A well-run Customer Advisory Board can be gold. Direct feedback. Early buy-in. Product direction shaped by real users.
But when it’s virtual? It risks turning into another Zoom death march.
You want honest input, not passive head-nods. Energy, not obligation. Here’s how to pull it off, without boring your best customers into silence.
1. Keep it tight. No more than 6–8 participants. More than that, and it becomes a webinar. You’re not broadcasting. You’re listening.
2. Skip the keynote. Five-minute welcome, then hand it over. Share the agenda in advance, seed questions ahead of time, and come ready to learn. Don’t present. Facilitate.
3. Frame with honesty. “We’re building XYZ and want your take—not just praise.” That framing opens the floor. Ask what’s missing, what’s broken, and what they’ve hacked around.
4. Use the chat smartly. Assign someone to monitor and surface side commentary. Some of the best insights come from off-hand remarks or links dropped quietly.
5. Make room for laughs. Light openers matter. Polls, cold takes, even “what’s the worst feature name we’ve ever shipped?” can loosen up the room. You’re still humans. Act like it.
6. Pay it forward. Send a small thank you. Share what changed based on their input. Treat their time like a strategic investment—not a free focus group.
CABs aren’t about consensus. They’re about insight. When they work, you don’t just get product feedback. You get allies. The kind that show up in renewal conversations and reference calls.
So keep it short. Keep it useful. And keep it just fun enough that they’ll want to come back.
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