# How to collect customer feedback and close the loop

> Collect feedback where customers already are (in your product, by email and in chat), put it in one list, give each request a number, decide what to do, and tell the people who asked when it ships. Closing the loop is the step most teams skip.

Source: https://shipnoted.com/guides/how-to-collect-customer-feedback · Updated 2026-11-02

## The loop

Feedback is not a form, it is a conversation with four beats:

1. **Collect** it, wherever customers already are.
2. **Organise** it, in one place, with duplicates merged.
3. **Decide**, and say what you decided.
4. **Close the loop**: tell the people who asked when you ship.

Most teams do the first and some do the second. The last two are where trust is built.

## 1. Collect where customers already are

- **In the product.** A small widget with an ideas panel catches feedback at the moment of friction.
- **By email.** Make one address that turns messages into requests, so support threads are not lost.
- **In chat.** If your customers are in Slack or Discord, file requests from there.
- **On a public board.** Lets people see and vote on what exists instead of repeating it.

Capture the words they used and who they are. Do not rewrite a request into your own language too early.

## 2. Organise in one list

Give every request a short reference, such as SN-12, so people can refer to it in a pull request, a chat or an email. Merge duplicates so votes add up. Tag themes. Keep internal notes next to the request, not in someone's head.

## 3. Decide and say so

Move each request through clear statuses: under review, planned, in progress, shipped, not planned. Update the status when it changes. People tolerate "no" far better than silence. See [how to prioritize](/guides/how-to-prioritize-feature-requests).

## 4. Close the loop

When something ships:
- Link the change to the request (a pull request that says "Closes SN-12" can do it).
- Write the release notes for users.
- Email the people who asked, **once**, with a link to the note.

"You asked, it shipped" turns a suggestion into a relationship. It also teaches customers that asking is worth their time.

## Mistakes to avoid

- Collecting feedback and never replying.
- Emailing someone five times for five requests in one release. Send one message.
- Hiding the process. A public roadmap and changelog do the explaining for you.

## Automating the copying

Doing this by hand means copying between a board, a tracker and an email tool. Shipnoted does the copying from your git: [see how the loop works](/features/close-the-feedback-loop).

## Questions and answers

### What is the best way to collect customer feedback?

Collect it where customers already are: inside your product, by email and in chat, and give them a public board to see and vote on existing requests.

### What does closing the feedback loop mean?

Telling customers what happened to their feedback, especially emailing them when something they asked for ships.

### How do I organise customer feedback?

Keep it in one list, give each request a number, merge duplicates, group them into themes, and add who asked and how much they pay.

### How often should I email customers about requests?

Once per release per person. Group everything that shipped for them into one message.

### Do I need a tool to collect feedback?

Not at first; a spreadsheet works for a handful of requests. A tool helps once duplicates, voters and follow-ups outgrow a spreadsheet.