Companies use to take its business decision without any customer feedback earlier, as taking customer feedback was costly as well as time consuming at that time. But today, with the help of social networks companies can gather customer feedback in a very cost effective and timely manner.
Social networks have made life easy for businesses as well as for individuals. Companies can take customer feedback using social networks as well as aware customers regarding the new product or business unit it is planning to launch. Involving customers in the decision making process regarding your new product launch can save time and money, as business would be able to learn the expectation of customers and do not need to re-work on the product according to the market requirements.
The whole point is to involve and engage customers via social networks is not only viable for the products already launched but for the product or strategy which is to be introduced.
In the corporate world employees are guided by their managers, but do we know how managers are making decision? The answer is simple in today’s environment the end users are the actual bosses i.e. if the customers do not like the product launched by the company than obviously it is a big failure, therefore it is recommended for businesses to consider the users opinion before launching the product in the market.
Here we are trying to outline the process a company should follow before the launch of its new product or when they are making any change in the strategy, which impacts the end users:
Early Birds:
Make sure to find out the group which is very much into your products and would like to use it at the earliest. Note that the feedback they provide does means a lot to you, as these are the users who are very loyal to your brand and would not like your brand to fail at any point. These people can be used as one of your focus groups and will help in finding the flaws (if any) before the final launch.
Create a product:
Create an Incomplete product and through the idea to your flock of early birds, and gather their ideas about the product about the missing things or features. Let them share what features they are expecting from your end in the new product you are about to launch. This can help you build even a better product than actually what you have visualized. This also provides you an edge over the competitors by building a product according to the user requirements.
Here at Cygnis Media, we also prefer customer input and feedback to be very regular. This helps us to build an app according to the customer requirements and at the same time saves our time and cost. The communication and feedback is an important aspect in the software industry, you need to know what your client requires in order to provide them the exact same thing they visualized or even better than it.
Release:
After the initial preparations and development, launch the product and wait for customer feedback. In order to make the most out of your product and to increase your market share it is very important that you act on the feedback you receive. You cannot just build a product, launch it and leave it in the market; you need to make sure that your product evolves with time and market conditions. So, keep repeating the process of working on the feedback, and keep updating the product to make sure that your product’s life doesn’t end.
We know many companies (surprisingly) are not focusing on customer development and their feedback. This might be because they are afraid of the results for leaving the way business is conducted by them.
The true and promising results, in today’s business, are only achievable when you involve customers from the start. So, do not be afraid ask your customers and find out what they want from your end. Work on the weak links in your process to satisfy your customers and build a product which actually can satisfy the needs of your customers and also provide your business a boom in form of profits.
