The Benefits of a Product Based User Community like The JETforce

Product user communities are becoming more and more popular in our industry. While it is well accepted that communities around products can lead to higher satisfaction, brand loyalty, and customer advocacy, there still remains confusion about what exactly makes a product user community effective. There are so many reasons why having an active user community matters for your product.

Product User Communities matter because they…

– Provide instant feedback on proposed changes or new features

There is nothing worse than spending weeks working away on a new feature for your product only to have it ghosted by the majority of users when you unveil it to them. Many companies rely on focus groups to gather this kind of information but there simply isn’t enough time or money available to organize these types of groups every time a new feature is to be introduced. An active product user community provides an opportunity for companies to conduct these kinds of focus groups at any time. If a proposed feature fails to garner interest in the community, then it is best if the company not invest time and money into developing that feature further.

– Provide further insight into customer needs

Even with extensive market research, you can’t always get a direct read on how your customers are using your product or what their main pain points are. Forums, online chats, and communities around products provide glimpses into how users are interacting on a more personal level with the product on a regular basis without having to eavesdrop on every single one-on-one interaction between them and their friends who use the same product.

– Provide higher value features through user-driven innovation

As mentioned earlier, user communities offer a means for companies to understand what really matters most to users when it comes down to actually using the product. This information is gathered through feedback on features, ideas for new features, and usability testing within the community itself. These insights can help companies prioritize what makes it into future releases of their products as well as provide them with greater insight into how they might integrate the most popular user suggestions into their roadmap moving forward.

– Bring people together to learn from each other

With such a strong emphasis on online communities around products growing in popularity, there has been increasing demand for companies to create dedicated spaces just for their customers within these communities that go beyond simple customer service queries or feedback requests. There are many examples where this is particularly effective: popular tutorials and walkthroughs can be shared with other users who might benefit from them; questions about how best use certain features can spark conversations between others who might want to share their own experiences; and great ideas for new features or product enhancements can be shared between users who might have come up with the same idea independently.

– Provide a means of connecting with others that share your interests outside your circle of friends

For many, this is one of the most exciting aspects about using social networks and online communities around products are perfect for this kind of engagement. Sometimes it’s difficult to meet people in real life who share the same passions or interests as yourself because geography or other factors prevent you from ever meeting each other. When you’re talking about an interest as broad as say, “sports”, it’s even more likely that you’ll never find anyone else in your real life circles that shares that passion so being able to connect with someone online is often easier for those without similar opportunities.

– Provide a place for companies to build stronger relationships with their customers

Since online communities around products are growing in popularity, it follows that there is greater opportunity for companies and users/customers to connect and communicate more often. Product user communities can be used as a way for companies to share information across the entire customer base such as sharing helpful tips or offering ways for them to learn about upcoming product features, updates, etc.

– Provide customers with additional ways to engage with your brand without ever needing to speak with customer service representatives

One of the biggest benefits associated with online communities around products is that there is often no longer a need for customers to ever have to interact with customer support representatives – at least not for issues related to how they are using their products. A great example of this would be complaints about broken features or bugs in existing ones because these are typically addressed through updates rather than having them handled by dedicated support staff. With social networks where people can voice their concerns about particular features or problems without requiring a direct line to customer service, everyone benefits.

– Provide users with the opportunity to give feedback and collaborate on new product ideas

The final example we’ll mention about how online communities around products can benefit both the customers who use them and the companies who create them is by providing users with an opportunity to give their input and feedback about existing features and provide suggestions for future ones. Customer feedback is almost always invaluable for companies because it’s from those that they might not have been able to capture themselves otherwise – it’s also much easier now thanks to user communities where anyone can share what they’d like to see in their next update as opposed to having to contact support directly.

In summary, there are many reasons why having a dedicated user community around a product can be beneficial for both the company who created it and the users who use it. These often include increased exposure through social networks, no need to interact with customer support, occasionally receiving incentives or free coupons/access to new features, providing additional ways to give feedback without requiring direct contact with customer service representatives, and allowing customers an ability to provide recommendations on how they would like to see their product improved in future iterations/updates.