{"id":2220,"date":"2020-03-25T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog3.canny.io\/wordpress\/?p=2220"},"modified":"2024-05-17T11:46:36","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T15:46:36","slug":"how-to-get-customer-feedback-for-your-saas-product","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/how-to-get-customer-feedback-for-your-saas-product\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get customer feedback for your SaaS product"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Customer feedback is a goldmine.<\/p>\n<p>It can help you make informed and useful business decisions on your SaaS product.<\/p>\n<h4>But, getting feedback can be hard, especially if:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>You\u2019re an early-stage company<\/li>\n<li>You have a basic MVP that doesn\u2019t create much hassle or need for giving feedback yet<\/li>\n<li>You don\u2019t have a customer base that\u2019s particularly involved (yet!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2026and then there are people out there who <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/why-you-dont-like-giving-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">just don\u2019t like giving feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"gif size-full wp-image-2227 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/giphy-14.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Luckily, there&#8217;s a few things to do to nudge your users to give a little more feedback. And, they&#8217;ll feel good about giving it.<\/p>\n<h2>How to get customer feedback: Start by getting organized<\/h2>\n<p>Before you start, make sure you have a central feedback system to gather everything into.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no point in making an effort to get more feedback if it\u2019s going to slip between the cracks or get lost.<\/p>\n<p>A feedback tool like Canny will help you stay organized. It\u2019s an easy way to see all the feedback you\u2019re getting in one place.<\/p>\n<p>You can create a public Canny board where <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/features\/feedback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">users can submit feedback and vote on features<\/a>. Or you can <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/using-canny-privately\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">keep your board private<\/a> and track feedback on behalf of your users.<\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa\" class=\"hs-cta-img aligncenter\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa.png\" alt=\"Canny free trial\" width=\"1300\" height=\"642\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(5705808, 'e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa', {\"region\":\"na1\"}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not yet ready to try Canny, <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/need-a-product-feedback-tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">we\u2019d recommend a well-organized spreadsheet at the very least<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>From there, it\u2019s time to gently nudge your user base to come in and have their say.<\/p>\n<h2>Ask for feedback after every live chat session<\/h2>\n<p>&#8230;regardless of what the chat is actually about.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter whether someone reaches out with a bug report, a general inquiry, or something else.<\/p>\n<p>Asking for any other requests, ideas, or concerns after every chat session is a great way to get feedback.<\/p>\n<p>You can use this for both people who are already users of your product and ones that are not.<\/p>\n<h3>Why? Because potential customers often have useful feedback to share, too, whether it\u2019s:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A feature you don\u2019t have that is a deal-breaker for them (and why)<\/li>\n<li>Something they noticed on your site, in a demo, or while doing research<\/li>\n<li>Other immediate ideas for improvement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Asking existing customers for feedback after every live communication:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Shows that you care on a deeper level (even if the reason for initial contact was something simple)<\/li>\n<li>Gives them an easy time and place to get stuff off their mind that they might have been thinking about for a while<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To make this easier, use a feedback tool that integrates with your existing chat system.<\/p>\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/integrations\/intercom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Canny integrates with Intercom<\/a>. You can easily pull in whatever feedback you get from live chat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2233 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom.avif\" alt=\"Canny integrates with Intercom\" width=\"1372\" height=\"1190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom.avif 1372w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom-300x260.avif 300w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom-768x666.avif 768w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom-1181x1024.avif 1181w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-integrates-with-Intercom-138x120.avif 138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This way, you don\u2019t have to go manually log everything after each chat.<\/p>\n<p>And hey\u2014don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/customer-feedback-types\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ask for feedback after someone cancels, too<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2234 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Following-up-on-deleted-feedback.avif\" alt=\"Cancellation feedback\" width=\"1124\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Following-up-on-deleted-feedback.avif 1124w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Following-up-on-deleted-feedback-300x75.avif 300w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Following-up-on-deleted-feedback-768x193.avif 768w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Following-up-on-deleted-feedback-210x53.avif 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It might seem useless to ask for feedback if someone isn\u2019t even a user anymore. But, it&#8217;s not. They left for a reason, and you should be aware of the reason.<\/p>\n<p>Once you know why a customer left, you can use that information to prevent others from churning. That\u2019s valuable.<\/p>\n<h2>If you\u2019re using a feedback tool, tell your customers about it<\/h2>\n<p>A lot of companies make giving feedback a huge effort for customers.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes people don\u2019t even bother giving feedback because they think it\u2019s annoying or hard to get to.<\/p>\n<p>Live chat is a start, but even that is a lot for some people. We expect long wait times, cold responses, or no responses at all. This holds a lot of people back.<\/p>\n<p>Using a specialized feedback tool shows customers that you care. It shows that you&#8217;re invested in collecting regular, quality feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Feedback tools are generally built for ease of use and low effort.