Track Customer Requests Appropriately

If you want to be a bad product manager, respond to any feature request that comes in the market. If a customer requests it, there are probably dozens more that you do not receive even enjoy it. If you want to be customer-focused you have to listen to all the feedback from our customers everything that comes in response and. When a display on a bulletin board on a specific potential, so be sure to run either on the function and / or answers, and let people know when it becomes available. You do not want clients who want things you do not have to provide the plans, and you?

If you want to be a good product manager, monitor customer needs and applications of high-level and rank in the long run. You will receive more requests for new features, changes and improvements that can reasonably respond to the capture or even to a granular level. In response to each case, take all your time and leave you with a product without perceptible and focus on a hodgepodge of many reactive functions, without clear benefits.

You must ensure you have a good way to collect and track customer requests as well as internal ideas, so they can feed in your product roadmap. Requirements of individual customers are not as important as the aggregation of all the customer wants. Be careful not to simply be voice, but not so much the number of times a function is listed does not match its importance or priority.

In Getting Real: Forget feature requests, the 37signals team discusses his management (or not) the client requests:

When you launch your products, customers to send hundreds or thousands of requests. ... So what do all these requests? Where are they stored? How can I manage? How do you keep track of all these requests? You do not. Read them and then throw them away. ... It is not necessary to follow or remember everything - let the customer be your memory. Please note.

This can be a bit '"extreme" of your company, but the point is valid. Monitoring the client's desires, rather than counting the number of times each specific location is mentioned, and more understanding of general trends and areas with a potential to delight customers. Although you might want to approach and throw away all the 37signals feature requests and project management of your financial processes can not be otherwise.

Regardless of how you approach it, not overreacting to all requests of each client. Instead, develop a plan to collect and manage customer information - with other sources, such as internal ideas, improved technology and business strategy - and use it to drive improvements in the future and its long-term product sheet map.