Regular Updates to SS
Peter G.
In September 2023, I attended a SmartSuite webinar where we were told that there would be some significant upgrades, including button actions to trigger automations and automation looping, among other things. We were told to expect that in November 2023.
Crickets
It seems to me that it would be in SS's interest to:
- Provide regular updates. Ideally weekly, or at least several times a month. That's what AT does.
- Be more transparent on what SS is working on. The so-called "Roadmap" is really just a pie-in-the-sky wish list. Some of the items in those categories are several years old.
Nothing speaks better of a software company than regular updates. It makes the users (i.e. paying customers) happy, keeps them interested, and tells the users that this is a viable, happening company. That it's on the ball.
Silence, OTOH, is deafening.
D
Dave Hyndman
I'll pile on as there is a key feature I'm waiting on that Jon teased in that last "What's New" YouTube video back in September, 2024. The feature was a new user role and reduced price for external, portal-like users.
What seems to have changed is the update cadence. Last year, Jon and the team hosted long (1 hour plus) Youtube videos titled "What's New and What's Coming ...". In 2024, there was one in January, April, July and September. One every 3 months, on average. There hasn't been one in 5+ months.
I am working on a move from Airtable to Smartsuite. The main thing that drew me to Smartsuite was the (apparent) transparency of the roadmap (including the CEO's previews and insights) and the velocity of the product/dev team. This is particularly attractive at a time when Airtable are focusing on enterprise which comes at a cost of new end-user functionality.
It feels like something has changed in this regard since that last update in September.
C
Caleb Cook
Adding to this. The September 2024 introduction of dashboards was awesome and honestly what made our company decide to stick with SmartSuite, because of what the webinar said was "quickly following"
However none of the major new features promised in that webinar have been released yet, and there are several critical dashboard widgets that are still listed as "coming soon"
That, combined with the fact that there are "planned" feature requests that have been marked that way for years, makes me less and less excited to grow with SS.
There's such incredible potential, and the progress is what makes me excited for what it can be, but the updates timeline + communication needs to be something we can rely on. A lot of our workarounds for simple features are making SS "clunky" for our team.
D
David C
Yeah this is huge. Even simple updates or alerts for when things aren't working so we can plan.
Also it seems like smartsuite is trying to be really integrative and is missing some basic functionality that probably should be prioritized. I switched from Airtable because they were too focused on AI and looking flashy and techy yet neglecting some basic features that would help a small business like mine. I just need something that works and works well and cares more about smaller customers rather than the big corporations. I felt that when initially switching to SS because they took suggestions and were a smaller business.
J
Jeff Eusebio
Thanks for posting Peter. It's been 5 months since any kind of "What's New" webinar (and these previously happened every 2-3 months since I joined) so I've actually been getting kind of concerned. We're relying on SmartSuite for core businesses processes so want to make sure it remains growing and vibrant!
Jon Darbyshire
Hello Peter G.! I have a few more questions for you:
- What specific types of updates or information would you find most valuable in regular communications?
- How frequently would you prefer to receive updates from us?
- Are there any specific features or areas of the product you are most interested in hearing about in future updates?
Landyn U
Jon Darbyshire I completely understand that you can't share everything behind the scenes.
Canny is a great tool!
But I think Smartsuite should really lean into its own platform and share a public view of your own internal roadmap/ project management (pared down to what can be shared publicly). Smartsuite also has voting features!
I love the transparency of Smartsuite to date and the value just keeps getting better. But Peter, myself, and I'm sure a lot of people here love being part of the journey!
I miss the regular webinars too, as a lot of upcoming features were teased in those too.
Peter G.
Landyn U
You're not responding to Jon D. You're talking to a bot.
See:
Landyn U
Peter G. Haha I'm well aware, but I do know the Smartsuite team do read the comments!
Peter G.
Landyn U
Cool!