Interviews: Directly reach out for one-on-one feedback sessions. 7. Monitor Customer Support: Analyze support interactions for recurring issues or suggestions.

Read into the customer interaction by: 1.Tracking as many events as required with as many attributes to analyse the usage. 2.Let the events tell you the story 3.Build your hypothesis from the story 4.Confirm your hypothesis with A/B testing, simplified Yes/No feedback questions, Focus group meetings with a group of satisfied & dissatisfied users. 5. Take action, iterate and track events.

Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. While customers might not be vocal about their feedback, their behavior within the product speaks volumes. By diving deep into usage data, we can uncover hidden insights and patterns. It's similar to Sherlock Holmes analyzing clues – the subtlest details can lead to significant revelations.

Internal testing can be a goldmine for sparking customer feedback! Here's how: Think Like a Customer: Instruct testers to approach the product from a customer's viewpoint. Set goals they might have and ask them to complete tasks they'd typically do. Focus on Usability: Prioritize tasks that mirror real-world workflows. Ask testers for feedback on clarity, ease of use, and overall flow. Identify areas that cause confusion or frustration. Encourage Open-Ended Feedback: Don't just ask "yes" or "no" questions. Make it Actionable: Structure your testing to identify specific pain points. Present findings in a clear report highlighting areas needing improvement.

Turning to internal testing can be a game-changer, especially when external feedback is limited. By involving the team to mimic real user scenarios, hidden issues often come to light—issues that actual users might face but haven't reported. This practice not only identifies potential improvements but also fosters a deeper understanding and empathy within the team towards the customer experience. It's a proactive step in refining the product from within, ensuring a smoother experience for users once the product reaches them.

Internal testing is crucial when end customer is not available for every enhancement release. Acting as an end customer Product Manager can do testing and also analyse the impact on future releases and existing functionalities.

Customer outreach is a proactive approach employed by businesses, including Product Managers, to engage with customers directly and solicit their feedback, opinions, and insights. It involves reaching out to customers through various channels to understand their experiences, preferences, and needs regarding a product or service. Here's a detailed explanation of how customer outreach can serve as a solution when customers are not providing feedback: 1. Identifying Target Customers 2. Selecting Outreach Channels 3. Crafting Compelling Messages 4. Establishing Two-Way Communication 5. Listening Actively 6. Responding Promptly 7. Analyzing Feedback 8. Iterating and Improving

Sometimes, a personal touch is all it takes to break the silence. By reaching out directly to customers, we show them that their opinions matter. It's like inviting them into our kitchen and asking for their recipe suggestions. This personalized approach can elicit valuable insights and strengthen customer relationships.

This happens. In many scenarios especially for B2B products that are big, complex and take years to build, client may not open up to give feedback . In such scenarios adopt one or more of the following approaches: 1. Internal Research 2. Research with industry analysts 3. Hiring a consultant to do market research 4. Competitor analysis to understand what they are doing

Competitor analysis can be an indirect but valuable source of customer feedback, especially when your own customers are not providing enough information. By analysing your competitors, you can gain insights into what customers value in similar products, as well as their pain points and areas of dissatisfaction. This could include reviewing competitor's online reviews, forum discussions, social media platforms/ mentions. NB: Nothing replaces your own customer's feedback; however, a competitor analysis offers a broader view of the market landscape and user expectations. This can be important information in the absence of direct customer feedback.

If we are not getting enough feedbacks from the Users, it's essential to reflect on Product-market fit and user engagement strategies. New avenues to align the product with the User expectation shall be explored. This would involve reassessing the feedback channels(Like Gforms, review sections etc) and making them accessible and enticing for users to express their thoughts. Further using Social Media and analytics tools can provide essential insights of the user behaviors. Eventually we have to remember that product remains User-Centric and engage Users to give feedback directly or indirectly, direct sources involve typical feedback channels for the product and social media can give feedbacks indirectly.

Consider an e-commerce platform, where we are not getting sufficient feedback. Considering I am the PM I'd prioritize making feedback channels easily accessible, ensuring customers feel encouraged to share their thoughts. Secondly, offering incentives like discounts or rewards can motivate customers to provide feedback. Thirdly, I'd actively reach out through targeted emails and social media, seeking opinions on their experiences. Lastly, by analyzing user behavior and fostering a culture that values feedback, we can ensure continuous improvement of our platform. For instance, we might offer discounts for completing surveys. These steps might enhance feedback process for our platform For any Product things can be figured out similarly.

Several ways, I'll give some of them. 1. Optimize Feedback Collection: Simplify customer input. If you are doing surveys make them easier/faster to fill. 2. Reward for Feedback: Offer incentives for participation. Even $10 Amazon gift card can work. 3. Use tools for incentivized feedback like usertesting.com

Building a culture of feedback within your user community can take time. Consistently show that you value customer input by publicly acknowledging and responding to feedback. Additionally, consider establishing a beta user group or a customer advisory board to foster a closer relationship with a segment of your user base. These users can provide in-depth feedback and become champions of your product in the wider community.