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Collecting Feedback

Learn all the ways to get feedback into Distil.

Overview​

Distil accepts feedback from multiple sources. The goal is to capture feedback wherever it happens, without forcing people to use a specific tool.

Collection Methods​

1. Manual Entry (In-App)​

The simplest method - create cards directly in Distil.

How to create a card:

  1. Click "New Card" button (or press c)
  2. Enter a title (required)
  3. Add a description (optional but recommended)
  4. Add tags if applicable
  5. Click "Create"

When to use:

  • Synthesizing feedback from calls or meetings
  • Adding feedback heard in person
  • Creating cards based on your own observations
  • Consolidating multiple sources into one card

Best practice: When entering feedback manually, include the source in the description:

  • "From customer call with Acme Corp on 3/15"
  • "Mentioned in Slack #feedback by 3 users"
  • "Support ticket #1234"

2. Email Forwarding​

Forward feedback emails directly to Distil.

How it works:

  1. Get your workspace's unique email address (Settings → Integrations → Email)
  2. Forward any email to that address
  3. Distil creates a card automatically
  4. Subject line becomes card title
  5. Email body becomes card description

Example email addresses:

  • feedback-abc123@distil.app
  • roadmap-xyz789@distil.app

When to use:

  • Customer feedback via email
  • Sales forwarding feature requests
  • Support tickets that contain product feedback
  • Any feedback that arrives in your inbox

Best practice:

  • Add context before forwarding ("Customer is on Enterprise plan")
  • Cc yourself to keep a record
  • Use BCC to avoid notifying the customer

3. Slack Integration (Coming Soon)​

Capture feedback shared in Slack channels.

How it will work:

  1. React to a Slack message with a designated emoji (e.g., 💡)
  2. Distil creates a card from that message
  3. Message text becomes card description
  4. Slack user and channel are logged

Use cases:

  • Customer success sharing user quotes
  • Sales posting feature requests from calls
  • Support team flagging issues
  • Team members sharing observations

4. API Integration​

Send feedback programmatically from your application or other tools.

How it works:

  1. Get your API key (Settings → Developer → API Keys)
  2. Make a POST request to create cards
  3. Include title, description, tags, source metadata

Example API call:

curl -X POST https://api.distil.app/v1/cards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Add dark mode",
    "description": "User requested dark mode support",
    "tags": ["ui", "design"],
    "source": "in-app-feedback-widget"
  }'

When to use:

  • In-app feedback widgets
  • Survey tools (Typeform, SurveyMonkey)
  • Support tools (Intercom, Zendesk)
  • Custom integrations

Documentation: See API Reference for complete details.

5. Zapier / Make Integration (Coming Soon)​

Connect Distil to 5,000+ apps without code.

Popular workflows:

  • Typeform survey → Distil card
  • Intercom conversation tag → Distil card
  • Google Form submission → Distil card
  • Airtable row → Distil card

How to set up:

  1. Log in to Zapier
  2. Create a new Zap
  3. Trigger: Choose your source app
  4. Action: Create Distil card
  5. Map fields (title, description, tags)

Organizing Incoming Feedback​

Use a Consistent Title Format​

Good titles are specific and scannable.

Good examples:

  • "Add export to CSV feature"
  • "Speed up dashboard load time"
  • "Support SSO via Okta"

Bad examples:

  • "Feature request" (too vague)
  • "From John at Acme Corp" (describes source, not request)
  • "This is really important" (subjective, no detail)

Tip: If the feedback source is vague, rewrite the title to be clear before saving.

Add Source Context in Description​

Always note where feedback came from:

Template:

[Original feedback quote or summary]

---
Source: [Where this came from]
Requested by: [Who requested it]
Date: [When you heard it]

Example:

"We need to be able to export our data to CSV for compliance reporting."

---
Source: Customer call with Acme Corp
Requested by: Jane Smith (CFO)
Date: March 15, 2024

Tag Immediately​

Don't skip tagging during collection. It's easier to tag once during entry than to go back later.