<\/p>\n<h3>For example, with Canny, users can either:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Go in and post ideas and feature requests themselves,\u00a0<strong>or<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Click a button and vote on other people\u2019s stuff<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to access, and pretty much zero effort for those who don\u2019t want to do very much.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a feedback tool, make sure you tell your customers about it. Highlight <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/ask-for-feedback-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">why it makes giving feedback easier for them<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2238 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-feedback-on-Twitter.avif\" alt=\"Tell users about your feedback tool\" width=\"1186\" height=\"1022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-feedback-on-Twitter.avif 1186w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-feedback-on-Twitter-300x259.avif 300w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-feedback-on-Twitter-768x662.avif 768w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Canny-feedback-on-Twitter-139x120.avif 139w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1186px) 100vw, 1186px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>That said, for this to be a selling point for people giving more feedback, your tool or environment needs to be:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Well organized\u2014if everything is a mess, nobody\u2019s going to want to use it<\/li>\n<li>Active or pre-populated\u2014if there\u2019s nothing on your feedback board, nobody wants to be the first one<\/li>\n<li>Easy to access and use<\/li>\n<li>Frequented by your team members\u2014if there\u2019s no engagement by your team, it\u2019s not going to entice anyone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Send <em>personalized<\/em> surveys to targeted customers<\/h2>\n<p>Reaching out and asking for feedback directly is great. But, there\u2019s a right and a wrong way to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody likes getting cold emails. The usual \u201crate our product and explain why\u201d messages are the worst. They\u2019re boring, impersonal, and don\u2019t give anything back to the customer.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, choose the customers whose feedback you would find especially valuable.<\/p>\n<h3>These can be:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Your highest-paying customers<\/li>\n<li>Your longest-standing customers<\/li>\n<li>Customers who use your most important features<\/li>\n<li>Customers who use your product a lot (all features, or very often)<\/li>\n<li>&#8230;or whichever other target groups you find most important<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Identify which groups you consider &#8220;most valuable&#8221; for whatever reason. Then, reach out directly. Explain why their feedback matters to you. And, tell them how it will help you make the product better for them.<\/p>\n<h3>Personalize these messages based on everything you can, for example:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If they\u2019ve reached out about bugs or errors before, ask them if there are any other ones they\u2019ve noticed<\/li>\n<li>Ask how their experience has been since you fixed something for them<\/li>\n<li>If they\u2019ve asked for certain features before, ask how those are working for them<\/li>\n<li>Or, ask if there are any similar features that they\u2019ve been thinking of<\/li>\n<li>If their business is changing, ask if their product needs will be changing at all<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Heavily targeting and personalizing asks for feedback makes customers feel special. It lets them know that their opinion matters in particular. It also lets them know how their feedback will make their experience better.<\/p>\n<p>This gives you the most actionable, useful, and valuable feedback. Why? Because it\u2019s coming from the groups that matter to you most.<\/p>\n<h2>Display and praise good feedback<\/h2>\n<p>We all like feeling appreciated for the things that we do. This is extra true when we do something we didn&#8217;t <em>have<\/em> to do.<\/p>\n<p>Telling your customers that you appreciate them giving feedback makes them feel good. This will encourage them to keep reaching out when they have something to share.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, make sure you\u2019re genuinely thankful for the feedback you get. This means bad feedback as well as good feedback.<\/p>\n<h4>Say thanks (obviously\u2014but a lot of companies don\u2019t do this), and explain why the feedback is valuable:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThis will help us prioritize our roadmap much better\u201d<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Knowing your use-case really helps us define how to build out this feature\u201d<\/li>\n<li>&#8230;and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Second, consider highlighting customers who are providing valuable feedback. Or, displaying the feedback you get somewhere that others can see.<\/p>\n<h3>This could look like:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Mention them on social media<\/li>\n<li>Create a \u201ctop posts on feedback board\u201d round-up each month<\/li>\n<li>Build content around real customer feedback<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Being grateful and appreciative is a small thing to do on your end, but means a lot to your users. It can help turn them into advocates, and they might even <a href=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/customer-feedback-ask-for-referrals\/\">send you referrals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting more feedback isn\u2019t about being pushy<\/h2>\n<p>A lot of companies think that getting more feedback is all about sending out more requests for it.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, so many companies send out generic, annoying, cold feedback requests. These are irritating to customers and don&#8217;t do much.<\/p>\n<p>Quantity over quality is not the mindset to approach feedback with.<\/p>\n<h3>The real goal is to do two things:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Make customers feel great about giving feedback<\/li>\n<li>Make it easy for customers to give feedback<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Do this, and you&#8217;ll make giving feedback enjoyable\u2014rather than a chore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Customer feedback can help you make informed and useful business decisions on your SaaS product. But, sometimes it can be hard to get the feedback you need. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-feedback"],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":"Maria Vasserman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2220"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6760,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2220\/revisions\/6760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}