Nor Cal BMA Product Management Roundtable Presentation
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The document discusses practical ways to integrate customer perspective into product strategies through customer research, outlining why research is important, common obstacles, and easy steps to conduct research using various qualitative and quantitative tools; it also provides examples of how three companies used surveys and interviews to gather customer insights that helped define products and services.
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Nor Cal BMA Product Management Roundtable Presentation
- 1. Prepared by: The Insight Advantage 1 NorCal BMA Product Management Roundtable June 17, 2014 Practical Ways to Integrate Customer Perspective into Your Product Strategies
- 2. 2 Why do research? What gets in the way? Easy as 1 – 2 – 3 Choosing the right tool Summary 2 Today’s Agenda
- 4. 4 Generate new product ideas Develop messaging Establish pricing Set product revision priorities/product roadmap Establish sales tools/marketing materials Learn about competition Product Planning Applications
- 5. 5 What Gets in the Way? 5
- 6. 6 Time Budget Resistance from Engineering and/or management Difficult to get contact info Don’t know how 6 Top Obstacles to Doing Research
- 8. 8 Easy as…. 8 1 – 2 – 3Identify key questions Plan: tools/ resources/ logistics Do the research/ share results = Insights
- 9. 9 Choosing the right tools 9
- 10. 10
- 11. 11 Overview of primary research tools 11 Qualitative Deep knowledge about fewer people Insights from below the surface Discovery of previously unknown needs Implicit info Early stages of product process Quantitative Shallow knowledge about lots of people Tip of the "cultural iceberg" Info about known needs Explicit info Later stages of product process Ethno- graphic Studies Customer Panels Usability Testing In-Person Interviews Focus Groups Telephone Interviews/ Surveys Print Surveys Web Surveys
- 12. 12 • Observation/interviewing focused on understanding values, beliefs, motivations • Early concept development; lots of unknowns Ethnographic Studies • Always done in person; usually one- on-one
- 13. 13 • Ongoing dialogue with static group of key customers • To understand business issues; early visibility to upcoming issues/opportu- nities • Input could be fed into the ideation stage • Can be virtual and/or in person Customer Panels
- 14. 14 • Users are observed using the product • Provides data on ease of use and drive features and documentation • Helpful in development and testing/validation phases • Not necessarily in person; can be self-administered Usability Testing
- 15. 15 • One-on-one discussion to collect information • Provides primarily qualitative input from small numbers of people • Helpful when defining product positioning or features; throughout the product process • Always conducted in person In-Person Interviews (IDI’s)
- 16. 16 • Facilitated small group discussion • To brainstorm names, problems, solutions, features Focus Groups • Usually used when in full production and market launch stages • Usually in person; can be conducted online also
- 17. 17 • One-on-one phone discussion to collect information • Can combine qualitative and quantitative input • Helpful when defining product positioning or features; throughout the product process • Always conducted via phone Telephone Interviews (IDI’s)/Surveys
- 18. 18 • Printed survey, completed by hand • To gather primarily quantita- tive data to support or reject hypotheses/beliefs Print Surveys • Usually used in full production phase after products/market are well- defined • Handed out or mailed to respondents
- 19. 19 • Online, interactive survey • To gather primarily quantitative data to support or reject hypotheses/beliefs • Usually used in full production phase after products/market is well- defined • Can be widely promoted via email, pop-ups, social media, etc. Web Surveys
- 20. 20 • Objective To gather input from engineers (users): • Value of various features/services • Satisfaction levels • Reactions to various price points • Methodology Web-based survey; 50 respondents • Results Learned most valued support elements: email support, quick responses Targeted improvement areas: data quality/thoroughness Got clearer on pricing strategy: per user pricing Mapping Technology
- 21. 21 • Objective To gather input from potential decision-makers and users on: • Usage patterns • Satisfaction levels • What they value most • Methodology Web-based survey; 3,500 respondents • Results Defined user profile: creative types Validated the key perceived value of the service: large files Learned about perceived key differentiator: ease of use Online File Storage Service
- 22. 22 Consumer ‘Smart’ Printer • Objective To gather input from potential decision-makers and users that would: • Drive positioning/marketing messaging • Help prioritize features/enhancements for v2 of the product • Methodology 30 one-on-one interviews in 2 days • Results Validated need and perceived benefits: ease of use/no PC required Fine-tuned marketing messages: “stay in touch easily” Prioritized product features: customized calendars, offer template options
- 23. 23 • Customer input can help you make decisions about your products, services, organization • The steps involved in conducting research are quite simple • Focus on stage of the product and research objectives to choose the right research tool • Customer insights product success Conclusions
- 24. 24 Q & A
- 25. 25 For more information: Phone: 408-358-0700 Email: JBerkley@TheInsightAdvantage.com Blog: www.TheInsightAdvantage.com/blog Twitter: jenberkley Contact us for: 1) e-version of Research Tools Matrix 2) recommended resources for various research tools…
Editor's Notes
- Thrilled to be here…. Having come from a product management background myself and having realized that integrating customer perspectives was key to the success of my products, I’m always interested in sharing my own experiences with others about: Why research is important And how to easily integrate it into product strategies QUESTION: How many of you have done some sort of research to include customer perspectives into your product strategy work or worked with organizations who did so as part of their product strategy? QUESTION: How many of you wish that you COULD provide input to companies whose products or services you use? That supports my perspective that there isn’t enough of this being done…but that customers are very willing and interested to contribute.
