Once you've planned your program, it's time to launch!Â
This is a three-part series
To launch, youâll need an application form so people can join your program. This form collects relevant information such as name, contact details, experience with your product or service, reasons for wanting to join the beta program, and upfront self-sorting data points that can help you select the right applicants for your program.
Now that you have a growing list of potential beta users, itâs time to review applications to select candidates that best align with your programâs goals and ideal member profile.Â
đ Use Orbit to review and manage applications
Orbit can help you manage the pipeline of your program applicants. You can import applications via CSV or by pointing your form directly at Orbit, where youâll see all applicant info in a single view. You can also use popular form solutions like Typeform or Google Forms, as well as connect existing forms to Orbit with our Zapier app.Â
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With Orbit Programs, you and anyone on your team have all the information you need in one place to quickly and accurately vet your applications, who youâll see in the program pipeline.Â
The Program Pipeline
The Pipeline consists of different statuses your program members can be in. These different statuses are:
Once you've accepted your beta program participants, itâs time to provide them with a thorough and delightful onboarding process.Â
The onboarding process should include an introduction to the program's goals, expectations, and any support, tools, and resources available to members. This often includes specific tasks that members need to complete, like joining a forum and saying hello, sharing their t-shirt size, and sometimes administrative formalities like signing contracts (like NDAs). Onboarding can also include organizing a kickoff 1:1 to handhold participants through accessing the beta and cover any initial questions they may have.
Make sure your beta members know the best ways to give you feedback - whether thatâs email, the built-in Programs form tool (explored below), or an existing forum or chat platform. And donât be afraid to ask them to be gentle and remind them that theyâre using a tool that isnât fully baked yet. đ
đ Use Orbit to Onboard your contributors
Orbit's Program manager helps you automate new member onboarding with custom checklists. With Orbit, you can configure an onboarding checklist and track progress as new members tick items off the list. No more chasing people down to check in on status.
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With Orbit Programs, you can send feedback forms directly to participants, where their feedback will be visible to everyone in your Orbit workspace. You can generate a general form you can send to anyone in the program, or generate a member-specific link to send to individuals.Â
When members submit feedback, it will appear in the Contributions section of your Programs, as well as on the Member Profile page.Â
Engaging and motivating beta program participants is essential to ensure their active involvement and to foster a productive collaboration. Establish transparent communication channels from the outset, and clearly define the goals, objectives, and scope of the beta program. Inform participants about what you expect from them in terms of feature testing and feedback.
A âthank youâ can go a long way, but there are other ways to recognize and incentivize your beta users. Here are some strategies for encouraging and rewarding beta program participants:
Metrics are vital for gauging the impact of your contributions program. Establishing and measuring clear performance indicators will help to track the effectiveness of your beta program.
First and foremost, focus on the goals you set during your planning process. And, whenever possible strive to combine both quantitative and qualitative insights for a powerful fusion of data and narrative when sharing with key stakeholders. For instance:Â
"In our beta program, participants not only provided feedback on 14 features, which significantly influenced 15% of our Q1 feature adjustments, but we have three new customer sentiment quotes to use in social media marketing, and 4 of our top beta feedback participants have shared their thoughts on how knowledge of our product roadmap has made them more successfulâ.
The relationship between companies and their beta program participants highlights the remarkable power of collaboration in the modern business landscape, one that goes above and beyond mere product testing. These initiatives foster a sense of community and shared purpose, where companies and users join forces to shape the trajectory of innovation (and yes, make products and features better, together). By bridging the gap between creators and consumers, beta programs establish a dynamic feedback loop that refines products, experiences, and relationships, and play a pivotal role in not just launching products, but also in fostering connections. And, as we learned in our own beta program, sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised!Â
If you want to learn more about using Orbit to build and manage your beta program, sign up at orbit.love/programs, and if you want to talk with others building similar programs, join us at discord.orbit.love.