Bridging the Gap Between Builders & Customers

For product teams, understanding and incorporating customer feedback isn't just important—it's essential! Why? Because a key driver of progress in product development is the founder's initial interactions with customers. As the company grows and the founder delegates this responsibility to the product team, the customer's voice will inevitably diminish in shaping the product roadmap without a defined cadence and process. From the outset, I recommend that CEOs and founders prioritize this as the top item on the scorecard for any new product leader. Here are some small tasks that have significantly helped bridge this gap.

Ensuring Product Strategy is Supported by the Voice of the Customer

• Make sure every member of the product team prioritizes customer interaction, aiming for at least three one-hour sessions per week.
• Product leaders should summarize customer sentiment in their weekly one-on-one meetings. If insights seem lacking, challenge them and offer support as needed. By creating a defined discussion space, this discipline is less likely to be overlooked.
• Your new product leader should ensure that the team incorporates customer interactions into all meetings, emphasizing their importance even when meeting with executives. When the team begins to communicate like this example, it indicates they are moving in the right direction:

“This past week, I met with Smarticios (example company), an SMB client with a contract value of $17,300, interested in adding another 25 seats but encountering obstacles with their reporting needs. I met with their decision-maker, Anna G., and condensed key findings in this document. We’ve heard similar requests from Lightware and FiwaSystems. I've provided a link to our video meeting for reference, but for brevity, here are some of Anna’s verbatims. I've scheduled a discovery session with my tech team this week to explore potential solutions and will review them with Anna directly."

• Empower product designers to foster a culture of visualization within the team. This transparency helps trace the origin of product ideas. Leaders should be able to ask, "Can you show me where that idea was first introduced and share your thought process on how solutions have evolved?"
• Use tools like Chorus.ai during sales calls to identify keywords for potential product enhancements. Automatically share insights with Product Managers to flag keywords like expansion, contraction, or “product doesn’t work.”
• When your team has exhausted a limited customer base and still requires feedback for product strategy, consider the market(s) your ICP is connected to and identify thought leaders and influencers within those markets. Engaging with individuals who host podcasts or speak at industry conferences can offer valuable feedback and potentially assist in introducing your product to their network, especially if they've contributed to its development.

Hiring Tip!

Find Your Next Product Manager with Built-in Customer Empathy!

Many of my most successful product managers, who prioritize the voice of the customer in their roadmaps, have backgrounds in customer success within the company. These individuals often possess a high customer IQ and a strong sense of customer empathy. To enhance the skills they lack, consider investing in ScrumAlliance’s Certified Scrum Product Owner certification.

The best decision I made to boost my product teams' efficiency was enrolling them in courses taught by the experts listed on this page. When I hired from within the organization, such as from Customer Success, this training was especially valuable. It created a unified development process for the business and demonstrated that we value our employees' careers. I highly recommend these resources!

By prioritizing customer empathy and investing in continuous learning, you can build a more effective, cohesive, and motivated product team.