If you have submitted a help ticket any time within the last couple of years, you’ve noticed that you can specify that your help request is a “Suggestion”. This is one way in which we gather feedback on the needs for Visit Tracker. And these suggestions we get from you are critical in defining our projects and priorities. After all, you have a choice in the data system you use. And we’re honored that you continue to choose Visit Tracker.
With all the suggestions we get each week, I think it’s important to take a moment to go over the suggestion life cycle.
Submitting a suggestion
As stated above, one way to submit is through our Help Ticket system. Suggestions also come in through direct emails and phone calls. And sometimes, someone on the DataKeeper team makes a suggestion based on questions or complaints we’re receiving.
Reviewing a suggestion
As suggestions come in, we have a process where we review to determine if it’s something to be added into our projects list. Not every suggestion will make it into the project list.
- Some suggestions are already in Visit Tracker. We’ll just offer “how to” support.
- Some are not achievable. We’ll provide an explanation and offer support. Usually in this case, we’ve been talking to you about the suggestion to better understand the need and identify ways to solve the request.
Adding a suggestion into the project board
Once we’ve reviewed and decided the suggestion will become a project, we tag the ticket as a User Item, let you know that it’s being added into our project list, and submit the ticket as Open. This ends up adding the ticket into our project management system where it remains in our list of User Items to be scheduled.
If you have called in or emailed your suggestion, we will create an internal ticket and tag it so that it gets properly tracked through completion. This makes sure that we follow up with you once completed and released.
Scheduling a suggestion for development
We’ve got lots of great suggestions in our project list. Each quarter, we’re putting together a group of these suggestions for a release and/or adding individual User Items each month.
When a suggestion is scheduled for development, we update the ticket as Pending and send you a quick note so you are aware that it’s making progress.
Completing and releasing a suggestion
As each suggestion is completed and released, we complete the cycle with a thank you note. Your suggestion not only benefits you, but many others using Visit Tracker.
You’ll also notice the “You asked…” blog postings. Sometimes these will highlight 1 or 2 suggestions or be a summary of recent User Items released.
We greatly appreciate your continued feedback. The suggestion cycle is not always a quick turn around. So we equally appreciate your patience. Hopefully while your suggestion is waiting to be scheduled, you are still able to enjoy the other User Items that are being released.
Thanks!