What Uber's Self-Driving Car Tests Can Teach You About Offering New Services (Watch)

Uber is starting to test out its self-driving car service in Pittsburgh. And it's doing it with real passengers in the vehicles.

There will still be a driver in the front seat of each self-driving car with hands on the wheel in case they need to take over at any point. And an engineer will also be in the passenger seat to take notes. Since the service is still in its early testing phase, Uber passengers who use the self-driving car service will get those rides for free.

There currently aren't any fully autonomous vehicles on the road. And a few recent crashes have regulators worried. But Uber's ultimate goal is to cut drivers out of the equation completely and just have passengers ferried around by self-driving cars, which could ultimately cut costs drastically for both Uber and its passengers.

Your Launch Process Can Benefit from a Product Trial

Even if the new product or service you're offering is nothing nearly as high tech as a self-driving car, beware. Testing customer experience to be sure it's all you hope is still critical. Is there a way you could offer some of your customers a free version of your new product or service for a  limited time in return for some detailed feedback? Or maybe you could offer a reduced rate to those willing to try the new service - and then ask customers who enjoyed it if they'd be willing to give a testimonial.

This article, "What Uber's Self-Driving Car Tests Can Teach You About Offering New Services (Watch)" was first published on Small Business Trends