UserVoice

What is UserVoice

UserVoice is a product feedback management software designed to help companies listen to their customers, prioritize feature development, and build better products. Founded in 2008, the platform provides a centralized place for businesses to collect, manage, and analyze feedback from users and internal teams. The core purpose of UserVoice is to bridge the gap between customers and product teams, ensuring that product decisions are driven by real user data and insights. It allows companies to create feedback forums where users can submit ideas, vote on existing suggestions, and receive updates on the status of their requests. This process helps product managers understand what features are most important to their user base, leading to more effective product strategies and increased customer satisfaction.

UserVoice Features

• Feedback Collection Portals: Create branded, public or private portals where users can submit and discuss ideas. This centralizes all feedback in one organized location.
• In-App Widget: Embed a feedback widget directly into your web or mobile application. This makes it easy for users to provide suggestions without leaving your product.
• Feedback Analysis: Use powerful tools to analyze feedback trends. You can filter suggestions by customer segments, revenue data, or user demographics to identify the most impactful ideas.
• Product Roadmapping: Build and share visual product roadmaps. This helps align internal teams and keeps customers informed about what you are building next.
• Status Updates: Automatically notify users when the status of their idea changes, from 'under review' to 'completed'. This closes the feedback loop and shows customers you are listening.
• Internal Feedback Management: Collect and manage feedback from internal teams like sales, support, and marketing. This ensures all stakeholder voices are heard.
• User Segmentation: Connect feedback to user data from your CRM or other systems. This allows you to see which requests are most important to your highest-value customers.

UserVoice Pricing Plans

UserVoice offers several pricing tiers tailored to different business sizes and needs. The plans are typically quote-based, requiring you to contact their sales team for specific pricing.

• Essentials Plan: This entry-level plan is designed for growing companies starting to formalize their feedback process. It includes core features like a feedback portal and basic analytics.
• Premium Plan: Aimed at mid-market companies, this plan offers more advanced features, including user segmentation, integrations with tools like Salesforce and Jira, and more robust analytics.
• Enterprise Plan: This is the most comprehensive package for large organizations. It includes all features, advanced security, dedicated support, and customization options to meet complex enterprise requirements.

UserVoice Free Plan

UserVoice does not offer a free plan. It is a premium product focused on businesses that are serious about integrating customer feedback into their product development lifecycle. However, they do offer a free trial or a personalized demo upon request, allowing potential customers to see the platform in action and determine if it fits their needs before committing to a subscription.

How to use UserVoice

1. Set Up Your Account: Start by signing up and configuring your UserVoice instance. Customize the branding of your feedback portal to match your company's look and feel.
2. Install the Widget: Embed the UserVoice widget into your website or application. This is the primary channel for collecting in-context feedback from your users.
3. Collect Feedback: Encourage users to submit ideas, feature requests, and bug reports through the portal or widget. Users can also vote and comment on suggestions from others.
4. Analyze and Prioritize: Use the admin dashboard to review incoming feedback. Filter ideas by number of votes, user segments, or other custom data to identify top priorities.
5. Update Your Roadmap: Move prioritized ideas onto your product roadmap. Assign statuses like 'Planned', 'In Progress', or 'Completed'.
6. Communicate with Users: As you update the status of an idea, UserVoice automatically sends email notifications to every user who submitted or voted for it. This keeps your community engaged and informed.

Pros and Cons of UserVoice

Pros:

• Centralized Feedback: Gathers all customer and internal feedback into a single, manageable system.
• Data-Driven Prioritization: Helps product teams make informed decisions based on what users actually want.
• Closes the Feedback Loop: Automated status updates keep users engaged and show that their input is valued.
• Scalable: Well-suited for mid-market and enterprise companies with large user bases.
• Powerful Integrations: Connects with key business tools like Jira, Salesforce, and Slack.

Cons:

• High Cost: The pricing can be a significant investment, making it less accessible for small startups or businesses with tight budgets.
• Complexity: The platform is feature-rich, which can be overwhelming for small teams looking for a simple solution.
• Dated Interface: Some users find the user interface to be less modern compared to newer competitors.

UserVoice integrations

UserVoice integrates with a variety of popular business tools to streamline workflows:

• Salesforce Integration: Link customer feedback directly to Salesforce accounts to understand the revenue impact of feature requests.
• Jira Integration: Push ideas from UserVoice to Jira to create development tickets, connecting product planning with engineering workflows.
• Slack Integration: Receive notifications about new feedback and comments directly in your Slack channels to keep your team updated.
• Azure DevOps Integration: Connect feedback to work items in Azure DevOps, allowing for a seamless flow from customer idea to development.
• Zendesk Integration: Allow support agents to link customer tickets to existing feedback or create new ideas on behalf of customers.

UserVoice Alternatives

1. Canny: A popular alternative that is often considered more modern and affordable. Canny offers a simple, clean interface for feedback collection and roadmapping, making it a strong choice for startups and SMBs.
2. Productboard: A comprehensive product management platform that combines feedback collection with advanced roadmapping, prioritization frameworks, and user research tools. It is best for product teams who need an all-in-one solution.
3. Pendo Feedback: Part of the larger Pendo product experience platform, Pendo Feedback combines user suggestions with product analytics. This allows teams to see not just what users say, but also what they do in the product.
4. Aha! Ideas: A part of the Aha! suite of product development tools. It offers robust idea management and is tightly integrated with Aha! Roadmaps, making it ideal for companies already using the Aha! ecosystem.

UserVoice API

Yes, UserVoice provides a developer API that allows you to programmatically interact with your feedback data. The API enables you to build custom integrations, pull feedback into other systems, or automate workflows. To get an API key, you typically need to be an administrator on a qualifying plan. The key and secret can be generated within the UserVoice admin settings under the 'Integrations' or 'API' section.

Here is a conceptual example of using the API with cURL to fetch suggestions:

curl -u "YOUR_API_KEY:YOUR_API_SECRET" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  "https://your_subdomain.uservoice.com/api/v1/suggestions.json"

For detailed instructions and endpoints, you should consult the official UserVoice developer documentation.

UserVoice Affiliate program

UserVoice does not have a public, self-service affiliate program listed on its website. Their business model is focused on direct sales to mid-market and enterprise customers. If you are interested in a partnership or reseller opportunities, the best approach is to contact their sales or partnership team directly through their official website to discuss potential collaboration.