Change is a constant in the realm of B2B software development. Products are constantly evolving to keep up with the growing demands of the businesses that use them, and as SaaS companies scale, new use cases emerge, and opportunities to expand the product become clear.
The challenge, however, is making sure your users know about these changes, keeping them informed and excited, and ensuring that your team, customers, and even investors are all on the same page.
Fugo, a rapidly growing software company, is familiar with this challenge. Their existing channels for communicating product updates and gathering user feedback, primarily email and social media, were not providing the level of engagement or targeting precision they needed.
Seeking a solution that could streamline communication and improve user engagement, Fugo turned to Beamer. The results were transformative, with significant improvements in user interaction and overall product success.
Let’s explore how they did it.
The Challenge: Scaling Product Communication
As Fugo scaled, they struggled to maintain effective communication with their growing user base. They relied heavily on email to announce updates and gather feedback, but engagement was inconsistent, and open rates hovered around 30% on a good day.
“There was no reliable way to ensure that messages reached the entire user base as opposed to just subscribers.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
Social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn were also used to announce product launches and updates, but the lack of targeting and depth in interaction made it difficult to gather meaningful feedback and ensure that updates were seen by the right users at the right time.
The Search for a Solution:
When Fugo realized their existing communication methods weren’t effectively engaging users, they knew they needed a more specialized tool to streamline product updates and gather meaningful feedback. Interestingly, the search for a solution was quick and decisive.
While exploring options to overcome the challenges imposed by fragmented communication, Beamer quickly caught the attention of Fugo’s small team, including its Founder, Zuka Kakabadze, and Marsel Atniashev, Lead Engineer.
Beamer was the first and only tool they trialed, and it immediately stood out as the right fit. The clean, intuitive interface and the feedback feature, which allowed users to suggest and vote on new features, immediately stood out. The roadmap feature was another key attraction, offering a practical way to keep both the team and users aligned with the company’s development priorities.
“Our first impression was really positive. Beamer’s interface was clean and easy to navigate, which made getting started straightforward…It just felt like the right fit for what we needed at the time.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
Implementing Beamer
Fugo quickly implemented Beamer and began seeing results almost immediately. Users started engaging with updates directly in the app, and the feedback loop helped prioritize the features that mattered most to them.
“Rolling out a new release with Beamer is so much easier. It only takes a few minutes to craft notifications, so managing our feature release communications has become a lot more streamlined.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
But the results go way beyond that.
Results: Stronger Feature Adoption and Reduced Churn
The implementation of Beamer at Fugo brought about a remarkable transformation in how the company communicated with its users, ultimately leading to improved engagement, better feedback, and more successful product outcomes.
Reaching a 29% increase in user engagement
One of the most immediate and noticeable impacts of using Beamer was the substantial increase in user engagement as click rates on Beamer announcements were approximately 29% higher than those on emails.
This increased engagement indicated that users were not only seeing the updates but were also actively interacting with them, leading to deeper product usage and higher overall satisfaction.
Reducing churn by 72%
Over the course of 24 months since integrating Beamer, Fugo experienced a remarkable reduction in churn rate. Previously, their churn rate was at 7.3%, but with the continuous user engagement fostered through Beamer, this rate has dropped to just 2%—a 72% reduction.
This decrease in churn is a clear indicator of the stronger relationships Fugo has built with its users by keeping them informed, engaged, and satisfied with the product.
Boosting trial conversion rates by 140%
In addition to the reduction in churn, Fugo also saw a significant increase in their trial conversion rates. Currently, 6% of registered users upgrade from a trial to a paid plan, compared to just 2.5% 24 months ago.
This 140% jump in conversion rates is a testament to how effectively Beamer has helped Fugo nurture trial users through targeted communication and timely updates, leading them to see the value in the product and commit to a paid subscription.
Growing feature adoption
Beamer’s Changelog feature quickly became central to Fugo’s communication strategy, providing users with clear, timely updates on new features and improvements. This transparency has been instrumental in driving faster feature adoption, as users are consistently informed about what’s new and why it matters.
“This has really strengthened our relationship with our customers. They feel heard and involved, which has led to better user retention and satisfaction.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
To track how well these features are being adopted, Fugo leverages event tracking to monitor user interactions and whether they complete key workflows within the CMS. This data-driven approach allows Fugo to gain insights into how users engage with new features and iterate based on actual usage patterns.
For instance, with the screen mirroring feature, initially expected to serve a niche audience, adoption has grown significantly. When the MVP version of screen mirroring was first launched two years ago, only 4% of users tried it. Today, approximately 30% of users have interacted with the feature at least once in its current iteration.
“One of our more pivotal product launches in 2023 was shaped by the feedback we gathered through Beamer, and it ended up being a huge success. This has become our standard approach now—we make sure to gather feedback early on and refine a feature before launch, which has made a huge difference.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
Fostering strategic alignment and investor confidence
Leveraging Beamer’s Roadmap tool to communicate product updates not only kept Fugo’s internal team and users aligned with the product’s development but also served as a valuable tool in discussions with potential investors.
By clearly showcasing future plans and the prioritization of development efforts, Fugo was able to demonstrate strategic alignment and forward-thinking, which bolstered investor confidence.
Streamlining communication is the path toward better user retention
With Beamer, Fugo has streamlined the way they communicate new features, resulting in more informed and engaged users. While the overall number of support tickets has increased due to a growing user base and higher traffic, the nature of these interactions has shifted.
Fugo now receives more inquiries like, “When can we expect XX to be released?” or “We’re trying out XX feature and ran into an issue,” indicating that users are far more engaged with new releases than they were a couple of years ago.
“Plus, with more informed users, our support team spends less time answering basic questions about new features, which has been a big win.”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
This shift suggests that users are not just passively consuming updates but actively engaging with and anticipating new features, which reflects a deeper level of product engagement and satisfaction.
Looking forward: Building consistency in product communication
Fugo continues to rely on Beamer as an integral part of their product communication strategy. The ability to gather and act on user feedback, combined with the ease of launching new features, has solidified Beamer’s role in their ongoing success. As Fugo grows, Beamer will remain a key tool in maintaining strong, transparent communication with their users.
“We love the changelog! It’s how we keep our users in the loop and make sure they’re aware of every update we push out. Having a clear, easy-to-access record of what’s new has been a game-changer—not just for transparency, but for getting users to actually engage with the new features we’re rolling out. ”
– Sarah Donahoo, Head of Marketing at Fugo
For Fugo Beamer has been more than just a communication tool—it’s become the backbone of their user engagement strategy. By keeping users informed, involved, and excited about the product’s development, Fugo has seen a marked improvement in user retention and satisfaction, setting the stage for continued growth and success.