there's a customer out there with a bullet for you: understanding your customers
Post on 13-May-2015
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There’s a Customer Out There with a Bullet for You
---Understanding Your Customers
Evan HamiltonCommunity Manager, UserVoice
Agenda
1. Listening failures2. Failures of understanding3. Success through understanding4. Best practices5. The importance of saying no6. Q&A
Ideas Can Kill
1. Ideas you ignore2. Ideas you don’t understand
3. Ideas you shouldn’t have listened to
Listening Failures
Listening Failures
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Friendster focused on: VOIP
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Customers said: 30-second load times suck
Friendster focused on: VOIP
Result: $30MM to ???
Data: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/business/yourmoney/15friend.html
Listening Failures
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Wasabe focused on: Effort-heavy features
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t want more work
Wasabe focused on: Effort-heavy features
Result: Mint $170MM, Wesabe $0
Data: http://blog.precipice.org/why-wesabe-lost-to-mint
Listening Failures
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Google focused on: “Revolutionizing” communication
Listening Failures
Customers said: We don’t understand it
Google focused on: “Revolutionizing” communication
Result: Dead after one year
Failure to Understand
Failure to Understand
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
• 200k blind taste tests
• 55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
• Was brand, not taste
Failure to Understand• $4MM research
•200k blind taste tests
•55% liked new taste
• 40k letters
• 6,000 calls/day
• Off shelf in 79 days
• Didn’t understand brand importance
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4649102556/ Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
Failure to Understand
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
• Built simpler sign-in
Failure to Understand• 500 votes for OpenID integration
• Customers disliked it
• We finally understood that the issue was signing up for a new account
• Built simpler sign-in
• 7x increase in conversions
Success Through Understanding
Success Through Understanding
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
• “A stupid idea”
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
• People said: “I want to broadcast”
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Success Through Understanding
• “A stupid idea”
• 6 months building a camera
• Traffic “went off a cliff” after 6 weeks
• People said: “I want to broadcast”
• Now 3MM visitors/monthPhoto : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tychay/513991272/in/photostream/ Data: Personal interview
Best Practices
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
Best Practices• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
• Wastes your customers’ time
Best Practices
Solution: Aggregate and prioritize
• Email doesn’t scale
• Wastes your time
• Wastes your customers’ time
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
•May not be your best or stickiest customers
Best Practices
Photo : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4581041971/in/photostream/
• Avoid the vocal minority
• Not representative
•May not be your best or stickiest customers
Solution: Limit votes so everyone is at the same volume
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
• (Almost) nobody rates badly
Photo & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid the J-Curve
• Y! properties: average 4.5 out of 5 stars
• YouTube tried like/dislike, still had the J-curve
• (Almost) nobody rates badly
Solution: Only allow up votes, don’t default to top ideasPhoto & Data: http://buildingreputation.com/writings/2009/08/ratings_bias_effects.html & http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/09/five-stars-dominate-ratings.html
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
•SSO: 124%
Best Practices• Avoid steep on-ramps
• Domain aliasing: 12% engagement increase
•Logo: 25%
•Custom design: 55%
•SSO: 124%
Solution: Integrate your ideas tool completely
The Importance of Saying No
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
• 0 to 6.5MM monthlies in 2 years
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• Don’t forget your vision
• StackOverflow had a clear vision
• Completed 30% of ideas, declined 62%
• 0 to 6.5MM monthlies in 2 years
• “educating customers”
Data: UserVoice internal & http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
• The vision was missing
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
The Importance of Saying No• StackExchange let anyone create a StackOverflow
• For every 1 successful site, there were 20 sites with 3 users
• The vision was missing
• New sites have to prove themselves before launching now
Data: http://mixergy.com/stack-exchange-joel-spolsky-interview/#transcript
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback2. Avoid the vocal minority and the J-curve
Conclusion
You have the tools to win:
1. Actively solicit feedback2. Avoid the vocal minority and the J-curve3. Spend the time understand what people
are really saying
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