Company Blog

The (subliminal) Benefits of Customer Feedback

Eric Browne's blog - Mar 19 2009 - 4:46pm - Add new comment

Few would argue that customer feedback is extremely valuable. But how do companies really make use of it? We have a feedback link in our application and a support email from our Help section that we monitor on a daily basis. Customer feedback has increased by a factor of 3 since our last release, corresponding to a jump in signups and usage. This surge prompted me to spend a little time thinking about the role of customer feedback in the product development process. I came to the following four conclusions:... Read more

Smartsourcing: How to Obtain High Quality Lists through Mechanical Turk

Brent Frei's blog - Mar 12 2009 - 4:22pm - Add new comment

Many of our customers are interested in a category of work that would best be described as “I need a list of information”. For example:

1. Get me the top 10 Publishers in China and their contact information

2. Find 4 Disc Jockeys in Dallas, Texas along with their profile, rates, and contact information

3. Get me a list of the Salesforce’s AppExchange Applications along with each app’s profile data... Read more

Helping Habitat for Humanity Help Others

Mark Mader's blog - Mar 12 2009 - 11:31am - Add new comment

I'd heard of Habitat for Humanity over the years - but had never lifted a hammer for them.

The positive impact Habitat for Humanity has on families it helps and the volunteers it organizes came into focus for me last summer. Eva, my 71 year-young mother shared this reaction with me following a project led by Habitat for Humanity of East King County.... Read more

Be Like Alaska - Improve Team Productivity and Morale

Mark Mader's blog - Mar 9 2009 - 5:09pm - Add new comment

Too often inefficient processes fly under the radar and are flagged as not worth addressing or are chalked up as being 'a cost of doing business'. In other instances, processes that are recognized as solid targets for improvement, often don't make the cut. The cost? Time, money, employee satisfaction, customer loyalty...just to name a few.... Read more

Are Salesforce's Force.com or Google's App Engine a Good Distribution Vehicle?

Brent Frei's blog - Feb 26 2009 - 12:50pm - Add new comment

We had what I expect is a fairly typical Software as a Service company priorities discussion the other day. "Should we also offer a version of Smartsheet using the application platforms promoted by the big guys”, like Salesforce's Force.com or Google’s App Engine. This question comes up at the beginning of each new development priorities cycle.

We retrace the decision criteria list each time:... Read more

Form(ula) and Function

Mark Mader's blog - Feb 22 2009 - 9:26pm - Add new comment

We launched Smartsheet formulas two weeks ago. Your initial reaction may be – "hey, what’s new about formula support?" Before you jump to that conclusion, think beyond summing a few cells or calculating an average. Those are important...but only part of the value proposition.

Combining Smartsheet's work management features with formulas enables you to track and manage a diverse set of work. After just a few days of formulas being available to customers, a few have already shared some creative use cases. Here are three that stood out:... Read more

Put your MVP on the Search Marketing Special Team

Brent Frei's blog - Feb 17 2009 - 5:04pm - Add new comment

Leveraging social media for marketing, optimizing paid search and PPC programs to influence natural search rankings, getting a handle on the deep web, understanding web site analytics and usability ratings, getting the most from a blog … I could go on and on. These are all things that businesses across the country are trying to wrap their arms around and leverage to their advantage. You’re getting left behind if you aren’t succeeding in one or more of these next generation (or I should say current generation) venues.... Read more

Why our customers choose Smartsheet over Google Docs

Mark Mader's blog - Feb 12 2009 - 12:34am - 3 comments

I love speaking with our customers. I also love it when they have that a-ha moment when they latch onto something so tightly that they get downright giddy. ... Read more

Smartsheet’s Viagra Moment (Smartsourcing Product Release)

Brent Frei's blog - Feb 11 2009 - 3:53pm - 1 comment

Remember the story of Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra)? It was being developed as a possible hypertension drug – but showed compelling side effects for a then uncontested market – Erectile Dysfunction. While not identified in our initial business strategy, we too experienced a compelling side effect from the unique design of our service. Turns out, Smartsheet works really well for managing virtual workers at the very granular task level.... Read more

Work Exchanges: When People Replace Machines

Brent Frei's blog - Feb 11 2009 - 12:37pm - 3 comments

New technology is enabling people, not machines to produce massively scalable work

The next gusher in productivity and profit will come not from technology replacing humans, but rather technology enabling humans to do work that to date hasn’t been economically viable. The shift should give companies a sharp rise in productivity, and will particularly help lift small businesses and sole proprietorships as they tap this reservoir of revenue.... Read more

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