User Voice and Get Satisfaction Feedback Forums

An easy way to obtain feedback from people who visit your website is to set up a feedback forum.  Some example of feedback forum providers include User Voice and Get Satisfaction.

It’s easy: just create an account, customize and implement a widget with few lines of javascript on your site and you’re off!  Unfortunately, I can’t embed javascript in my WordPress.com hosted blog, but when I move my blog to WordPress.org (soon!) it will be much easier to find.

The first level is free, but both companies have advanced versions of their product for small and large companies.  User Voice and Get Satisfaction both charge variable monthly fees depending on added features and functionality such as the level of customization, topic moderation and analytics.

What I really like about these products is that neither is invasive. Here are a couple options for embedding the script:

• Add Feedback item to your Navigation Bar – Mine is currently under Contact and Feedback

• Place the Feedback tab to the right or left side of your page.  When you click on the Feedback tab, the page goes dark and the Feedback box centers on the page.  But other then the minimalistic Feedback tab alerting visitors that they can give giveback if and when they choose to, the tool is hidden from the other information on your side.

See the screenshot below from the User Voice site.  The red tab on the left side says Feedback, and this screenshot is after the Feedback tab has been pressed.  The Feedback forum pops up in white.

User Voice Forum

Once you click through and open the User Voice forum it looks like the below screenshot from my User Voice forum.  Currently, you can get there from my Contacts page or click on the picture below.  Please add some ideas if you have them and vote on the current ideas if there is something that interests you.

Lethal Sheethal's User Voice Forum

Here’s a screen shot of a Get Satisfaction feedback forum on another blog I mange – the Cumberland Block Association.  Same idea.  Once you click the feedback tab on the left side, the page goes dark and the forum becomes front and center.

Get Satisfaction User Forum

Pretty cool and easy, no?

Here are some companies using Feedback Forums like these:

• Tweetdeck, a Twitter organization tool.  They have a Tweet Deck User Voice Forum and a separate Support Forum.
• 99Designs, a place to crowdsource design work.  I couldn’t easily find a link to it on the site but here’s the direct link to the 99Designs User Voice forum.  My guess is that it is available for businesses that ask for design work and users that have completed design work

Please feel free to ask me about Feedback Forums.  If you know if any other online feedback tools, please share them below.