One of the questions I ask from time to time at User Group meetings is “How many of you have ever filled out a SolidWorks Enhancement Request?”  On a good night, I might get 20% of the audience with their hand up.  Although the message does get out there quite a bit, I still like to remind users every now and then that a VERY large percentage of enhancements in each new version of SolidWorks are taken directly from enhancement requests.  The number fluctuates slightly between releases, but most of the time 85-95% of new features come directly from customer requests!

So what does this have to do with networking?  Well, there is power in numbers and if you have the next great innovative feature or enhancement bring it up at your next SolidWorks User Group meeting.  SolidWorks User Groups are a great avenue to share these ideas.  Great ideas can be contagious and your enhancement request can multiply when a group discussion occurs.  By getting people from your user group to submit similar enhancement requests, you are increasing the chances of seeing the idea make it into a future version of SolidWorks.  I’ve seen some User Groups share particular enhancement requests via e-mail or online forums.  This makes it REALLY easy for multiple group members to submit the idea to SolidWorks (we all LOVE Cut & Paste!).

So next time you think “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could…..” or “This feature should really do….” while using SolidWorks, take a few minutes to submit an enhancement request to SolidWorks.  If you believe strongly in your request, share it with your fellow SolidWorks users!  Let your voice be heard!