Feature Request Template: How-to Guide + 5 Examples

Feature requests are vital for SaaS products to evolve and meet user needs. At the very beginning of the feature request process, the customer has to ask you to build or update a certain feature. If you're not sure how to ask them, all you need is a template for new feature requests.

Today, we'll show you some of the best feature request templates to help you collect user feedback and only build the features that really make an impact.

What is a feature request template?

A feature request template is a standard form used to collect suggestions for new features from users and customers. It can be integrated into your product’s interface, distributed via email, or activated contextually based on user interactions within the app.

If you don't already know how to get your customers to submit feature requests for your product, you can use a feature request template.

✨ Start collecting & managing feature requests with Featurebase for free →

Why should you use a feature request form?

The biggest benefit of using a template is standardization.

With a tried-and-tested format, you make sure that you never miss critical information. An effective feature request template lets you capture detailed feature requests, and your customers can submit all the info without you missing a beat.

Using a feature request form also ensures a better understanding and prioritization of user needs. By analyzing structured feedback, you can identify common patterns and urgent enhancements, making aligning your development efforts with user expectations and market demands easier.

Who can use a feature request template?

A feature request template benefits different departments of your business, including your users!

• Startups and SaaS: Templates encourage consistent feedback, boost customer loyalty, and support informed decisions by structuring user suggestions. They also help validate new features for market feasibility.
• Product managers: Structured templates help prioritize and track feature requests, identify trends, and clearly communicate customer ideas, helping align the product roadmap with user actual needs and your business goals.
• Customer support teams: Templates streamline the follow-up process and help collect feature requests and other feedback in one place for the product team to prioritize.
• End users: Effective feature request templates simplify the submission process, enhance transparency, and show you're actively listening to them to build better products.

Top 5 feature request form templates for SaaS products

Now, for the fun stuff: free feature request templates you can use to kickstart your feedback collection process! From nifty in-app widgets to engaging experience surveys, the following templates will inspire you to get the most actionable feedback. 💫

1. A simple feature request template

If you want to streamline your feedback collection process, this basic yet comprehensive feature request form can be easily embedded within your product or distributed via other channels like email. It’s designed to capture the essential information you need without overwhelming your users.

Feature request template:

1. Title: Provide a brief title for the feature you’re requesting.
2. Description: Describe the feature in detail. What does it do? How should it work?
3. Justification: Why do you need this feature? How will it benefit you or improve your experience?
4. Priority (optional): Rate the importance of this feature (Low, Medium, High).
5. Screenshots or attachments (optional): Attach relevant screenshots, documents, or additional resources that can help illustrate your request.

This template ensures that you collect consistent and structured feedback, making it easier to prioritize and act on user requests. However, feel free to customize it to better suit your specific needs and the nuances of your user base.

How to use this template:

• Embed this form directly in your product’s user interface for easy access.
• Include it in an email or as part of a regular feedback survey.
• Make the form available on your product’s support or community forum.

While it's a neat way for customers to send in new feature requests, the problems happen later. In other words, you're still suck with managing feature requests thatWith that being said, there are some more advanced methods of collecting feedback that make both your and your users' lives easier. 👇

2. In-app feature request widgets

Featurebase allows you to add in-app widgets for feedback collection. Its biggest advantage is convenience for the customer, as they don’t have to leave the app.

Customers can simply open the form and select the feedback type they want - be it a feature request, bug report, or a question about an integration.

The best part is that it suggests existing feature requests, which they can upvote. This reduces duplicate requests while still making everyone's voice count.

In short, users see other's feature requests as they're about to submit their own. If they see something similar (or a duplicate of their request), they can simply visit that original request and upvote it.

Plus, there's a handy screenshot tool that lets them add screenshots for further context to their feedback. Since users can submit in-app feedback, you increase user engagement and ensure they can submit feedback right when needed.

✨ Start collecting & managing feedback with Featurebase for free →

3. Bug report template

Bugs can often lead to opportunities that not only fix them but also give you ideas for improving the product further. If your customers encounter a bug, they should have an easy way to report it.

In Featurebase’s bug report template, the first thing that stands out is the custom placeholders. They help guide users through a structured report and give them all of the necessary information. 👇

This can be super helpful in speeding up bug reports and fixing them. Just imagine the mess you'd have with all users reporting bugs without any structure, app version, etc.

