How do you encourage dialog with your users?
A few weeks ago I had mentioned in a reply to a post about phone support that it was crucial to have a dialog with your users.
Phone support is absolutely a good way, but I've personally preferred to invite users who were trying out my product to do a video call with me. My take is that it would help me better understand what that person was trying to achieve. Maybe they had a specific project in mind and wanted my product (a node-based 3D design tool) to help them build it. Or maybe they just wanted to experiment with new tech. Or maybe they wanted to convince their own clients that a project they designed could be doable.
In short, they could have created an account for many reasons.
But the more I knew about their reasons, the more I could help them.
So it is key for me to know my users beyond just an email. And it's also key for them to know how and why the product is designed that way, so they can make best use of it.
Therefore we need a dialog. And how do we create that?
The impersonal barrier that needs breaking
When people subscribe to a product, they probably often expect a simple transaction for a service. And that can be very impersonal. Sometimes its a good thing. If you buy a croissant, you just want the croissant and be on your way. But if you buy a car, it's nice to have someone to ask questions to, before buying, and also after as you get familiar with the car.
And with websites, when all you have is an email, it's tricky to break this "impersonal barrier". Much harder than if it was face to face.
Until now, I've mostly sent a welcome email saying something like "Hey, welcome to Polygonjs. Happy to talk or do a video call if you are interested."
The Offer
And while some people happily replied, it wasn't exactly a 100% reply rate. So I'm now trying something different. As of today, I send the following email:
Welcome to Polygonjs!
Thanks a lot for giving it a go, I hope you will like it. Here are a few links to get you started:
- Documentation
- Tutorials
- Our Forum
- Our Discord
Also, I'd love to talk to you. Every person approaches a new software differently, so by getting to know each other, I could point you in the right direction. And by telling me what works or does not work for you, your ideas could influence how Polygonjs evolves. You would then have a direct impact on how it helps other people!
So if you are okay to spend about 15 minutes on a video call me with, I'll be more than happy to give you a free month on the freelance plan to thank you for your time.
In any case, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. You can simply reply to this email. I'd love to help as much as I can.
Gui Fradin, Polygonjs founder
So as you can see, I'm offering a free month (currently worth 49USD). That's quite a lot of money left on the table for just 15min. But I'm hoping more people will make themselves available and it will be a win-win for every party in the long term.
We shall see how that works.
And there are other possible ideas I've seen used and have considered:
- feedback forms, where people can vote on possible new features. It seems like a nice way to see what people expect, but it seems a little limited.
- chat popup, where people can ask the first questions that comes to them. I'm still wondering if I should have one, although I have just setup a discord, and a chat popup may be a little redundant.
👉 What about you? Do you also want to encourage dialog with your users? If yes, what techniques do you use?