- Over 50% of product innovations come from customers… Companies that include customer input in the product process save time and money in development and are much more likely to launch successful products.
- There are many applications for customer research in product planning. Product managers are constantly making decisions that impact various elements of their products and customers have a perspective that can help make those decisions easier and ultimately more relevant, helping ensure that the products are more interesting and valuable to the target market. (overview of the list – interject some examples as appropriate) I’ve worked with companies to ensure that their marketing messages were focused on the attributes of their product and services that their customers were most interested in…that allowed them to prioritize about what messages to focus on… Some of my customers have worked with customers to help them prioritize all of the many features they COULD put into a product revision and focus on executing REALLY well on the items that were most important to the customers
- 2009 280 Group PM survey said that the top 3 sources of influence on product management decisions are: 1. Face-to-face customer visits 2. Sales and marketing 3. Internal market expert That means that very few product managers are doing any kind of measurable research to help drive product decisions.
- Results of discussion at a session I did at the Silicon Valley PCamp in March that synchs up with observation of many product mgt projects: Time pressures (can’t stop to do research) AND I don’t have the time to manage it Too expensive to get enough input to make a difference Resistance from Engineering/management (“Customers don’t know what we know”) – ESPECIALLY FOR HIGHLY INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS Can’t get contact info: - Channel partners block me from getting in touch with the customers - Difficulty in finding the contact info for the right people/target market Don’t know how AND…underneath it all: I don’t want to admit that I don’t already know what customers think it’s not a weakness to admit what you don’t know…it’s a strength! IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D ADD TO THIS LIST????
- Even though each of these are real issues that come up, they can be dealt with…and are important to address in order to make sure that you are making product decisions based on real customer data AND that you are reducing risk in the process. The time taken, or money spent, on research is well worth it if it helps avoid a product flop And it’s not as much time as you may think…we’ll be sharing some case studies where real insights were gotten in 4-6 weeks. And the cost can be minimal if the work is done internally; even if you pull in external resources, you can contain your costs by choosing the right partners who will customize their approach to only what you need vs. a canned approach that they have scoped. Resistance from Engineering regarding how uninformed or enlightened customers are, need to be countered with a stance re: ‘we need to know how to market this based on where the customers’ pain is and what they are willing to pay for (vs. what we think is coolest about the product) - you need management support on this…get it! Getting contact info: partners: make it a win-win and share the research with them/include things they care about that are ‘on topic’ Don’t have a good database… You can buy lists or access to panels and screen for customers (panels=only pay for actual responses; not for names) Or have sales team provide their contact/dbase info…this will benefit other marketing/sales efforts, also Don’t know how – don’t have to do it alone… - There are resources out there that will engage with you to help with whatever you need…even if it’s just coaching/expertise on putting together a research plan or critiquing a survey, etc. - We’ll share some case studies where external resources were used and the costs were minimal (from $5 – 20K)
- Making research happen doesn’t have to be complicated and hard…it really can be as simple as: Identifying the key questions - Set Clear objectives – must be focused and manageable…will help you decide what NOT to ask later when it’s tempting to add ‘just one more question’ 2) Determining the right research tools and resources Choose research tool (s) We’ll be providing you with more information and a tool to help decide what tool(s) to use Design execution plan: This is where you determine what resources will be involved: can be a combination of internal and external resources - if external, may want to get their perspective on the tools you are thinking of using…they may have other perspectives (share focus group example vs. interviews) - If you are trying to do a project in a short amount of time, you’ll need devoted resources either internally or externally If you have more time, it’s easier to fit in with other responsibilities but still may need some external expertise re: designing the questions, conducting the research, or interpreting the results 3) Do the research - Actual research time varies based on the tools you are using but usually 1-2 weeks for surveys; 2-6 weeks for other tools that may be more less structured, less scalable Analysis Important to take time with the analysis to make sure you get the most value from your efforts Sometimes makes sense to do segmentation of the data to look for unique perspectives of various groups (perhaps by company size, by role in the organization, or by age in the consumer world) Share results - Important step: again, to ensure your organization gets the most value for their efforts and to avoid people doing the same kind of research again
- It’s important to take time to choose the right tools…we’ll drill down a bit more on this to help you know what tools are best for what kinds of objectives.
