Gopal Shenoy, Manager of Product Definition at SolidWorks - Various tools are available to understanding market needs - customer enhancement requests, end user surveys, sales feedback, technical support, emails and phone calls. One of the other effective ways to understand market needs is through onsite visits.

This presentation will focus on the following topics:
- Deciding who to visit
- How to set up visits
- How to conduct the visits
- What you should absolutely do and not do
- What to do with what you learn from the visit

The discussion will be based on large number of customer visits the presenter has conducted in eight different countries over the last nine years ranging from Fortune 100 companies to mom and pop shops.

Gopal Shenoy is the Manager of Product Definition at SolidWorks Corporation, a leading producer of 3D computer aided design software that has over 400,000 users worldwide. In his position, Gopal manages a group responsible for understanding future requirements of the customer base and ensuring that the functionality delivered in the software meets the customer needs. For over nine years, he has visited customers ranging from Fortune 100 companies to mom and pop shops worldwide. He is also the Director of Educational Programs for the Boston Product Management Association.