Back in 2011, WebPT launched the Idea Portal with the goal of capturing and incorporating Member ideas into our product enhancements. Since then, Members have submitted more than 4,500 ideas and more than 7,800 comments.
Thanks to this feedback, we’ve delivered a number of product updates aimed at boosting efficiency, expanding our customization options, and improving ease of use in our software. We’ve also made it easier to manage everything happening in your clinics, from improving patient care to monitoring compliance and payments.
In short, WebPT is better because of you.
But, we need to talk about the elephant in the room.
While the Idea Portal started as a place for ideas to flourish and multiply, it slowly transitioned into an idea graveyard. And because one of our core values at WebPT is “F up; own up,” we’re owning up. We didn’t properly moderate and monitor the ideas. We didn’t have a scalable process for fairly evaluating ideas. We didn’t properly communicate or close the loop on requests. We caused unnecessary frustration. We caused our Members to feel like we didn’t value their feedback—which is the furthest thing from the truth. We’re 100% accountable for the idea graveyard. We let you, our Members, down. And for that, we are truly sorry.
Taking responsibility for our mistakes doesn’t end with saying sorry, though. We have to make things right. That’s why we’re retiring the Idea Portal as it’s known today. But, that doesn’t mean we’re closing the book on this concept. Instead, we’re starting a new chapter with the way we capture Member feedback—one with a better, more scalable internal process to match.
New and improved! Behold: the Product Feedback form.
Going forward, Members can provide product feedback here (bookmark this link!). This simplified form—appropriately named the Product Feedback form—still makes it easy to submit product feedback, and it also allows our team to be more agile and responsive.
(Note: This form is for product feedback, not technical support. Please continue to contact support@webpt.com for account service and technical support. Also, please, please, please never include PHI in any email or form submission.)
What about the old portal?
Now, for those of you who used the old Idea Portal, you may be wondering what happened to the 10,000-plus submissions housed there. Don’t worry; we’ve accounted for and logged all that feedback. In fact, we’ve organized all top-voted items—like allowing patients to book appointments online, adding a patient waitlist, creating functionality to quick-add a progress note, introducing audit logs, adding the option to delete all appointments, adding more tests, and updating and adding reports—into addressable tasks.
How does the new Product Feedback form work?
Now, you might also be wondering about our new feedback process. What happens after you fill out the spiffy new form? Well, each week, the product team reads through every single submission with the goal of understanding the feedback, assessing the problem from the Member’s perspective, evaluating every possible solution, determining a resolution, and mapping out how and when to bring that to fruition. In short, our new process enables us to better listen to and understand our Members throughout the entire product development process.
To take the Member feedback process a step further, our new form also includes the option for every Member to opt into our product research program. Essentially, Members can volunteer to participate in follow-up interviews, research studies, usability tests, and beta programs. This program makes it easier for the WebPT product teams to ask more detailed questions and get more specific feedback, further ensuring we build products and services that meet your needs.
So with that, we hope you’ll keep submitting feedback, and we’d love for you to participate in our product research program. We are committed to holding up our end of the collaboration bargain; that means no more idea graveyards! We are listening to you. We hear your needs, your frustrations, and your ideas. Your feedback drives our innovation, and together, we’ll move the rehab therapy industry forward. Let’s achieve greatness.
