Getting Real Chapter 16: Conclusion

Chapter 16 is like a farewell that would part me to the book. I didn’t noticed that I have already read one whole book! whew! Well, frankly I indeed learned alot. Before me and getting real parts, here are the last words Im going to reflect about!

Success is all about execution- the success of your app is dependent on how you have executed it. Everyone is different from how others make their app. Be unique as possible, do things that are distinctive. Dont always aim for perfection since it is where it is leading you while your making your app.

People concerned to your app is the most important ingredient- you should always determine the people involve in making your app. Your customers being one of the relevant ones. Also, choose the programmers that knows what they are doing. Dont hire perfect people, hire ones that you need and would be very influential to others.

Always consider that it is more than just a software- in the first place, you are making a software to make money which would cater the needs of your users. It doesnt end there! You as the creator will learn from the stages you have gone through, like execution and lauching just to say. It is more than just an app, it is one of your learning curves in your life which the learnings can be applied to your life.

Thanks Getting Real! You’ve helped me!

Getting Real Chapter 15: Post Lauch

After launching your app, what do you do? The following are tips to make you in the momentum after launching your application.

1. Issue a major update 30 days after launch. To keep your users exited and not bored, have an update every month. After making an update, spend time to examine that update was useful and wanted. A quick update shows momentum. It shows you’re listening. When you update to your customers, it means that you care about them. Launching your product is do not end there, you should always update to the needs of your customers.

2. Show your product is alive by keeping an ongoing product development blog post-launch. Always blog about your app, let others be informed about the features, the advantages and bugs as well. Be open to the public, by letting them know that your app is still working and is getting concrete every single day means a lot to your patroners.

3. Better not beta. What does this mean? Your app if not perfect, should not be called beta. Be open that your app is still not perfect, rather than pretending that it is already in beta but its not. Your users are know if your confident enough to cal your app beta. If then those customers knew that your app is not a beta while you call it to be, they will get rid of you. Be true, be transparent as possible.

4. Don’t panic if you here your customer wanting a new feature, it just mean one thing, they want change, because they love what you offered. Don’t be too serious and scared when you here those comments ithey just cant live without your app!

5. Be open to new paths and changes in direction. After launching, don’t just sit around, be open to make changes. That’s one way to be competitive. Know what your competitors are offering, having an idea of what others have will make your app be more powerful. Learn from others, then apply what you have learned in your app.

5.

Getting Real Chapter 14: Support

Getting Real Chapter 14 talks about Support. Your Customer support after the launching of your web application to your ever dearest users. The following points are the ones I consider relevant that has to be done for your users to have premium support.

1. Avoid building walls between your customers and the development/design team. Don’t outsource customer support to a call center or third party. Do it yourself. You, and your whole team, should know what your customers are saying. This is important, why? Problems encountered by your users would only be best answered by the ones who had made it. You as the creator of your web app would only be the best person in town that can answer the concerns of your users. Don’t just end your relationship to your customers after making and launching your product, good customer service is also considered to remain the loyalty of your customers. The feeling of your customers seeing and knowing you answering their concerns is such a great acceptance, it only shows one thing, they are important to you.

2. Use inline help and FAQs so your product doesn’t require a manual or training. You can also use online help that can answer the concern of your users. Frequently asked questions may also be posted since other users may have the same query as other users have in mind. using online help is very much helpful since almost all concerns of users are dependent to this. If your app doesn’t have online help, you should hurry and get one. One thing that has to be considered when making online help possible, you should also make it easy to use. Don’t have your feature hard to use and hard to manipulate, if it is so, your customers wouldn’t mind to ask their query.

3. Customers light up when you answer their questions quickly. Just like us ourselves when we go to a restaurant considering that we are so hungry, when those waiters serve our ordered food quickly damn were so happy. The same with those users, when they ask questions and their queries are answered properly and helped them, then they will feel delighted and happy. As a customer service provider, you should always be ready to answer and of course know the answer to their queries.

4. Be willing to say no to your customers When it comes to feature requests, the customer is not always right. If we added every single thing our customers requested, no one would want our products. When your customers are fulfilled and finds your app very helpful, don’t be too happy, well it seems it will make you happy but when they request you to add features examine it first. You should not be afraid to know that your customers are a little bit disappointed when their request are not made into real. You should learn to say no, since sometimes if you always say yes, it would might destroy the importance and usefulness of your app.

5. Use forums or chat to let customers help each other. It is also possible if it would be the customers itself talking to other customers. Use forums, use online collaboration techniques. It is one way letting your customers help you do your work. By using forums, customers gets to encounter the same concerns other customers has in mind, which would let them learn from one another.

6.
Get bad news out there and out of the way. Be as open, honest, and transparent as possible. Be as open as possible to your customers. If you have bad news regarding your app, remind them. If there are bugs in certain features, tell them. It is one way of being true to your customers. It is better to be true, rather to be perfect even if your not. Your customers will surely understand, dont worry!

Getting Real: Chapter 13

Chapter 13 is about promotions, what does it mean when you promote? In lay mans term for me, promote is to introduce. First lesson, Go from teaser to launch. What does this mean? When your app is ready to go, you just can’t right away make it viable to your customers without even knowing what is in your app, make a teaser, let people know what the hell is your app, have some previews, have your customers know features and screenshots about your app, then finally launch. When introducing your app, you don’t right away post it, do these steps to make you more viable to your market. Next, you should have your own promotional website, this includes what your app is, what benefits it can give, blogs to keep your market in touch, and of course, you must have your account form so that people would be able to avail your product. In advertising your products, you don’t really have to spend thousands to make people know what you have, blogging is one the ways to advertise your products, people nowadays now how to use the internet at the least, so no need to spend thousands for tarpaulins. After you promote and introduce your app, one thing I learned here is that you don’t end your business in introducing your app, you should also keep in track of the people who uses it, people who blogs about it, read it carefully and manage it, it would surely give you a feedback of what your market thinks about your app then eventually iron it. Also, promote upgrade opportunities in your app, this is very vital especially to people who really likes the features of your products and is useful for them, by having these upgrade opportunities, you have a tight grip to your loyal users/customers. Also, before this ends, have your app a name easy to remember just like “multiply”, “Friendster”, “facebook” etc. =)