Top 5 Feature Request Templates for SaaS + Complete Guide

Feature requests are vital for SaaS products to evolve and meet user needs. 

Without a structured approach, managing these requests can be chaotic. A well-designed feature request template streamlines the process, ensuring consistency and clear communication.

In this article, we will explore different feature request templates, their main components, and a few ideas for creating your own! 👇

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.

✨ 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 ensure that you gather relevant information consistently. It also prevents you from missing crucial details that could help you improve your product.

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 benefits from using 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 in one place for the product team to prioritize.
• End users: 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. 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 any 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.

With 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. Their 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 them already existing feature requests, which they can upvote. This reduces duplicate feedback while still making everyone's voice count.

Plus, there's a handy screenshot tool that lets them add screenshots to add further context to their feedback.

The Ultimate Guide for Collecting In-App Feedback →

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 you 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. 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. And the upvote feature also helps determine a feature's popularity, which helps with prioritization.

The Best Public Roadmap Examples for SaaS companies →

5. User experience surveys

Regardless of the exact type of survey you choose, the goal is simple: get a quantitative or qualitative measure of user satisfaction.

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 request 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. Give them various channels for sharing feedback, from public portals to convenient 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.

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.

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 will have to 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 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 feedback in a consistent and organized manner. 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, so there's no downside to trying it.

Start collecting feature requests with Featurebase today for free →