Navigate: Active Evaluation Stage

Create a Comprehensive Online Presence

This post belongs to the series Navigating the Decision Journey Stages: A Pathway to Successful Product Adoption, in which I explore the four pivotal stages that encompass the decision journey: initial consideration, active evaluation, closure, and post-purchase. Each stage plays a crucial role in the success of your product, and by mastering these stages, you will be well-equipped to guide potential customers towards adopting your product and becoming loyal advocates.

In this post I will dive into the second stage: active evaluation. Once customers progress past the initial consideration stage, they enter a phase where they actively research and compare various products or solutions to find the one that best meets their needs. As a product lead, I find it crucial to provide potential customers with the necessary information and resources to make an informed decision. Let’s explore some effective high-level strategies for navigating the active evaluation stage.

Remember, a well-designed and user-friendly website, application, or product landing page is essential during the active evaluation stage. Ensure that it includes detailed product descriptions, highlighting key features and benefits. This helps potential customers evaluate your product effectively.

Showcase Testimonials and Success Stories

Build trust and credibility by showcasing testimonials and success stories from satisfied customers. Provide real-life examples of individuals who have achieved their goals or solved their problems using your product. This helps potential customers envision the positive outcomes they can expect.

Offer Interactive Demos or Trials

Allow potential customers to experience your product firsthand through interactive demos or trials. This hands-on approach enables them to assess its functionality, ease of use, and suitability for their specific needs. Interactive experiences leave a lasting impression and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Provide Easy Access to User Reviews and Ratings

To help potential customers make informed decisions, it is crucial to ensure easy access to user reviews and ratings for your products. Positive reviews and high ratings serve as social proof, instilling confidence and reliability in your offerings. Take a cue from the success of mobile apps in this regard, as they have mastered the art of facilitating ratings and reviews. Consider leveraging reputable review platforms or integrating user feedback directly into your website. By doing so, you create transparency and empower customers to evaluate your product based on the experiences of others, further building trust and increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Compile a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and provide clear, concise answers. Anticipate potential customer concerns or doubts and proactively address them. By doing so, you demonstrate your product’s robustness and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Leveraging AI technology can greatly assist in creating a comprehensive and dynamic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for your product. AI-powered systems can analyze vast amounts of data and customer interactions to identify common queries and provide accurate and relevant answers. By utilizing natural language processing capabilities, AI can understand and interpret user questions, allowing you to craft clear and concise responses. Additionally, AI can continuously learn and adapt as new questions emerge, ensuring that your FAQ section remains up to date and relevant. This not only saves valuable time for your customer support team but also empowers customers to find answers to their inquiries quickly and easily. With AI-powered FAQs, you can enhance the user experience, minimize customer frustration, and build a knowledge base that evolves alongside your product and customer needs.

Below is a sample of Pendo NPS Themes analyzing textual responses to NPS surveys. Not only is it one of the most effective ways of understanding your users’ pain, but you can use this to build out your Frequently Asked Questions section quickly. This lets you respond to users faster by building these pain into Frequently Asked Questions so you can help improve the user experience in your application.

In the following example, we can enhance the user experience by addressing common issues faced by Detractors and creating relevant FAQs. Let’s take a closer look at the Access aspect, which pertains to finding content within the library. For instance, an FAQ question like “Where can I find an overview of all my purchased online products?” would provide users with guidance on locating their content within the application. This would particularly benefit users who are accustomed to navigating other applications and might assume a similar interface. We can draw parallels to experiences like comparing Zoom and Teams or using Windows versus Apple PCs, where familiarity with one system can influence expectations and preferences. By addressing these common concerns through informative FAQs, we can improve the user experience, minimize confusion, and ensure that users can easily access and enjoy the full benefits of our product.

Offer Comparative Information

Differentiate your product by providing comparative information against competitors. Highlight the unique features, advantages, and value your product offers. This enables potential customers to evaluate your product within the context of alternatives, making it easier for them to make a well-informed decision.

Here’s a sample table providing comparative information for three learning software products:

Language Options	40+ languages	30+ languages	25+ languages
Learning Methods	Gamified lessons,	Interactive lessons,	Immersive lessons,
	flashcards,	vocabulary drills,	live conversations
	and speech	and language games	with native speakers
	recognition
Progress Tracking	Personalized	Learning analytics,	Detailed progress
	progress tracker,	proficiency tests,	reports, skill-based
	streaks, and	and performance	leveling system
	achievement badges	assessments
Mobile App	iOS, Android,	iOS, Android,	iOS, Android,
Compatibility	and Web	and Web	and Web
Cost	Free with optional	Subscription-based	Subscription-based
	in-app purchases
Offline Learning	Limited offline	Offline mode	Limited offline
	access available		access available

By implementing these strategies, you can guide potential customers through the active evaluation stage, building trust and confidence in your product. Remember, facilitating easy access to relevant information, testimonials, interactive experiences, and user feedback are key ingredients for success.

In my next blog post, we will explore the closure stage, where customers make their final purchasing decisions. Stay tuned for valuable insights on how to minimize friction and encourage conversions. Together, I will help you unravel the mysteries of the decision journey stages and empower you to excel in product management.

This blog post used the assistance of ChatGPT 3.5, a language model powered by artificial intelligence to provide intelligent editing and structure to this post.