Why Do Companies Run Beta Tests?
Why do companies run beta tests? Is it to create a proof of concept for a product, make sure they’re release ready, or to generate buzz? As a beta tester, it’s important to understand the reasons why companies run beta tests so you can maximize your participation in a project. Learning more about product developers’ perspectives is also a great way to better familiarize yourself with the beta testing industry as a whole and understand the important role testers (like yourself) play in it. Now, let’s explore ten reasons why companies run beta tests!
1. Make a Good First Impression
Companies run beta tests to ensure their product makes a good first impression. Beta tests help companies gauge their customers’ entire experience from unboxing their product, to setting it up, and using it at home. If there are any friction points throughout this process (i.e. confusing setup instructions), then beta testing is a valuable tool for ironing them out.
2. Evaluate the Impact of Known Issues
Just because a tech product is released on the market doesn’t mean it works perfectly. Many companies sell products with known issues. Beta testing is a method to determine two things. First, do testers notice the same issues that the product team is already aware of? Second, if testers do notice those issues, are they critical-enough that they need to be resolved before a product’s release into the wild? Beta testing is an opportunity for companies to evaluate the impact of their product’s known issues in the hands of beta testers.
3. Catch Any Lingering Bugs
Running a beta test is also the best way for companies to catch any outstanding bugs. If a company doesn’t run a beta test, then the only people that have interacted with their beta product tend to be employees and their trusted network of family and friends. Unfortunately, employees, families, and friends tend to provide biased feedback. They’re either too close to the product’s development or are too far removed from that product’s target market. Testers’ fresh eyes provide a new, objective perspective on a beta product. In doing so, beta testers (that represent a product’s ideal target market) can help catch bugs, as well as provide the unbiased feedback needed to ensure a product is a hit.
4. Cut Support Costs
As a product is preparing for release, that company’s support team is simultaneously being trained to support it. Beta testing is an opportunity for companies to test their support processes, create and improve their support documentation, and prepare their support team for handling known issues. By creating more efficient processes for their support team through beta testing, a company can significantly reduce support costs and the volume of assistance calls it receives. An efficient support team tends to impact the number of potential product returns, as customers would often rather return a product than fight to get it working.
5. Ensure Real-World Compatibility
Not long ago, the most advanced piece of tech in most living rooms was the TV. Now, there are streaming devices, hubs, smart lights, and many more devices to take into consideration when adding a new tech product into your home. Running a beta test helps companies ensure their product cohabitates well with others in the increasingly complex technological world we live in. As a beta tester, you’re integrating a new piece of tech into your day-to-day life, and companies care about how well their product is adopted into that ecosystem.
6. Hear New Ideas
Beta tests are phenomenal settings for brainstorms. As a beta tester, you submit a handful of different types of feedback. Companies value beta testing because it gives them the chance to discover their product’s hits and misses, as well as hear new ideas from potential customers. Testers have the biggest voices in a project environment and companies want to hear from each individual. In a beta test, there is no such thing as a stupid suggestion or question about a product. Beta tests are a collaborative space where every tester’s voice can be heard as they interact with project developers with the shared goal of delivering an awesome piece of tech.
7. Gather Marketing Materials
Companies regularly include their marketing teams in their testing processes. This is because beta tests enable marketers to better understand their product’s ideal, targeted customer in a way that’s more vivid than traditional marketing personas. What do their testers like or dislike about the product? How are testers using the product? Would testers recommend the product to their friends? Feedback collected during a beta test can also be recycled into product testimonials or reviews that help marketers better position their product when it launches.
8. Scout the Competition
Beta tests also create a space for companies to run competitive analyses. In collected feedback, are testers comparing their beta product to a projected competitor? Is their product stacking up or falling flat? Testers’ feedback can give companies invaluable insights regarding how their beta product compares to their competition, and help companies better position their product leading up to its official release.
9. Recognize Room for Improvement
There is no such thing as a perfect tech product, so there’s always room for improvement. Beta tests help companies pinpoint ways they can improve their product for future releases, and help prioritize those improvements based on testers’ feedback.
10. Acquire Early Adopters
Lastly, beta tests are a terrific way for companies to build brand evangelists. If you beta tested a product you loved, you’re probably going to become a future customer. Beta tests are ground zero for companies to make a great first impression on a group of could-be customers that could help build buzz for their product once it launches.
Running a beta test is a company’s insurance policy for successfully releasing products. There are tons of reasons why companies run beta tests, but none more important than collecting testers’ unbiased feedback. If you have any remaining questions about companies’ motives for beta testing, please feel free to email us at hello@betabound.com or comment below.