As an invaluable resource for informing road map decisions for both new and established products and services, customer feedback helps firms glean insights from the people who matter most. Whether they have 10 customers or 10,000 clients, this feedback helps companies uncover customer pain points, identify the features and functionalities customers care most about, and prioritize product road maps accordingly. Using customer interviews, usability tests, surveys and customer advisory boards—the top four tools according to a recent UserVoice survey—companies can get the good, the bad and the ugly on what they’re doing and on what they need to be doing better.
Constantly challenged to stay ahead of their competition by designing, developing and launching products that will sell successfully in their markets, building product manufacturers must be able to innovate effectively, using solid, honest customer feedback to get product development correct. In this article, we’ll explore one effective method to draw out innovative ideas from customer communities and then leverage that information into business success.