Features requests are an excellent source of ideas for your product roadmap , and the chance to establish relationships to your clients. Check out our suggestions for managing the incoming feature requests.
What are feature requests?
Feature requests are ideas for products and suggestions that customers are willing to share with you via customer feedback. They can be classified into:
- Suggestions for the new features
- Improvements to features already in place
Why Feature Requests are Crucial?
It is claimed that “feedback is an opportunity” in the sense of getting feedback from your personal. This is also true for feedback on products. If you get product feedback this indicates that the customers appreciate the product they purchase and will put in the time to share the opinions of their customers. This is a wonderful thing. Be sure to get the most of it by managing the incoming feedback from your products effectively.
Tips for managing feature requests
1. It is easy for your customers to provide feedback
The easier it is easy for customers provide feedback to you the more valuable information and feedback you can gather. Be sure that your customers are aware that you would like to hear their feedback, and make it simple for them to provide feedback to you. This can be as easy as adding a feedback button to your product, which is connected to a form or email address to receive feedback that you give to your customers.
2. Keep all your feature requests in one place
Keep track of all the requests coming in by organizing them all together. This helps you sort the requests into categories and add important details, such as the requester and how many people have asked for it. It is ideal to gather similar feedback, and notify your customers once you have launched the feature.
3. Learn what your customers want.
It’s crucial to comprehend what your customers are asking when they provide feedback. Inquire regarding their feedback and then clarify any specifics. If you are considering a solution, you should ask their feedback once more. Make sure you’re on same page, and that your customers feel valued and engaged. Make the most of the opportunity to create an even better product in conjunction and with customers.
4. Respond to all feature requests
If your client has put in enough time and energy to give your feedback, ensure that you take the time to respond. It could be as simple as telling them that you’ve received their request and asking them a few follow-up questions so that they know that you are interested. This could be the first step to build a lasting relationship with a client. If they’re asking for a feature request that you will not introduce, let them know and tell them the reason. They might be disappointed however, they’ll be glad to know that you’re honest and sharing the reasons behind your decision.
5. Prioritize the feedback
There are a variety of popular frameworks to prioritize roadmaps for products, including The RICE model as well as the Value vs. Effort Matrix. No matter which framework you select two crucial inputs you should be keeping on your radar are:
- Who is the person who’s requesting the feature? Are they an important and strategic customer?
- What percentage of your customers are asking for the same thing? (read for more information regarding the feature vote)
When you have figured out “who” is who and “how many” then you’ll be able to get a good sense about the importance of feedback. Take that information and other elements are used to assess the ideas for your product to create an assessment of priorities.
6. Make sure your customers are informed of their feedback
Once you’ve prioritized your feedback and decided on the next steps, let your clients be aware. Particularly, let them know that you’ve introduced something they’ve requested. It’s a great customer experience! One way to keep your customers updated is to provide an open roadmap for your product A more individual way to do this is to contact them via email.
Additionally the fact that you are collecting feature requests does not mean that you’ll create everything customers want. There are many reasons not to create features. It’s okay, but communicate with your client upfront and let them know the reason.