Power users are the customers who use your enterprise software most frequently, effectively, and creatively. They can provide valuable feedback on how to improve your product, fix bugs, and enhance user experience. But how do you gather feedback from power users in a way that is respectful, engaging, and actionable? Here are some effective ways to do so.
Before you can ask for feedback, you need to know who your power users are. You can use various criteria to define them, such as usage frequency, feature adoption, product knowledge, or advocacy. You can also segment them by industry, role, or goal. You can use analytics tools, surveys, or customer interviews to identify your power users and their characteristics.
To gather feedback from power users I suggest taking a consultative, relationship driven communication tone. Also, include the supporting cast in the discussion. Yes, the power user will provide valuable feedback, however their colleague, who has a similar role, may help spark some conversation as well. The idea is to gather as much information as possible and put that data and feedback to good use. Individuals communicate in unique manners, one thought can mean multiple things to different people. Lastly, be sure to follow up and provide a deliverable (thank you, another session), anything to let them know your door is always open for more feedback.
Another great way to identify your most significant customers or users is to review and segment your active or closed support tickets by customer groups. Frequent support tickets from customers or users over the last X months indicates they are engaged and struggling, or in need of help, and have tremendous insights and important product needs that are unmet. You can exceed their expectations by resolving the tickets and using their contact initiation as an easy path to gaining missing insights and better understanding their product and service needs.
Gaining valuable insights from power users is paramount for product improvement. Here's how: Targeted Outreach: Conduct individual interviews for in-depth feedback. Host small group discussions to build on ideas. Interactive Methods: Integrate in-app feedback tools for real-time input. Conduct usability testing to identify user roadblocks. Use targeted online surveys /polls for broader feedback. Building Trust & Engagement: Offer incentives like early access or discounts. Provide transparency and follow-up on implemented changes. Foster a community dedicated to user feedback and collaboration. Additional Tips: Utilise open-ended questions to encourage thoughtful responses. Actively listen and ask follow-up questions to gain deeper insights.
- Facilitate focus group sessions with power users to elicit detailed insights. - Tailor surveys and questionnaires to gather targeted feedback from power users. - Conduct personalized interviews to delve deeper into power users' perspectives. - Utilize analytics tools to track user behaviors and extract valuable data. - Foster open communication channels like forums for ongoing feedback. - Offer incentives for constructive feedback from power users. - Integrate feedback mechanisms directly into the product/service. - Regularly review user comments and support tickets for improvement ideas.
Identifying power users involves analyzing usage patterns, feature adoption rates, and community engagement. Look for frequent users who actively explore new features, provide detailed feedback, and participate in forums or social media discussions. Analyze data metrics such as session duration and retention rates. Consider implementing referral programs and beta testing initiatives to identify enthusiastic users. Conduct surveys to understand motivations and satisfaction levels.
Once you have identified your power users, you need to create a dedicated feedback channel where they can share their opinions, suggestions, and issues. This can be an online forum, a chat group, an email list, or a feedback widget. You should make this channel easy to access, visible, and interactive. You should also communicate the purpose and benefits of this channel to your power users and encourage them to participate.
I've been on the user side, hoping for a way to get feedback to the right person and I've been the right person hoping to get feedback from power users. In both instances, having a dedicated feedback channel, preferably one that was easily accessible from the software I used AND allowed for 2-way conversations between the Product team and the power users made a world of difference. Not only did it make me feel heard as a power user but it also gave me insight of how many other power users struggled with certain platform limitations or wished for the same innovations. This is invaluable feedback for Product teams and it fosters brand trust within the user community.
A great way to create a value driven feedback channel is to have a community of power users who are recognised for their contributions to feedback and issues. This enables you to recognise power users for who they are and help foster a sense of sharing (through meetups, article contributions etc.). It also allows you to host "Voice of the Users" type sesions back with product management and leadership in your company for them to listen in and gather insights directly from power users.
A mi me ha resultado útil hacer llamadas telefónicas de seguimiento con los clientes para conocer directamente sus opiniones y retroalimentación !! Mantener todos los canales de comunicación abiertos y ESCUCHAR Dar seguimiento y establecer acciones para mejorar cualquier mala experiencia de los clientes y regresar con ellos para resolver y retribuir no solo para cumplir sus expectativas sino para superarlas !!
In the quest for gathering insights from power users, establishing a dedicated feedback channel aligns with a profound understanding. True power users possess an innate inclination to contribute valuable feedback regularly, driven by their passion for wielding extensive knowledge within a platform or application. Their enthusiasm grows when they can positively influence the experiences of fellow users. Thus, the key is to craft a seamless avenue, inviting them to willingly share their expertise. It's a case of "Build it, and their insights will naturally gravitate towards it."
