Is there a better feeling than using a tool that was made with you in mind? Workflows get easier, time is saved with intuitive user experience and tasks you once dreaded are over in a snap.
Next time you experience that sensation, thank a product manager.
Anticipating users’ needs takes a great deal of empathy, understanding and planning. And with the tremendous amount of work that goes into designing and building products and features, releasing a lackluster new update disappoints both internal teams and customers.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution for juggling tech requirements, business-market fits and customer needs all at once. That’s why Timothy Jorgensen, product manager at FRONTSTEPS, said actually talking to customers is so important.
“The most important tool we use is direct communication,” Jorgensen said. “Nothing beats speaking to our customers or prospects directly during working sessions to ensure we truly understand their needs, and that those needs match what we are building for them.”
Aside from talking regularly with users, Jorgensen’s team is careful to keep a close watch over the rapidly changing industry of community management to anticipate trends and stay ahead of the curve. Built In Colorado connected with Jorgensen to find out how his team deploys this in practice, and his best tips for keeping software user-focused.
FRONTSTEPS builds software for companies working in property management, security, homeowners’ associations and more. FRONTSTEPS’ platform was designed to increase efficiency, satisfaction, communication and camaraderie in residential communities.
What tools do you use to get customer feedback? How do you better understand what users are looking for?
At FRONTSTEPS, we take listening to our customers very seriously, and have a number of tools to gather ideas and respond. Many of the ideas we receive start as a request on our feedback forum, where customers can communicate with us and other customers, and vote on ideas. As we build these features, we continue this conversation through that forum. When it’s time to release, we have in-app tools to gather live feedback as the customers use what we have created for them.
How do you put yourself in the mindset of a user, given all the extra knowledge you have about your product?
This is a question that I struggled with quite a bit during my early career. I started my product life as a subject-matter expert thrust into product management, so I had to figure out a way to look at my products through the lens of someone who doesn’t already know where everything is.
One of the best ways I have found to do this is by understanding the customer journey. We have tools that map the user experience for all of our user types at all levels of expertise. We gain insight into how they use our software — rather than assuming they are using it the way we intended. Having access to these journeys, as well as understanding usage, stumbles and roadblocks, has been invaluable.
The difference between wants and needs usually comes down to scalability of usage.”
How do you distinguish between what users want and need when there’s a conflict between the product output and the overall goals of your company?
In my field, the difference between wants and needs usually comes down to scalability of usage. We are a SaaS organization working to meet the needs of a specific industry as a whole. We have to be able to determine which requests add value for the industry, and which requests serve niche markets where we may not be the best fit. In most cases, this is determined using the tools I’ve previously mentioned.
Where it becomes tricky is pinpointing when a perceived niche request might later become a fundamental requirement with the right offering and marketing. This is where communication with the customers, keeping a finger on the pulse of the market, watching trends in neighboring industries and paying attention to our partners becomes important. We have to remain agile, working closely with the business and the market in order to pivot and respond when needed.