Common tag categories:

  • Feature area: "billing," "dashboard," "reports"
  • User segment: "enterprise," "smb," "individual"
  • Request type: "bug," "feature," "improvement"
  • Source type: "customer," "internal," "prospect"

Learn more about tagging strategy

Collection Workflows​

Solo PM Workflow​

  1. Check email for forwarded feedback (daily)
  2. Review support tickets tagged "product-feedback" (weekly)
  3. Synthesize customer call notes into cards (after each call)
  4. Capture team feedback from Slack (as it happens)

Time investment: 30-60 min/day

Team Collection Workflow​

  1. Customer Success forwards relevant emails to Distil
  2. Sales creates cards for feature requests in deals
  3. Support forwards tickets with product feedback
  4. PM reviews and deduplicates weekly

Benefit: Distributed collection, PM curates instead of entering everything

High-Volume Workflow​

For teams drowning in feedback:

  1. Set up API integration with your support tool
  2. Auto-create cards for tickets tagged "feature-request"
  3. PM triages once per week - merge duplicates, tag, add context
  4. Bulk archive obvious noise

Benefit: Capture everything, filter later

Handling Duplicates​

You'll get the same feedback multiple times. This is signal!

When you spot a duplicate:

  1. Don't delete either card - duplicates show pattern strength
  2. Add a signal note to the original: "Duplicate request, see also card #456"
  3. Merge context from duplicate into original if it adds new info
  4. Archive the duplicate or tag it "duplicate"

Pro tip: Duplicates are good. They validate that something is important.

Collection Quality​

Good Collection Practices​

Capture verbatim quotes when possible:

  • Original words convey emotion and urgency
  • Helps you understand the real problem
  • Prevents you from jumping to solutions

Include customer details:

  • Company name and size
  • User role (CEO, engineer, etc.)
  • Plan tier (free, paid, enterprise)
  • How long they've been a customer

Note frequency:

  • "Third request this week"
  • "First time hearing this"
  • "This person asks every month"

What NOT to Collect​

Not everything deserves a card:

❌ Bug reports: Create a bug ticket in Jira/Linear, not a Distil card

❌ Support questions: "How do I do X?" → Answer in support, don't log in Distil

❌ Obvious spam: "Make me a millionaire" → Ignore

❌ Vague complaints: "Your app sucks" without specifics → Ask for details or ignore

✅ Feature requests: Yes, capture in Distil

✅ Product improvement ideas: Yes, capture in Distil

✅ Workflow pain points: Yes, capture in Distil

Feedback Velocity​

How much feedback should you collect?

Healthy ranges:

  • Startup (pre-PMF): 10-20 cards/week
  • Growing product: 20-50 cards/week
  • Mature product: 50-100+ cards/week

Too little feedback (<5/week):

  • Not talking to users enough
  • Collection methods aren't working
  • Users aren't engaged

Too much feedback (>150/week):

  • Need to filter noise better
  • Consider raising the bar for what gets logged
  • Use API to auto-collect and bulk triage

Encouraging Feedback​

Make It Easy​

Give users clear channels:

  • Dedicated email: feedback@yourcompany.com → forwards to Distil
  • In-app widget: "Share feedback" button
  • Survey links in product
  • Regular customer interviews

Close the Loop​

When you act on feedback:

  1. Find all cards related to the feature
  2. Add a note: "Shipped in v2.3"
  3. Email users who requested it
  4. Show them the impact of their feedback

Result: Users give you more (and better) feedback because they see you listen.

Advanced: Metadata Tracking​

For teams that want detailed analytics:

Track these fields (via API or manual entry):

  • source_type: email, slack, api, call, survey
  • customer_tier: free, starter, growth, enterprise
  • customer_size: <10, 10-50, 50-200, 200+
  • request_date: When first heard
  • urgency: low, medium, high, blocker

Use case: Answer questions like:

  • "What are our enterprise customers asking for most?"
  • "Which features are blockers for deals?"
  • "What's the oldest unaddressed request?"

Collection Checklist​

✅ Set up email forwarding address ✅ Share it with customer success and sales ✅ Add "New Card" to your daily routine ✅ Tag cards as you create them ✅ Add source context to descriptions ✅ Merge duplicates weekly ✅ Review collection quality monthly

Next Steps​