Behind the Scenes: How Our Customer Advisory Board Drives Product Direction

At Grand Avenue Software, we believe the best ideas come from those who use our products every day, our customers. Our Customer Advisory Boards play a vital role in shaping the development of Grand Avenue Software.

Whether you’re a long-time partner or a new customer, your voice matters and carries weight in our development process. We utilize customer advisory boards to help tackle complicated features, like new modules, workflows or redesigns. Advisory board members collaborate directly with our development and customer success teams to influence everything from initial design decisions to final feature implementations. 

Here’s how it works:

• Inclusive Participation: We invite customers who’ve requested the features to be implemented or license the relevant modules to participate in the advisory boards. We aim to get a variety of customer types (e.g., size, industry, partners, etc.). Participation is flexible and members can contribute as much as they’re able, with multiple channels available for feedback such as live meetings, surveys, and email.
• Early Engagement: Advisory board members help define initial requirements and weigh in on design decisions. We typically start things off with a kick-off meeting and ask members to share their current workflows and forms related to the module or process to better understand their needs.
• Real-Time Feedback: As features are developed, members get early access through development builds and customer evaluation sites. This hands-on experience allows them to provide timely, actionable feedback. Additionally, no feedback is too small. We ask for input on everything from overall workflow to field names. 
• Collaborative Meetings: Live sessions bring together customers, partners, and our internal teams to discuss options, share insights, and refine solutions. These meetings foster dynamic conversations and peer-to-peer learning.

Some of our recent advisory boards have helped shape the following new modules and workflows:

• Training Assessment Module 
• Authentication Management Module
• Supplier Corrective Action Report (SCAR) Workflow
• Requirements Management Module
• Risk Management Module

Real World Example

One of our most recent features that utilized a customer advisory board was the new SCAR workflow in the Supplier Management module. 

Over the course of two months, we partnered with eight customers and industry partners, representing organizations from 40 to over 1,000 employees. These collaborators shared their existing SCAR forms, tracking sheets, and process workflows, giving us a clear picture of their needs and challenges.

Through live meetings, hands-on testing, and surveys, we gathered real-time feedback that helped us refine every detail—from key data fields to the process flow. The result? A powerful, user-driven SCAR workflow that released in Grand Avenue Software version 16.3.

This is just one example of how your voice helps shape our product roadmap. No matter the size of your organization or the modules you use, every Grand Avenue customer has a voice in our release planning process. When complex features are planned for an upcoming release, we rely on advisory boards to ensure we deliver solutions that truly meet your needs.

Customer feedback fuels our innovation. We look forward to working with you to build software that works better for all our customers.