It’s a given that you need to be responsive to your customers’ needs. Online community research software offers you one of the most straightforward possible means for accomplishing this goal. If you want to get started with online community research, you’ll want to consider finding a platform that offers the following 5 desirable features:

1. The Costs Must Be Reasonable for Any Leads You Acquire Through the Platform

Some online community research platforms offer lead generation options. If you are interested in using your online community research platform as a means to market your business, you’ll want to look for a platform that has a track record of generating well-qualified, highly targeted leads for other participants in your industry. If you decide to use this service, the average cost per lead should be in line with what you’d otherwise expect to pay for a new customer acquisition.

2. The Interface Must Be Intuitive to Use

Unless your target customers all happen to be computer geeks, you’ll need to find a platform that is inherently user friendly. When you evaluate each platform, look for a clean interface with a clearly marked menu to facilitate navigation through the site. It’s also beneficial if a help system is available.

3. There Must Be an Option for Secure Storage of Your User Data

As more business transactions move online, criminals and hackers are flocking to the internet to try to take advantage of the situation. It’s essential to ensure that any platform you’re using for community research is secure. This is particularly true if the market research you’re conducting involves sensitive personal information like your customers’ financial or health data.

4. The Platform Must Offer User Support

When you select online community research software, it’s important to be proactive about understanding how the support team handles user support on the platform. Some offer phone support; some offer support via email; and some handle support over live chats or on social media platforms. Be sure to choose a platform that offers support in a way that seems comfortable for you to use.

If your customers are in different time zones, it’s especially important to be aware of the hours that support is offered. It’s ideal if support is available 24 hours a day and every day during the week.

5. Your Users’ Privacy Must Be Protected

You want to avoid asking your trusted customers to join a platform that will sell their information to your competitors – or, in fact, to anyone at all. If the platform’s privacy policy isn’t ruthlessly protective of your business’ trade secrets and your customers’ sensitive data, it’s best to keep searching until you find one that is.

These aren’t the only desirable characteristics you might want to prioritize when you research online community research software. However, these are 5 of the most important features to consider when you choose a platform to use for your community research projects.