The Feature Adoption Guide for Customer Success Managers

Imagine trying to use a tool when you don't quite know how it works. Frustrating, right? Now, picture this scenario in the realm of Customer Success, where the tool represents new software features that can be game-changers. That is, if you know how to use them effectively.

This is where feature adoption comes into play. In this guide, we'll walk you through the essentials, from understanding the new features to training your team and, ultimately, getting your customers to embrace these innovations. First things first, let’s understand what the term feature adoption means.

What is feature adoption?

Feature adoption in Customer Success refers to the process through which customers begin to use and integrate new features of a product or service into their regular workflows. 

It involves not only introducing new features to customers but also ensuring that they understand, utilize, and derive value from these features. 

The impact of successful feature adoption cannot be overstated. When customers effectively use new features, they are more likely to achieve their goals, leading to higher customer satisfaction and retention rates. Additionally, well-adopted features can lead to reduced churn and increased upsell opportunities.

With that, let’s dive into the challenges Customer Success Managers (CSMs) face when aiming for higher feature adoption rates.

Common challenges with feature adoption

CSMs often face several challenges when striving to achieve high feature adoption rates among customers. These common challenges include:

• Customer resistance to change: Customers may be reluctant to alter their established workflows and routines, preferring to stick with familiar features and processes.
• Lack of awareness: Customers may not be fully informed about new features or understand how these features can benefit them, leading to low adoption rates.
• Insufficient training and resources: Without adequate training and resources, customers may find it difficult to understand and use new features effectively.
• Poor communication: Inconsistent or unclear communication about new features can result in confusion and low engagement among customers.
• Usability issues: If new features are not user-friendly or intuitive, customers may struggle to adopt them, leading to frustration and abandonment.
• Lack of immediate value: Customers may not see the immediate value or relevance of new features to their specific needs, reducing their motivation to adopt them.
• Ineffective onboarding processes: Without a well-structured onboarding process, customers may not be properly introduced to new features, resulting in low usage rates.
• Limited customer feedback: Not gathering and acting on customer feedback can lead to missed opportunities for improving feature adoption strategies.
• Competing priorities: Customers may have other pressing priorities and may not allocate time to learn and adopt new features.
• Technical difficulties: Technical issues, such as compatibility problems or bugs, can hinder the adoption of new features.

By addressing these challenges, CSMs can improve feature adoption rates and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Now comes the question of what you must do to overcome these challenges. The answer – implementing a smooth feature adoption process.

Streamlining the feature adoption process

Building a streamlined feature adoption process is crucial for overcoming the challenges CSMs often face. The following steps outline how to effectively guide customers through adopting new features, along with how a Customer Success tool like Velaris can enhance each stage of the process to ensure smoother implementation and better results:

1. Assess customer needs

Understanding your customers' specific needs and pain points is the first critical step in ensuring successful feature adoption. This involves:

• Conducting surveys: Develop comprehensive surveys that ask customers about their current workflows, challenges, and what they hope to achieve with new features. 
• Interviews: Schedule one-on-one interviews with key customers to gain deeper insights into their experiences and expectations. Prepare a set of questions that probe into their pain points, current feature usage, and desired improvements.
• Feedback sessions: Organize group feedback sessions or focus groups to gather a wide range of perspectives. Use these sessions to discuss potential new features and gather real-time feedback.

The insights gathered from these activities will help tailor your feature adoption strategy to address real customer issues, ensuring that new features are relevant and valuable to your users. 

2. Plan the rollout

A rollout refers to the structured and phased introduction of new features to customers. It is a planned and organized process aimed at ensuring that customers are aware of, understand, and effectively use the new features.  Developing a detailed rollout plan is crucial for the organized and effective introduction of new features of your product. Your plan should include:

• Timelines: Establish a clear timeline for each phase of the feature rollout, from initial development to full deployment. Include key dates for beta testing, public release, and post-launch evaluations.
• Milestones: Define specific milestones that mark significant progress points in the rollout process. These could include the completion of beta testing (releasing the new feature or product to a small group of users to gather feedback, identify issues, and make necessary adjustments before the full launch), initial user feedback collection, and achieving target adoption rates.
• Goals: Set measurable goals for each stage of the rollout. For example, aim for a certain percentage of customers to start using the new feature within the first month of its release.
• Segmentation: Consider segmenting your customer base and targeting specific groups with tailored messages. This ensures that each customer segment receives information that is most relevant to their use cases and needs.

You can develop detailed rollouts within Velaris by using its success plan feature. By creating success plans for your goals, you’ll be able to map out timelines, track your progress, and make any adjustments as needed. 

