October 2017 Summaries

When building a startup, data can be comforting and trustworthy but also introduce uncertainty if not used correctly. Data is only one lens on your business, and humans deciding what to measure, how to measure, and why to measure can bring biases and judgment. It's essential to get on the same page early on regarding metrics and focus on data that's important to you, not necessarily what conventional wisdom tells you to measure. The world of startups is full of "golden rules" about dated metrics like bounce rate and pages per visit, but these offer information that isn't actionable and doesn't matter to your business. Instead, focus on fundamental metrics such as intent to use, activation, and engagement to understand the overall health of your product. When a VC comes knocking with questions about your business, you need to have your house in order, including knowing the difference between gross churn and net churn. Data can be a powerful tool for any startup, but relying solely on data can bring you to a local maximum rather than allowing you to hit your full potential; instead, iterate and optimize, and never take the steps required to get out of that local maximum.

The author of the text suggests that product managers often struggle to prioritize tasks due to their chaotic work environment, leading to missed opportunities for progress. However, informal meetings in unexpected places, such as the coffee dock or stairwell, can be a valuable way to make progress on important decisions quickly and efficiently. These impromptu conversations can help resolve debates and unblock workflows with remarkable speed, making them an effective use of time that would otherwise be spent writing emails or attending scheduled meetings. By being opportunistic and taking advantage of these informal encounters, product managers can increase their productivity and make the most of their day-to-day work.

At Intercom, the company has always prioritized words in their product, from blog posts and books to product marketing. However, the words within the product itself have evolved over time as new teammates bring fresh influences and communicate with a new audience. This evolution is incremental, word by word, and has led to inconsistencies in product UI. To address this, Intercom's content strategy team has been working on categorizing every visible word in their products, creating a taxonomy that provides consistency and control over how they describe each part of the system. They have also interviewed team members to understand where words originated and how they are used, leading to the development of a glossary of terms. The goal is to create a clear and intentional product dialect that guides what they build and makes their UI consistent and coherent.

Our first audiobook, Intercom on Product Management, is now available, featuring a collection of lessons learned by the Intercom team in building their product. The book covers topics such as evaluating current products, the importance of "no" in product management, and rolling out new features to customers. Narrated by actual Intercom team members who live and breathe these principles, the audiobook offers a unique listening experience. With a full visual refresh, including original illustrations and enhanced imagery, the book is now available for download on popular platforms such as iTunes, Overcast, and SoundCloud. The goal of this audiobook is to learn what kind of listening experience works best for readers and listeners before recording the rest of Intercom's library of content.

The author reflects on their own experience of learning and teaching through a hands-on approach, which led them to a career in customer support. They share how the traditional education system didn't suit them, but a practical learning course at the Code Institute where they learned by doing, helped them thrive. This approach is now applied in the company's product education and customer support, focusing on empowering users through teaching and conversation rather than just solving problems. The author believes that teaching a user how to fish is a metaphor for offering instruction, not just providing answers, and emphasizes the importance of long-term empowerment over immediate solutions.

The software industry is highly competitive, with free trials, freemium versions, and low-cost subscription prices being the norm. As a result, businesses are shifting their focus from acquiring new customers to cultivating existing ones that are willing to spend money with them. To achieve this, businesses need to adopt a customer-first approach to upselling, prioritizing education, trust, and building genuine relationships over traditional sales tactics. The newly launched Upsell Messaging Starter Kit provides guidance on identifying good upsell opportunities, crafting personalized messages, and leveraging real-world examples to drive success.

The text discusses the importance of lead qualification, which involves determining whether a potential customer is a good match for a business. It emphasizes that prioritizing quality over quantity is crucial in sales development, as it leads to higher ROI and close rates. The ideal customer profile should be defined based on characteristics such as goals, industry, company size, and more. Effective lead qualification requires asking the right questions, being personal and conversational, knowing when to stop, aiming for fast response times, and avoiding low-quality leads. Bots can play a tactical role in collecting data but should not replace human connections. By implementing an effective lead qualification process, businesses can prioritize their time with high-quality leads and increase revenue sustainably.

In the world of design, less is often more, and invisible design can be just as effective as overtly attention-grabbing approaches. Designers are becoming increasingly aware of how our brains process information and react to subtle cues in their work, striving for a seamless experience that blends into the background rather than drawing attention away from it. This trend can be seen in various aspects of design, including aesthetic invisibility (e.g., simplified UI designs), interactive invisibility (e.g., intuitive gestures and features), and product invisibility (e.g., smart home devices that work behind the scenes). The goal is to create a sense of suspension of disbelief, where users are unaware of the complex machinations at play, but still benefit from the design. By understanding how our brains work and designing with these principles in mind, designers can create products that feel indistinguishable from magic, effortless, and natural. Ultimately, the key is to make things simple and intuitive, without drawing attention away from what's important – the user experience.

