Why Customer Experience is Everything: Lessons from Our First 100 Users

Hey, Mats here again! Today, I want to discuss one of the most important lessons we’ve learned so far at KfzPortal24.de: why customer experience is at the heart of everything we do.

When we launched, we had a basic product, no fancy features, and barely any automation. But did our first 100 users pretty quickly—and they taught us more than we ever could’ve imagined. Here’s what we learned and how it’s shaped our platform.

Getting Our First 100 Users

We initially gained traction through paid search ads and Instagram, where we documented our startup journey and product. These early users were curious about what we were building, but they didn’t just want a service—they needed trust. In Germany, most people still handle car deregistrations in person at local offices. There’s a genuine hesitation around trusting online services, even official ones. This fear of “doing it wrong” meant our top priority was delivering a smooth online process and building trust from the first second people visited our page. While our competitors wanted to build trust by making their websites look as official as possible, we wanted to build trust by being there for the user and collecting great customer feedback.

The Importance of Building Trust

The most common feedback? People were scared to do something as important as deregistering their car online. They wanted to ensure it was done right, which meant we had to go above and beyond to reassure them.

We quickly realized that our website wasn’t just about functionality—it needed to communicate trust. We revamped the explanations on our site, added badges, trust signals, and implemented services like Trustpilot. Our customer service team became the backbone of building that trust, ensuring that any concerns or questions were handled quickly and carefully.

Support Became Our Secret Weapon

Here’s something that surprised us: most of our customers needed direct support to feel confident using our service. We assumed that with clear instructions, many users would follow the steps. That wasn’t the case. People wanted guidance and reassurance throughout the process, and that’s when we doubled down on customer support.

We started offering support not just during business hours but in the times that mattered most—before and after 9-5 work. This shift allowed us to meet our users where they were, helping them in the moments they were most likely to need assistance.

User Feedback Changed Our Product

One of the best decisions we made early on was directly contacting our users for feedback. Whether via email or WhatsApp, we asked our customers how we could improve our service and offering. The response was overwhelming—people were not only willing to share their thoughts but also built a personal and meaningful connection with us. These conversations have helped us create a loyal customer base that keeps coming back.

Their feedback also revealed an important pain point: many users broke their car's security codes during deregistration. This was a huge problem, and fixing it became our top priority. We developed an internal system that efficiently recovers broken security codes—something we’re improving daily. Our experience with an early MVP prototype helped us identify these issues firsthand, teaching us what needed automation and what required personal attention.

Lesson Learned: Always Put Users First

At KfzPortal24.de, user feedback is always our top priority. While our original version solved a problem we personally experienced, we quickly learned there are a much broader set of challenges for the wider audience. Thanks to our customers, our product has evolved, and we continue to build based on their needs.

If there’s one lesson we took away from our first 100 users, it’s this: Never underestimate the power of a personal touch. Whether it’s offering direct support or reaching out for feedback, your users will appreciate it, and your product will be better for it.

Final Thoughts

Creating a product is about more than just technology; it’s about understanding the people who use it. As we grow, we’ll continue listening, learning, and adapting to ensure our users get the best possible experience.

Until next time,
Mats