3. Communicate effectively

Effective communication is key to educating customers about new features and encouraging adoption. Implement a multi-channel communication strategy that includes:

• Emails: Send out informative emails detailing the new features, their benefits, and how customers can start using them. Include links to resources such as tutorials and webinars.
• In-app notifications: Use in-app notifications to alert users to new features as they navigate your platform. These notifications should be concise and provide direct access to more detailed information.
• Blog posts: Write blog posts that explain the new features in-depth, including use cases and potential benefits. Share Customer Success stories to illustrate real-world applications.
• Webinars: Host live webinars to walk customers through the new features, answer questions, and provide demonstrations. Record these sessions and make them available for those who could not attend live.

Ensure that your messaging is clear, consistent, and highlights the practical benefits and use cases of the new features. With Velaris, you can automate and standardize some of these interactions, making it easier for you to ensure a smooth rollout.

4. Provide training and resources

Comprehensive training and resources are essential to help customers understand and use new features effectively. You can offer:

• Tutorials: Create step-by-step tutorials that guide users through the process of using new features. These can be in the form of written guides, videos, or interactive walkthroughs.
• Webinars: Conduct live webinars that provide in-depth training on new features. Allow time for Q&A sessions to address any specific customer queries or concerns.
• Documentation: Develop detailed documentation that covers all aspects of the new features, including troubleshooting tips and best practices.
• Hands-on training sessions: Offer hands-on training sessions or Q&A webinars where customers can interact directly with your team and get personalized assistance.

Providing a variety of training formats ensures that customers with different learning preferences can find the support they need. 

5. Monitor progress

Tracking feature adoption rates and gathering feedback is crucial for identifying areas of improvement and ensuring the long-term success of your feature adoption efforts. Here are the key metrics to track:

• Adoption rate: This is the percentage of customers using the new feature. This metric helps determine how widely the feature is being adopted. Measuring the adoption rate helps gauge the overall acceptance and integration of the feature.
• Usage frequency: This is how often customers are using the new feature. High usage frequency indicates that customers find the feature valuable and are integrating it into their workflows. Tracking this metric helps you identify the amount of customers that find the feature useful and are employing it in their workflows.
• Customer feedback: This is the qualitative feedback from customers about the new feature. This feedback can provide insights into customer satisfaction and areas for improvement. You can collect qualitative feedback using surveys, interviews, and feedback sessions to gather this information.
• Support tickets: The number and type of support tickets you receive could be related to your new feature. A high volume of support tickets may indicate usability issues or a need for better training materials.
• Post-launch evaluations: Conduct post-launch evaluations to assess the impact of the new feature on customer satisfaction and retention.
• Churn rate: This metric measures the impact of the new feature on customer retention. Tracking the churn rate can help determine whether the new feature is contributing to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By monitoring these metrics, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your feature adoption strategy and make data-driven decisions to improve it. 

Using a Customer Success platform like Velaris can help you monitor these metrics effectively, offering valuable insights to continuously improve your feature adoption strategy.

Next up, we’ll look into some methods you can use to raise customer engagement with the new features of the product.

Strategies to Enhance Customer Engagement with New Features

Improving customer engagement with new features requires a proactive and multifaceted approach. Here are some practical strategies to increase customer engagement:

• Incentivize early adopters: Offer rewards or discounts to customers who start using the new feature early. This can create a sense of urgency and encourage more customers to try the feature.
• Create engaging content: Develop videos, blog posts, and case studies showcasing the benefits and use cases of the new feature. Engaging content can help customers understand the value of the feature and how it can solve their problems.
• Leverage customer advocates: Encourage satisfied customers to share their positive experiences with the new feature. Customer testimonials and case studies can build trust and influence other customers to adopt the feature.
• Facilitate customer collaboration: Create forums or groups where customers can discuss and share tips about the new feature. Fostering a community of engaged users can help spread knowledge and increase adoption rates.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a more engaging and dynamic experience for your customers, helping them see the true value of new features. 

Early adoption incentives, engaging content, customer advocacy, and collaboration are all powerful ways to boost engagement and ensure that your customers not only understand but also benefit from the new functionalities. As customer engagement increases, so does product satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately driving long-term success. 

Conclusion

Successfully driving feature adoption requires a well-structured, customer-centric approach. By addressing the common challenges CSMs face, such as customer resistance and lack of awareness, and by streamlining processes through planning, communication, training, and monitoring, you can significantly enhance feature adoption rates. 

Customer Success enablement plays a vital role in this process by providing teams with the training and tools needed to implement effective adoption strategies. This ensures customers fully understand and embrace new updates, driving higher engagement and satisfaction.

Engaging customers early, creating content that highlights the value of new features, and fostering collaboration can further improve engagement and ensure customers get the most out of your product’s updates.

With the right tools, you can simplify and optimize this entire process. Velaris, with its automation, customer feedback, and real-time monitoring capabilities, can help you effectively manage feature rollouts, track adoption metrics, and provide valuable insights to drive continuous improvement.

Ready to take your feature adoption strategy to the next level? Book a demo today to see how Velaris can streamline your Customer Success processes and help you maximize engagement and satisfaction.