4. Public product roadmap

A public product roadmap is an excellent way to build customer trust and loyalty and keep users informed about what is coming. It makes product improvement and feedback transparent for the end-user, which helps manage expectations and increases loyalty.

The roadmap template's collaborative interface makes it easy to monitor the development process. Users can upvote feature requests and comment on them, which lets you see how popular certain feature requests are, so you can build them first.

Featurebase also allows you to filter based on different user segments when looking at feature requests. This way, you can see potentially which feature negatively affects your business and which one can be incredibly valuable.

For example, if companies with a high monthly recurring revenue desire a specific feature, building it can be highly beneficial. On the other hand, if free trial or low-tier users keep sending new requests for features, they may not be so beneficial for your revenue and bottom line.

5. User experience surveys

Surveys are an excellent way to collect qualitative and quantitative feedback. You can encourage users to take them by placing them on your website, in your app, in emails, or anywhere you can add a link.

Many survey tools offer different survey templates that you can run inside your app or send via email. Be it open-ended surveys, NPS, or other types, your life is much easier with a ready-made template that you can simply activate.

What does a good feature request include?

1. A clear and concise title for the feature request. The title should provide a brief and clear summary of the customer’s requested feature. It also helps categorize similar requests for the future.
2. A detailed description of the feature. The description should provide a thorough understanding of the feature. It should include what the feature does and how it works.
3. Urgency or level of importance. A phrase indicating the urgency of a feature request. This component helps the product team prioritize the requests so they can complete all tasks effectively.
4. A specific scenario where the feature will be useful. This is where customers describe the use case for their feature. It helps in understanding the practical application and relevance of the request.
5. What the user expects to achieve with this feature. The expected outcome of the requested feature helps the team understand the customer’s goals.

Best practices for collecting feature requests

Even with a feature request template in place, there are good practices for effective feedback collection.

1. Make it easy for users

The best way to encourage user feedback is to remove obstacles for them. Give them specific instructions on how to make their feedback impactful for you. Enable different feedback-sharing channels, from public portals to in-app widgets.

The idea is to make everything seamless and smooth for the customer. For instance, even if you’re using email for feedback collection, make it short and sweet. Include a clickable CTA button that takes the customer directly to your feedback form.

Another way Featurebase helps is that it lets you implement Single Sign On. This means customers can authenticate themselves with one click, so you can connect users with their feature requests, letting you paint a complete picture of your user feedback.

2. Ask the right questions

The feedback you get will be as good as the questions you ask your customer. If you ask specific, easy-to-understand questions, you will get the relevant information you seek.

A great practice is to create required fields to guide users in giving you the answers you need. With Featurebase, you can create many different kinds of required fields for your feature request form:

✨ Start collecting & managing feedback with Featurebase for free →

3. Prioritize requests effectively

In an ideal world, you’d be able to implement each and every piece of feedback.

However, the reality is that you can’t stray too far from your specific product vision. Moreover, packing your product with every feature under the sun will make it downright unusable.

In other words, you must decide which feature requests to prioritize. You can do that by creating user segments, focusing on the groups most valuable to your business.

Similarly, you can evaluate the need for a request by looking at its demand. Upvotes offer a super intuitive way to determine the popularity of a feature request.

With a feature request tool like Featurebase, you can use a range of analytical tools to prioritize requests effectively. From feature voting to filtering requests by metrics like customer revenue, you can make data-driven decisions on what ideas to implement.

Finally, to aid your decision-making process further, you can rely on feature prioritization frameworks like RICE. Such frameworks help you determine the impact-effort payoff of a feature request.

4. Always close the feedback loop

You should keep your customers informed throughout the feedback collection process. If you’re turning down their feature request, explain your decision or suggest alternatives.

Similarly, if you’re working on their request, inform them of your plan moving forward. A great way to accomplish this is through a public changelog and release notes.

What is a customer feedback loop and how to create a good one →

Wrapping up

A feature request template helps you collect user feedback consistently and in an organized. It also ensures that customer feedback gets implemented, as you have a structured way of collecting and processing their ideas.

Featurebase helps you collect, manage, and act on feedback effectively with neat feature request forms. You can collect in-app feedback, run surveys, prioritize ideas by customer revenue, and much more.

The onboarding is amazingly quick, and it comes with a Free plan that allows unlimited feedback, so there's no downside to trying it.

✨ Start collecting & managing feedback with Featurebase for free →