Customer Facing Dashboards and Reports

It seems every time you introduce a new product to a market, or start working with a new partner, the same question pops up again; What kind of dashboards and reports should my product present for the customers or partners?

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So yes, off course there are many well-known dashboards that you can easily create by software as #salesforce (https://boti.bot/SXqgwEHeW5) and there are many nice ideas in sites as #tableau ?(https://www.tableau.com/solutions/support-and-service-analytics/dashboards), but the main thing about most dashboards out there is that they are mainly for internal use. I am not saying that there are no solutions for customer-facing dashboards and reports; if you google that you will find plenty of those. Still, most of those are pure analytics or usage statistic.

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So, I wanted to start with something I believe we can all agree on: customer-facing reporting has a goal that has nothing to do with usage analysis or problem detection. Truth be told, is that more often than not, customer-facing reports and dashboards are a marketing tool or a tool to create a stronger customer relationship, and not really meant to show system status.

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With that, today’s customers are very keen observers, and one must be able to provide them with beneficial and measurable data (something that fits their needs) if you want them to use this report.

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Start with being honest with yourself: what do you wish to gain from these reports?

1.??????Increase service contracts renewal

2.??????Prove “Return of Investment” for customer

3.??????Report cost-effectiveness

4.??????Report usage, trends, differentiating users

5.??????Increase Customer’s attachment

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Next, think about the benefit that you can provide to your customer:

1.??????Identifying week points in the workflow

2.??????Identifying increased revenue drivers

3.??????Identifying misuse of the system (to be followed by training)

4.??????Functional insights and usage for KPIs and measurements the customer is already using internally.

There may be plenty more of those, depending on your industry and product, but keep in mind one thing: Your direct customers also need to report someone. You should be able to give them the tools they need to prove to their management they made the correct decision purchasing your product.

Obviously, the reports are very different for Software products or HW\manufacturing. There is also a very high deviation rate depending on the industry.?If you already read my previous articles, you've probably noted that my expertise is within the medical software domain, and I would like to share a few examples I liked in that industry. (My apologies for everyone working in other domains, I suggest reading this link for getting some nice ideas: https://keen.io/blog/25-examples-of-native-analytics-data-designs-in-modern-products/)

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Usage and trend reports:

Simple as it sounds, let’s say the customers make money (or save money) every time they use your product. Highlight it.?Any ability to sort and analyze the data here is most welcome.

·??????Are there specific clinical procedures during which your product is used more?

·??????Who uses it more? (Type of user)

·??????Are there specific days, clinics, hours during which your product is used more?

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If every use of your products means ROI, counting it gives your customer the option to increase usage.

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Parts replacement and error reports:

If you have any HW parts that needs to be replaced periodically (and it is part of your service contract), showing the number of parts replaced during the last year can be a real drive to renew contract. ?Same for error reports.

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Call rate:

Be careful with that data, I am not sure at all that you wish to show a customer that he didn’t call you even once this year (“why would I need a service contract if I don’t use it?”)

But if you add clinical value with your contracts, then showing proactive service, monitoring, or any other benefits would be a good idea to show it.

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Suggestions \ improvements:

This is the tricky one, but the one I love most. It will be very different for each product, but the concept is to point out things that will generate a better workflow and ease your customer’s day.

Take #Amazon as an example. The software does not only show you your current TV series that you are watching, the packages that are on the way or the items in your cart. Amazon collects this information to create meaningful data.

This has been widely used, for many years, in similar retail applications, streaming apps, etc. Why won't you do the same in your product and use the data you collect daily to improve the workflow? If you really think about it, I can promise you that you will be surprised by the amount of beneficial data you can share with your customer, and with relatively low R&D efforts.

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So, to sum it up. I don’t see any good way to avoid customer-facing reports and dashboards, nor a reason to avoid it. However, you must carefully consider your goals and the data you will need to show. Try to be creative and think of the reasons that will make your customer read it and not mark it as SPAM. ?

Lastly, each of us has unique insight into our customers' workflows that can be seen only through our devices. The ability to share this insight in a beneficial way which will really help our customers to improve their income, workflow, or any other improvement. This is where you will really build the customer attachment.

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Until next time.