The book "Intercom on Customer Engagement" explores the importance of engaging with customers in a rapidly changing business landscape where monthly payments and easily cancellable services have made engagement crucial for survival. The author's thinking on engagement has evolved, particularly with Intercom's flagship product Engage, which now includes Smart Campaigns for automating high-impact message automation. The book covers key aspects such as identifying the right people to communicate with, crafting effective messages, and choosing the right medium and cadence. With the stakes being high in today's competitive software market, the book aims to provide a universal solution by sharing Intercom's latest thinking on how to strike the balance between communication and growth.

Intuition is not just about trusting your gut; it's a complex cognitive process that involves two distinct types of thinking: expert intuition and strategic intuition. Expert intuition, which is fast, automatic, and emotional, can lead to biased decision-making if we rely too heavily on past experiences. On the other hand, strategic intuition, which takes time to develop and requires deliberate thought, can help us find innovative solutions by considering multiple perspectives and patterns. By recognizing the difference between these two types of intuition, we can make more informed decisions that balance our desire for efficiency with the need for careful consideration.

SaaS salespeople should adopt a consultative approach to selling, focusing on providing value to their customers rather than making hard sells. This involves taking the time to understand the prospect's business and identifying ways in which the product can improve it. By doing so, sales reps can raise their credibility with prospects and provide tailored recommendations that meet their specific needs. SaaS salespeople should also avoid overselling and instead use product weaknesses as an opportunity to highlight the strengths of their offering. Ultimately, the goal is to provide value to the prospect, which will lead to increased trust and advocacy for the product.

We explored conversational interfaces, specifically in a hybrid model of interaction, by building a live chat for sales solution. We initially considered two approaches: simple conversational UI and form-based design. Both had pros and cons, but we ultimately decided that relying solely on one approach wasn't the best fit for our problem. We experimented with delivering a form within the conversation, which struck a balance between simplicity and efficiency, allowing users to complete their goals faster with less friction. This hybrid approach considers other interactive elements within the conversation, such as buttons or cards, to help users achieve their objectives. By focusing on user needs rather than design trends, we can create effective conversational interfaces that prioritize usability over aesthetics.

At Intercom, a growing company prioritizes building strong values alongside great products. As the team grew, they realized that their culture evolved organically and needed to be codified to maintain its essence. The company's values guide individuals and teams, promoting autonomy in features and product direction. To achieve this, Intercom focuses on "Do less, better," which involves shipping small pieces of valuable code, learning from them, and building momentum as they go. This approach ensures feedback is the right kind of feedback, based on unforeseen issues rather than ignored problems. The team also emphasizes ownership, teaching new hires to feel a compulsion to fix broken features or improve existing ones. Intercom encourages hiring for potential and growth, providing opportunities for engineers to share knowledge with others and contribute to the community. Regular feedback and improvement are essential, with code reviews and performance reviews taking place daily and quarterly respectively. Finally, the company expects its engineers to represent Intercom with pride, sharing their knowledge and solutions with the wider community.

The text discusses the importance of effective onboarding for new product managers in their first few weeks at a company. It highlights the need to set expectations with management, personal goals, and understanding the product and its documentation. The author shares their own experiences working at different companies and emphasizes the value of pairing with an existing PM, getting to know colleagues, exploring tools used by the team, engaging with users, and avoiding making costly mistakes during the initial month. By following these steps, new product managers can establish a solid foundation for success and make informed decisions about the product's development.

The customer success pyramid is a framework that helps businesses understand their customers' needs and how to meet them, ultimately leading to longstanding loyalty and commitment. It consists of six levels: precise and accurate support, prompt response times, personal interactions, personalized experiences, preemptive interventions, and prescient AI-driven solutions. Each level builds upon the previous one, with the latter two being more ambitious and elusive, requiring advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to achieve. By prioritizing these levels, businesses can create a tailored approach to customer success, increasing engagement and reducing the need for manual intervention.

When it comes to engaging with customers, modern messaging tools can be both beneficial and problematic for relationship management teams. Sending untargeted messages, such as "just checking in" to see how a customer is doing, can feel lazy, look spammy, and may not elicit a response due to the prevalence of similar messages. Instead, sales and marketing teams should focus on finding ways to connect with customers personally and add value to their interactions. This involves using data and analytics to identify key behaviors, such as when a customer is using a feature frequently or showing signs of churn, and tailoring messages accordingly. By doing so, teams can build trust with their customers and increase lifetime value. However, it's essential to remember that building sustainable customer partnerships takes time and continuous effort, requiring ongoing measurement and optimization of messaging strategies.