4 Reasons Why Customer Communication is Essential for Startups

3. Communication keeps you current with your audience.

[pullquote align=”right”]Tip: Keep a list of your customers and record when you contact them. Even better, keep brief notes on what you spoke to them about as a reference point. If it’s been a few months, drop them a line.[/pullquote]Aside from learning about the product you’re about to release, talking with your customers enables you to know them better. Regular communication keeps you up-to-date on what matters. People you talked to a year ago may have changed their behavior significantly since then, so it’s important to keep in touch.

As your company grows there may come a point when you don’t have the capacity to talk to everyone as often as you’d like to. That’s okay. If you can identify a manageable group of people whose opinions you value, make sure to keep the conversation going with them.

As for other users, you can still drop them a line when you have the time. If you keep these lines of communication easy and open, you’ll learn a lot more about how to build products that suit your audience best.

4. Communication gives customers ownership.

[pullquote]Tip: Take customer feedback seriously. If there’s a feature many users are requesting, strongly consider building it. When you announce its release, mention that it grew from customer feedback. Your customers will feel appreciated.[/pullquote]Being heard is one of the most gratifying things a customer can feel. When customers ask for something and you deliver it, it’s the best way to let them know that you care. At Onepager, some of our most popular features are the outcomes of conversations we’ve had with customers.

This isn’t surprising, since a common request directly signifies a need that resonates with your audience. Our entire Agency plan was created after hearing echoed concerns surrounding login for users with multiple webpages. We had an agency plan in our roadmap, but customer feedback told us we needed to build it as soon as possible. So we did, and everyone has been happier with the Onepager experience because of it, including the Onepager team.

Eric Tarn is the Co-founder of Onepager, a simple website builder that has been used by more than 25,000 small businesses all over the world. His mission with Onepager is to always encourage small business owners and entrepreneurs to take the first or next step towards their professional independence.