UserScape Blog
userscape.com · Company blog · on HN since 2007
The blog of UserScape, maker of the HelpSpot help desk software, writing about selling software, customer service and running a small software business.
What HN saysHN links it for the post on adding a phone number to a homepage and for HelpSpot's first six months of sales; one user recommends HelpSpot.
19HN people shared it
9linked it in comments
17stories submitted
375story points
16 years agolast shared
2007people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1How to Sell More Software by Adding 12 Characters to Your Homepage3 people · 6 points · first shared 2009 · 4 comments on HN
- 2Helpspot3 people · first shared 2008
- 3Programmers and Customer Service2 people · 41 points · first shared 2009 · 24 comments on HN
- 4What They Never Told You About Handling B2B Transactions2 people · 39 points · first shared 2007 · 2 comments on HN
- 510 Tips for Moving From Programmer to Entrepreneur2 people · 23 points · first shared 2008 · discussion on HN
- 6How to Sell More Software by Adding 12 Characters to Your Homepage1 people · 185 points · first shared 2009 · 65 comments on HN
- 7A Look Back at HelpSpot’s First 6 Months of Sales1 people · 61 points · first shared 2008 · 5 comments on HN
- 8How to Compete When All You Do is Solve Problems1 people · 7 points · first shared 2008 · 1 comments on HN
- 910 Ways to Convert Customer Service into Sales1 people · 4 points · first shared 2007 · discussion on HN
- 10Advice for Peldi (Balsamiq Response)1 people · 3 points · first shared 2008 · 2 comments on HN
- 11Creating a Business Logo1 people · 2 points · first shared 2008 · discussion on HN
- 12Use Hosted Trials for your software product1 people · 1 points · first shared 2007 · discussion on HN
- 13Why Now is a Great Time to Start a Software Company1 people · 1 points · first shared 2008 · discussion on HN
- 1410 Tips for Moving From Programmer to Entrepreneur1 people · 1 points · first shared 2007 · discussion on HN
- 1510 Steps to Improving Your Email Customer Service1 people · 1 points · first shared 2007 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
Hates_ · 2008-12-05
http://www.userscape.com - Not open source, but might be worth a look.
benr · 2008-12-21
HelpSpot is exactly what you're after - http://www.userscape.com/products/helpspot/
We've been using it for about 3 years and love it.
motoko · 2008-05-26
PG: "I admit it's odd, but there are no suspicious statistical patterns in the voting. If it's a ring, it's a new one."
How odd now?
(for those of you following along:
http://www.userscape.com/blog/index.php/site/comments/a_look_back_at_h…
is also at the top of news.yc atm)
UPDATE: Oh sweet, now THIS version is number one! 62 votes and I am the only comment!
solutionyogi · 2010-10-04
If your company is in B2B market then yes, I would say that phone number would definitely help.
Solid endorsement about putting phone number from a real business:
http://www.userscape.com/blog/index.php/site/comments/how_to_sell_more…
I think Joel also advocates putting phone# on the product homepage.
cobrien · 2009-10-20
The UserScape people did a brief post on this earlier in the year:
http://www.userscape.com/blog/index.php/site/comments/how_to_sell_more…
domdelimar · 2009-04-21
Thanks for your input. Actually, reading http://www.userscape.com/blog/index.php/site/comments/starting_a_micro… made me decide to start blogging again, and to blog mainly about my project, even before I startup.
jpwagner · 2009-01-29
Check out: http://www.userscape.com/products/helpspot/
It is difficult to navigate and understand what is going on. Of course we get the idea and understand, but think from the perspective of a prospective customer. This is typical of the type of website that has a phone number on the front page. It looks unprofessional. When you get larger you can post your automated answering line (like 1-800-NOSOFTWARE for Salesforce.com) on the front page, because it's limited overhead.
stumpy124 · 2008-12-05
I'd check out HelpSpot: http://www.userscape.com/products/helpspot/
patio11 · 2008-12-05
I sell my product primarily to parents and teachers (mostly teachers).
A 4th grade teacher with a web page, we'll call her Mrs. Smith, picked up my first linkbait and included it in the paper and virtual version of a list of resources she sent home with parents.
Mrs. Smith is now in the good company of several state departments of education, a few curriculum guides, various and sundry teachers, and a smattering of homeschooling bloggers.
As to the first site that featured my product qua my product, as opposed to something free I gave out to get my name out: a particular 3rd grade Spanish teacher, on her personal blog. She liked it.
I also got a good chunk of nepotistic links when I was starting out from other software entrepreneurs who hang out in the same forum I do. Ian Landsman (http://www.userscape.com/blog/) and Joel Spolsky stand out from the first few weeks, but I'm probably forgetting people who were no less important to me at the time.