Achieving User Satisfaction

Winning in software investment, not just breaking even, requires an approach that centers on creating and measuring user satisfaction. What matters are not just hype and a run on the share price, but also how the customers perceive and use the product.

To grapple with this issue, I recommend field trials to measure and improve user satisfaction, an audit we used in numerous organizations.

Beta is the most dynamic cycle of software development. Running first-class field trials provides the reality check that prevents your company from burning 100,000 CDs at $8 and then recalling them a week later. The loss of $800,000 is only part of the downside that includes negative press, investor selloff and end-user skepticism.

First Impression

You only have one opportunity to make a first impression, so all stakeholders of software companies require an expert to run field trials. Common practice often falls short of serving their needs. A bad first impression can usually be laid to one of three reasons: a sales engineer installs the product; the product installs but product requirements are not tested for ease of use; and interoperability is not verified.

ßetaWatch provides the test matrix -- the heartbeat -- for the field trial. It is how you transform information to knowledge and ensure that your product works as described, and that users want it. The test matrix is your time-driven leverage to help accelerate bug fixes. Aspects of ßetaWatch’s unique test matrix can be found in http://betawatch.com/productbeta.htm

Fill Your Order Book

At a time when the multiples are high in relation to the order book, the market will correct itself. Pre-release product management, through carefully conceived and methodically carried-out field trials is the most accurate and efficient way to drive business success by leveraging customers with R&D, Marketing, and Investor Relations.

ßetaWatch Inc. digital due diligence™

ßetaWatch Inc. President and Senior Consultant Temi Grafstein and her team provide audit services for clients in a wide range of technologies including middleware, virtual private network, customer-relationship management, e-commerce, firewall, knowledge management, transaction switch, point of sale, media convergence, online auction, and information warehousing.

Grafstein developed ßetaWatch's digital due diligence™ to accelerate revenue growth.

*	Sanity Check
*	Security Audit
*	Competitive Intelligence
*	Field Trials

 

Next Newsletter Title: Reverse the Dot-Com Slump Part 2: Sanity Check - Spring 2001 Please send comments, questions and suggestions for newsletter topics to:  tgrafstein@betawatch.com