A frequent question we get from developers is, “How can I encourage customers to review and give feedback on my app?”

User feedback isn’t just useful for product development—it can significantly affect whether a new customer decides to download your product. So, aside from checking your reviews report and feedback report, what can you do to boost your rating and get more reviews and feedback?

We’ve compiled 6 quick tips to help you out.

Ask for reviews

Be direct! It’s the best way to let customers know you want to hear what they think.

1) Ask in-app

Prompt your customers in-app with a rating and review dialog by implementing just a few lines of code. Or you can directly launch the rating and review page for your app in the Microsoft Store. You can also use the let customers directly launch Feedback Hub from your app.

2) Ask with push notifications

Send a toast or tile notification asking for ratings and reviews. To target only customers who haven’t yet rated your app, first create a customer segment with the definition Has rated == false, then use push notifications to engage them.

3) Ask on Microsoft Store

Add a request for reviews and feedback in the What’s new in this version section or the description of your Microsoft Store listing. After you list any updates, let your customers know you’re looking for feedback on what you’ve updated by saying something like “Please help us improve your experience by reviewing our app.”

Screenshot from MEGA Privacy Microsoft Store listing page.

Respond to your customers

Thoughtful responses tell your customers you care about their experiences.

4) Respond directly to reviews

Let customers know their opinions matter. So long as they haven’t opted out of receiving responses, you can respond to customer reviews via API or in the dashboard. Read more on how to do that here.

Screenshot from Sketchable reviews page on their Microsoft Store listing

5) Respond directly to feedback

Want to address a particular comment? Use Feedback Hub in your app. You can respond publicly or privately and post updates on the status of any user issue you’re working to resolve.

Keep your responses shorter than 1,000 words, polite, and to the point. Read more on responding to feedback here.

When responding to reviews and feedback, keep your responses polite and respectful, because customers can report inappropriate or abusive responses, and we take those reports seriously.

6) Fix the pain points

If several reviewers are suggesting the same new feature or fixes, consider releasing a new version with those updates—and when you do, make a note in the app description or “What’s new in this version” section so customers know what issues have been fixed. You might even mention that the issues were identified based on customer feedback and ask them to continue letting you know what they think.

We hope these tips will help you let your customers know you want their input—and then let them know they’ve been heard.

The post The top 6 ways to boost ratings, reviews, and feedback for your app appeared first on Windows Developer Blog.