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Most feature request software tools are relatively simple in their approach. They are either web-based or mobile-friendly, providing an easy way to collect feature requests from your customers and prioritize them.
This article will look at the best feature request software options available today: how they work and why you should consider using a feature request software tool.
You need a tool to help you manage all of your customers' feature requests - not just one or two. Here's what you'll want to see in a feature request management software:
1) Make it easy for customers to submit requests
Your customers should be able to submit their requests without any hassle easily - but some do have issues with submitting requests online
2) Make it easy for your team to manage and prioritize feature requests
Feature request software should enable teams to manage and prioritize feature requests easily. This could include sorting them by priority, tracking progress on each request, and emailing everyone requesting a specific feature when new updates are released for that request.
3) Make it a seamless process to keep customers up to date on feature request status
Customers should be kept up-to-date on new product releases and changes without having to email or message the users individually
4) Use feature requests as a tool to drive future product innovation
Why not leverage feature requests when developing new product features as an early feedback loop? By collecting and tracking user feedback through feature requests, you can find valuable insights that can help guide future product development. Not only will this further improve the overall product experience, but it could also lead to new revenue streams in the future.
A central place to receive and manage requests
It's a no-brainer, but if you don't have a central place where your customers can get in touch with you, keeping track of their requests becomes complicated.
A way to prioritize feature requests
When it comes to having a feature request management system, one of the most crucial aspects is having the ability to rank features by importance. What's more, this order of importance should be based on the 'value' of the feature. After all, customers should have their top priorities at the top. Unfortunately, this can be difficult unless you've built an automated system to recognize each requested feature and how many individuals have asked for it.
Acknowledging customers' requests
Once you have your feature request tracker live, you next must acknowledge each feature request. It's simple enough to list all the requests in your feature request tracker. But then what?
Please go through that list, check off the ones being worked on, and send an email with a progress report. You can also set up notifications for when new features are available or when updates are ready for download.
How many features should be prioritized?
The most crucial aspect of any software is its ability to prioritize tasks efficiently. If it doesn't do this well, you may spend too much time on unimportant tasks.
Enabling comments
Some customers may need more time to write lengthy emails to explain their problems clearly. They also might need to be more comfortable to put in their whole story on paper, so they don't bother. And some users need to learn how to make a feature request.
The comments section is for them. It lets them voice their thoughts and ask questions without having to write an entire email or document the issue with screenshots and other details that your customer support team doesn't need. It also allows customers who are using the product for long-term engagements to add notes about how the product has changed over time, which is helpful for companies developing software over the years or even decades, as well as startups.
Comments are also useful for product teams to interact with users. Instead of sending a manual email, comments and updates can be shared directly in the feedback tool. Users will be kept up to date with an automated email.
Different ways to organize requests
There are two main ways to organize feature requests:
A linear approach, where users submit their feedback in a single column, and the management tool is organized around that. For example, the software maker might have "new features" as one column, "support tickets" as another, and "users' input" somewhere else.
A more flexible approach would be using a matrix format to organize feature requests. Put all of your features into one column and let your users prioritize them in different categories. This allows you to see which features are requested most often from your users while allowing flexibility with how you want to organize those requests in the future.
A centralized database with search capability is critical to managing requests from customers.
Learn more about IdeaPlan
Simple but Powerful Feedback Management
Collect feature requests simply and effectively that enables customers and product teams to have a central repository for all feedback.
Track your feature request queue, prioritize work, and respond to customer feedback.
This tool is excellent for tracking various features (from user stories to bug reports), not just one-off requests or bugs. You can use it to manage complex projects like product releases and new features; gather user feedback; and track important metrics like active users, sign-ups, and revenue growth.
Feedback boards enable users to submit feedback based on specific topics. Feedback boards also make organizing new requests fairly easy for product teams.
Share your Product Vision with a Public Product Roadmap
Allow users to give feedback on your product vision and roadmap via an integrated comment system. In the IdeaPlan public roadmap, you can add a short description and links to the associated resources for each feature you are developing.
One of the best advantages of having a public roadmap is letting your users know when new features are being developed.
This way, they'll be able to plan and keep an eye out for new releases, or at least get a heads up before they miss out on something extraordinary. Being in touch with your user base will help you build relationships and ensure everyone feels included in the product development process.
Announce New Features with a Powerful Changelog/Announcements Tool
Make sure to capitalize on the Announcements area to keep existing customers and potential prospects up to date with your new features. It's a great way to capture more email subscribers and new feedback ideas, as it is fully branded.
Promote new features through email, social channels, and anywhere your app users consume content.
Questions:
How to choose the most valuable feature voting tool?
When collecting customer feedback, a feature voting tool is the best way to do it.
You can create a public board where all the customers can submit their ideas and vote for other people's ideas.
The feature request board should be easy to understand so everyone understands what's happening with the product.
Users must be able to submit new cards and add comments as per their needs. It should allow users to track votes and see who is submitting recent votes or adding comments on old ones. You can customize your boards by adding labels or tags for each card, such as priority level, status, and category. You can even use this tool for collecting feedback from developers, too with an integrated developer dashboard that allows them to view
What should you look for in a feature request tool?
Finding a feature request tool that allows you to collect feedback most efficiently is essential. You must ask questions in an easy-to-use interface, create surveys with multiple-choice and freeform text options, and track responses.
You also want a mobile-friendly feature request tool to access it from anywhere and use it on your phone or tablet.
Additionally, look for a feature request tool that integrates with other services such as email marketing tools, CRM systems, social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter), analytics platforms (Google Analytics), and more. With these integrations, you'll be able to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and increase the efficiency of your data collection process.
What should you look for in a feature request tool?
When you're searching for a feature request tool, it's essential to look for three things:
A) A feature request tool allows you to collect user feedback on multiple products. This will help you identify the best products to improve and grow your business.
B) A feature request tool with an active community. You want people who are using your product and are genuinely interested in sharing their feedback with other users.
C) A feature request tool that has a straightforward process for managing the feedback collected from customers. Ideally, this will include moderating comments, flagging inappropriate comments, and ensuring each comment is delivered to the right person in your company or organization.
What is more important, a feature request or a bug report? Why?
A feature request is more important than a bug report.
A bug report can help identify and resolve an issue, but it's typically less prioritized because users expect features to be fixed faster than bugs are. A feature request motivates the team to resolve the issue as soon as possible to optimize the user experience. Furthermore, it helps improve customer relations by demonstrating that you care about your customers' needs. And lastly, if a bug is not resolved quickly, it might lead to frustration and adverse customer feedback, damaging your business reputation.