- Review handout with summary of the next few slides…
- Need to go back to your original objective and determine the tool based on what kind of information you’re trying to get, where you are in the process, and what you already know. The left hand side of this slide contains the tools that are appropriate when there is a lot of unknown information about the market, applications of the product, or even whether there is an actual need. The tools all of the way to the right are perfect when you already know a bit about the market, but are trying to fine tune your approach re: naming, pricing, distribution, marketing messages, etc. These are the ones we are all a bit more familiar with: telephone interviewing and surveys (print and web). Let’s talk in more detail about each one, starting on the left and moving to the right.
- I WAS ONCE A SUBJECT FOR SUCH A STUDY THAT PLANTRONICS DID FOR A NEW DIGITAL PHONE…THEY CAME TO MY OFFICE, BROUGHT THE PRODUCT, WATCHED ME WITH MY CURRENT EQUIPMENT FIRST, THEN HAD ME UNPACK THEIR PRODUCT, INSTALL IT, USE IT, ETC… Pros: Helps discover deeper issues that work for/against a product Can discover subtle things that the subject may not even be consciously aware of Cons: Can be expensive (requires highly trained specialists) Is difficult to scale to large numbers Can be difficult to get permission or agreement to participate (time/privacy issues) Difficult to analyze data/input Not the same as usability testing
- CAN ALSO BE CALLED CUSTOMER ADVISORY BOARDS; THESE ARE TRUSTED ADVISORS – CAN BE CONSUMER OR B2B…THEY ARE THE FIRST PLACE YOU GO TO WHEN YOU WANT INSIGHTS ABOUT 1) HOW YOU/YOUR PRODUCTS ARE DOING; 2) WHAT THE MARKETPLACE IS LIKE AND 3) WHAT THE FUTURE STATE MAY BE USUALLY YOU CHOOSE MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP FROM YOUR BIGGEST CLIENTS WHO USE YOUR PRODUCT THE MOST, BUT IT’S GOOD TO MIX THINGS UP A LITTLE TO MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T JUST TALKING TO ‘FRIENDLIES’—MAIN REQUIREMENT IS THAT THEY ARE ENGAGED AND INTERESTED IN YOUR SUCCESS Pros: Participants feel like insiders and become advocates and extremely loyal Minimal orientation to get valuable and pertinent input Cons: Requires long-term commitment from your organization and your customers Can require significant resources for care and feeding to keep them engaged Requires skilled facilitator for group sessions May be difficult to see trends
- VERY OFTEN DONE FOR WEBSITE OR SOFTWARE DESIGN BUT ALSO APPLICABLE FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND EVEN HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. CAN BE DONE IN A LAB USING FANCY TOOLS EVALUATING EYE MOVEMENT FOR WEBSITES…OR CAN BE DONE AT THE USER’S HOME OR OFFICE. Pros: Can help identify issues that could make or break the user experience despite a great product Cons: Requires recruiting time Relies upon skilled observers/facilitators Not easy to scale/do lots of tests Not easy to analyze results
- Makes sense when stakes are very high; when there may be a need for real-time intervention/injected questions by observers on the fly, etc. Can be good alternative to focus groups when an individual’s perspective is more appropriate than group perspectives. ONCE DID 30 INTERVIEWS IN 2 DAYS FOR A CONSUMER TECH FIRM LAUNCHING A SMART PRINTER…(ASKED FOR A FOCUS GROUP FIRST BUT THIS WAS A BETTER WAY AT GETTING DEEP, UNTAINTED (SO MORE RELIABLE INFO) ABOUT 30 INDIVIDUALS’ REACTIONS TO THE PRODUCT AND INPUT FOR MESSAGING. Pros: Best way to access higher level contacts/design makers Ability to drill down more on information received to gain better insights Allows a combination of qualitative and quantitative data Ensures for good quality control of who is participating Allows for observers and their intervention Cons: Not anonymous, so participants may be less candid Relies upon skilled interviewer who can recognize cues for where to ask more questions Requires careful recruiting to get the right people Difficult/time-consuming to get a high number of participants Higher incentives required than in-person interviews