My Executive Information Solutions methodology provides enterprise collaboration and data management in real time. Its core mission is to provide the right information to the business stakeholders so they can make informed decisions based on what they want to do.
When you ask for feedback from your power users, you should avoid vague or general questions that might elicit vague or general answers. Instead, you should ask specific and relevant questions that focus on a particular aspect, feature, or problem of your enterprise software. You should also tailor your questions to the context, goals, and needs of your power users. For example, you can ask them how they use a certain feature, what challenges they face, or what improvements they would like to see.
I've learned the hard way on how NOT to ask customers questions. Like many others, I made the mistake early in my career of asking customers, "Hey, we plan to make this. Do you like it? Would you use it?" Of course, customers often answered yes or were generally supportive. We're social animals and they don't want to be mean. However, their kindness led me down the wrong path and I learned that several months later when few people used what we built. Then the real feedback came... Instead, you need to make interviews about the customer - their goals, their pain points, their processes...etc. Your product questions shouldn't come in until you've laid that ground work.
Don't ever ask specific questions. They will pigeon-hole you and prevent you from collecting the relevant information. Specific questions will get you the information you are asking for, but the revolution may lie in an answer you did not ask for. Doctors are taught to ask patients open-ended questions, so they can better find the root cause of an illness. We should communicate like doctors. Look up authors like Spradley to learn about questioning technique - or ping me, I have some inspiration on the topic.
Three quick items. I always ask how life has changed for the better by using my solution. You’ll typically get a combination of time savings and direct money savings (important to document that detail), second offer them resources for their help (ie tips & tricks, inviting to customer advisory board or opportunities to present for success stories), lastly small gifts such as cookies or coffee gift cards for their time is always good
Asking specific questions has worked for me personally. If you are looking for feedback - better to be ready with things you want feedback on and then be ready to listen. Some of the feedback interviews can be difficult but every single one is a learning experience.
Ask specific questions and have power users take you through the relevant workflows. This will help the power users provide very specific feedback they only remember when going through the software. Record these sessions for future reference. Don't just take surface level feedback. Ask power users how implementing their feedback would impact the business, the client, or them specifically. Understand the current impact of keeping things the way they are vs. investing in changes. Will implementing the feedback solve client pain points? Internal pain points? Automate needless manual steps that minimize human error? Ask your power users all these questions and then review the feedback for trends before recommending changes internally.
One of the most important ways to gather feedback from power users is to listen and acknowledge their responses. You should show genuine interest and appreciation for their input, and avoid dismissing, arguing, or defending your product. You should also follow up with them to clarify, confirm, or thank them for their feedback. You should also let them know how their feedback will be used and what actions will be taken as a result.
We are all part of the same makeup. We want to be relevant in our own world. Repeat what you understand and ask for clarification. Smile.. and the world will smile with you...Even if they don't want to.
It's all about feedback loops. Discovering patterns, trends, and insights from power users' feedback is like uncovering a treasure map. It guides developers to the most valued features and areas for improvement, ensuring the product not only meets but exceeds user expectations. This invaluable feedback loop turns users into co-creators, fostering a product that truly resonates with its audience and stands out in the market.
It’s important to see the other side of the coin to complete any perspective. For this it’s important we not only listen to the Power Users but acknowledge any relevant feedback on a timely basis. A Good Listener is Always a Good Executer. So it’s important we show interest in listening to feedbacks and where ever there are concerns to discuss and clarify with the Power User to ensure there is something Valuable take away at the end of a discussion. Discussions has to converted to Actions so that it can be tracked so that it ensures positive outcomes.
The team closest to the customers, partners and internal teams that "make it happen and get things done" are your most valuable assets. Gather their input. Communication has to come from downstream to help the teams upstream make decisions that will provide the best implementation plan and develop a strategy that is effective for all.
A great way to receive constructive feedback from power users is to get them to operate in their natural surroundings and complete tasks on your product. While remote tools are an option, doing an empathy session in person has much powerful impact not only on the feedback received but in also having acknowledged that their feedback matters.
After you gather feedback from your power users, you need to analyze and prioritize it. You should look for patterns, trends, and insights that can help you understand your power users' needs, preferences, and pain points. You should also evaluate the feasibility, impact, and urgency of their feedback. You should prioritize the feedback that aligns with your product vision, strategy, and roadmap, and that can deliver the most value to your power users and other customers.
