As a creator your first mission is to build a great product.

Once you have it, you need to do two things:

  • talk to your users
  • improve your product based on their feedback

This article will guide you through the best practices when it comes to building an awesome product.

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Pricing model

Your pricing model should be transparent and easy to understand. It should be clear to your users what they are paying for and how much they are paying.

It’s ok to iterate on your pricing model as you learn more about your users and their needs. But make sure to communicate any changes to your users.

In general, it’s commonly accepted not to change the pricing for already existing customers. If you need to change the pricing, you should grandfather the existing customers and apply the new pricing only to new customers.

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Documentation and support

Offer comprehensive documentation and responsive support to help users integrate and troubleshoot your API/product.

Several tools can help you with this:

In all cases make sure it’s easy for your users to find the information they need and to reach out to you if they have any questions or concerns.

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Security

Security is a top priority for any product. Kobble provides a high-level of security by default, but you should also take some precautions on your side.

Here are a few best practices to follow:

  • Never share user data with third parties
  • Use secure connections (https) while communicating with other services
  • Encrypt sensitive data
  • Always verify the identity of the user before performing any action on their behalf

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Notifications

Despite the fact that notifications can be annoying, used correctly they can be a powerful tool to provide value to your users.

Do:

  • Notify users about important events.
  • Notify users when they subscribe to a plan so they know what to expect and when they will be billed.
  • Notify users when they are close to reaching their usage limits.
  • Allow users to opt-out of notifications.

Don’t:

  • Notify users about every single event.
  • Notify users about irrelevant events.
  • Notify users multiple times about the same event or multiple times in a short period of time.

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Flexible refund policy and subscription management

Kobble provides by default an easy way for your users to manage their subscriptions.

However, some of them will likely reach out to you to ask for a refund or to change their subscription level.

The rule of thumb is to be as flexible as possible.

  • If a user asks for a refund, provide it without asking too many questions.
  • If a user asks to change their subscription level, do it as soon as possible and without asking too many questions.
  • Ask for feedback when a user asks for a refund or to change their subscription level. This will help you understand why they are leaving and how you can improve your product.
  • Show to your users that you care about them and their needs, that’s all that matters.

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Transparent Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

So many users, especially in the EU are concerned about legal terms.

Clearly outline what data you collect, how it’s used, and the terms of using your API.

Transparency in these areas can build trust and comply with legal requirements.

Use the Kobble Legal Information feature to link to your Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

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Performance and Reliability

Ensure your API is reliable and performs well under various conditions.

High uptime and low latency can justify the cost of your API and encourage users to upgrade.

Kobble makes it easy to monitor your API’s performance and reliability.

Don’t hesitate to use the monitoring tools provided by Kobble to keep an eye on your API’s performance.

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TL;DR

  • Be as fair and transparent as possible with your users.
  • Treat your users with respect and show them that you care about them and their needs.
  • Treat them as you would like to be treated.

It’s ok to struggle with these best practices at first. It’s a learning process and you will get better at it over time.

Keep building and keep improving your product. Your users will thank you for it.

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