- Sometimes interviews are an alternative to focus groups when brainstorming isn’t the objective. COMMONLY ASKED FOR, BUT RARELY THE RIGHT TOOL; DID FOCUS GROUP FOR A TRAVEL AGENCY THAT WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING INPUT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE CHOOSE AN AGENCY AND WHAT DESTINATIONS WERE MOST IMPORTANT AND WHAT SERVICES WERE REQUIRED. (They were committed to a focus group, however telephone interviews could have worked, too) Pros: Broad range of responses as people build upon one another’s ideas Provides opportunity to probe for clarity Good quality control of participants Can be more engaging for participants than interviews Allows for observers and their intervention in the process Cons: Group think influences Group dynamics can influence level of candidness/participation Requires strict recruiting criteria Small sample reflects small segment of market; expensive to scale
- Phone interviews more appropriate when the information required is not largely qualitative and script is fairly ‘fixed’. Shorter than in-person: 30 minutes maximum. Can be used to help hone in on content for a survey or to follow up on feedback received via a survey. GREAT FOR WIN/LOSS INTERVIEWS; BRAND PERCEPTION INTERVIEWS Pros: ALL THE SAME AS IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS PLUS: Can provide access to higher level contacts/design makers Ability to drill down more on information received to gain better insights Allows a combination of qualitative and quantitative data Ensures for good quality control of who is participating Lower cost incentives than in-person interviews Surveys: can build in skip logic based on responses Can get more input in a shorter period of time than in-person interviews Cons: ALL THE SAME AS IN-PERSON INTERVIEW PLUS: Not anonymous, so participants may be less candid Relies upon skilled interviewer who can recognize cues for where to ask more questions Requires careful recruiting to get the right people Difficult/time-consuming to get a high number of participants Difficult to differentiate from telemarketing call Doesn’t allow for real-time intervention by observers
- Used primarily with Consumers to ensure that you are not biasing results with only computer-savvy customers DID PAPER SURVEY VIA MAIL FOR A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER THAT WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT A SHOPPING CENTER THEY WERE PUTTING IN…DIDN’T HAVE EMAIL ADDRESSES…DIDN’T WANT A BIAS BY AGE THAT A WEB SURVEY MAY HAVE HAD SINCE THERE ARE A LOT OF RETIREES THERE Pros: Avoids bias of computer-savvy customers; ensures you get input from all customers Solicits candid responses since it’s anonymous Can reach practically anyone and in large numbers Easy tabulation/analysis Cons: Has to be hand-coded centrally in order to tabulate results Difficult to include complex survey logic Participants less likely to provide detailed responses that explain motivation Can be perceived as time-consuming for respondent Takes more time than web survey
- HAVE DONE A LOT OF THESE: DID ONE SURVEY WHERE WE GOT INPUT FROM OVER 10,000 CUSTOMERS AND WERE ABLE TO SEGMENT THE RESULTS EASILY TO SEE WHAT UNIQUE NEEDS/OPINIONS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN…CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY THE HOTTEST MARKET FOR YOUR PRODUCT IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT SEVERAL… Pros: SAME AS PAPER SURVEYS PLUS: Solicits candid responses since it’s anonymous Can reach practically anyone and in large numbers No data entry involved Easy tabulation/analysis Easy to include complex survey logic Minimal production time/costs Participants more likely to provide detailed responses about their motivation Can be quick for respondents to complete Relatively short cycle time Cons: Need to have email addresses to reach your customers; not practical for some kinds of customer relationships (CAN BE EXPENSIVE IF SURVEYING PROSPECTS) Requires time to learn web survey design/tools Demographics skewed to people who own/use computers
- In this case, it was a very small company, the economics were VERY important. There were 3 engineers working full-time on this project for 6 months…taking into account their salaries/benefits, that could come to over $150K, so making sure their efforts were focused on the most essential information was being designed/supported…didn’t want to spend time/$$ on things that weren’t valued to the customer.
- More expensive survey tool because of segmentation primarily, not necessarily driven by # of respondents since surveys are very scalable unless you are analyzing all of the verbatim comments.
- I’d love to take questions…and hear about any successes you may have had in keeping in touch with your customers…