As a project manager, leveraging lessons learned for feedback is imperative for project success. By actively soliciting and analyzing feedback, identifying recurring issues or areas for improvement, and implementing necessary changes, we ensure that future projects benefit from our experiences. This creates a culture of continuous learning and improvement, where feedback serves as a catalyst for refining our processes and delivering better outcomes.
Als gutes Mittel hat sich eine M?glichkeit des ?Voting“ herauskristallisiert. Hier ist es m?glich als User einen Vorschlag einzubringen und die Masse der Nutzer haben eine kleine Anzahl von Stimmen, die sie über die Anzahl der eingegangenen Vorschl?ge verteilen dürfen. Bei Punkten mit einer hohen Anzahl User-Stimmen ist so die hohe Dringlichkeit ersichtlich und hilft dem Produktmanager die Priorit?ten zu erkennen.
To prioritize and get the most out of your data you need to make a timeline in which you focus on the comments that have these 3 factors: Urgency, viability, and impact, you can ask yourself this question: Can I make the change or optimization in a short period, this will have a positive impact in the company and the customer? If the answer is yes, put it as a priority on the roadmap.
Power users can often be an easy group to take as a whole. In my experience, Power Users need to be categorized. For example, PU's today may or may not be PU's 3 months ago. Current, active PU's, are invaluable for iteration & focus. Catching PU's who suddenly curtail use are often invaluable to scaled viability. Within PU, be vigilant Re behavior, use, changes.
Adding the "AI" perspective in that context: In a not so far future, as we all know, and in the context of rapidly evolving technology landscapes, such as those influenced by AI and multidimensional machine learning, the role of power users becomes even more significant. These individuals are often the first to adopt new technologies, and their feedback can be crucial for identifying the practical strengths and weaknesses of, yes, exactly those AI functionalities within a product. AI continues to transform products and services, the insights from power users will be essential in navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by these technologies, ensuring that products remain relevant, user-friendly, and ahead of the curve.
The final way to gather feedback from power users is to implement and iterate on their feedback. You should test, validate, and refine your product changes based on their feedback, and measure the outcomes and impacts. You should also communicate the progress and results of your product changes to your power users and solicit their feedback again. You should aim to create a feedback loop that fosters continuous improvement and collaboration between you and your power users.
One easy way to identify power users is by looking through support tickets or enhancement requests for users who provide a lot of details, screenshots, and so on. These users put a lot of effort into those requests and are likely to be insightful on many aspects of your product. Involving these "maven" customers in focus groups also builds brand loyalty in the account.
A good maxim to keep in mind when iterating and improving on products is to remember the product is not the solution and instead it's the value that's delivered by the product that the users (power and beginners) look forward to. Remembering this helps you to question design decisions made earlier since you will keep the user's perspective of value as the north star. This also means that you will be attuned to changes in user behaviour through tight feedback loops which then allow you to iterate accordingly.
Implementing and iterating on feedback from Pragmaplex power users is fundamental to our development cycle. We rigorously test and refine updates based on their insights, focusing on enhancing features like secure collaboration and dynamic data management. For example, after enhancing our audit trail capabilities based on user input, we measure the impact on compliance and operational transparency. We then share these updates with our user community, inviting further feedback to ensure our solutions not only meet but exceed their evolving needs. This iterative process embodies our commitment to continuous improvement and cements a collaborative partnership with our power users.
I would also consider doing some anthropological marketing research. Many times when you ask questions, respondents provide logic to what was an emotionally led decision.
To collect insightful feedback from customers, I utilize diverse techniques: Interviews: Engage customers with well-framed questions, especially if expertise is lacking within the team. Asking the right questions is crucial for valuable insights. Workshops/Focus Groups: Organize closed sessions for interactive discussions, tailoring inquiries to customer questions and interests. Field Visits: Immerse in the customer's daily life through observational field visits to grasp their pain points intimately. Surveys: Employ systematically crafted surveys to gauge customer interests and overall satisfaction. In conclusion, by integrating these methods, we ensure a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the customer.
Ensure you have a feedback loop to share why something was or was not built with the power users. This helps with transparency and also creates a more active community around product features and feedback.
More ways you can gather feedback from power users ? User Groups: Create forums or CABs for idea sharing and feedback. ? Interviews: Conduct monthly 1:1s for deep insights. ? Beta Tests: Allow early access to new features for user input. ? Surveys: Use simple questionnaires for feedback on key features. ? Rewards: Offer perks to top users for engagement. ? Product-Led Growth: Implement feedback for improvements, driving user satisfaction and growth.
Power users can be very valuable to your business, almost as good as an outbound product managers. Making them feel wanted by letting that know that they will be included in beta testing programs, organizing events / hackathons specifically for those power users can be quite beneficial in instilling incentives for them to show continued participation.