Listening to Build: How Sabeer Nelli Uses Customer Feedback as Zil Money’s Product Compass
In the fast-moving world of fintech, the temptation to build fast and launch faster is everywhere. But not for Sabeer Nelli, founder and CEO of Zil Money. For him, building fast isn’t the goal. Building right is.
And that means listening—really listening—to the people who use the product.
While many platforms chase trends or mimic competitors, Zil Money’s product roadmap is guided by a different force: customer reality. That means every update, feature, and interface improvement comes from direct user insight.
Under Sabeer’s leadership, feedback isn’t a post-launch formality—it’s the first step in every product decision.
Let’s explore how this approach has shaped Zil Money’s growth and why it’s become one of the platform’s most powerful differentiators.
The Humble Origin of Feedback-First Thinking
Before entering fintech, Sabeer Nelli was on the receiving end of software problems. At Tyler Petroleum, he used countless digital tools to manage his fuel retail business—and most of them left him frustrated.
Why were invoices so hard to reconcile?
Why did check-printing tools feel 20 years behind?
Why did simple tasks require so many steps?
He often reached out to vendors, but rarely felt heard. That experience stuck with him.
So when he founded Zil Money, he built feedback into the foundation of the company.
“I didn’t want people to feel ignored the way I did,” he says. “If our users take the time to tell us something, we take the time to fix it.”
Creating Channels That Actually Work
Collecting feedback isn’t hard. Every app has a contact form or a chatbot. What’s rare is feedback being heard—and acted on.
Zil Money invests in a feedback system that’s:
- Immediate – In-app forms, live chat, and follow-up emails right after task completion
- Human – Real support reps document suggestions and patterns
- Integrated – Feedback is funneled directly into the product and engineering backlog
Sabeer also ensures the entire leadership team—including himself—reviews user feedback weekly. Not as a summary. Line by line.
That hands-on approach has led to multiple product wins, including:
- A simplified ACH payment flow
- Faster batch check printing
- More intuitive role management for teams
- Smarter prompts based on common support issues
In other words, the product roadmap isn’t dreamt up in a vacuum. It’s handcrafted with real user pain points in mind.
Support as Product Research
At most companies, customer support is seen as a cost center. At Zil Money, it’s a product discovery engine.
Sabeer encourages support staff to log trends and escalate friction points. If a feature generates frequent confusion or tickets, it gets immediate attention—even if it’s technically “working.”
“A working feature that confuses users isn’t working.” — Sabeer Nelli
This mindset has made support reps active contributors to product development, not just fixers. Their front-line insight is considered just as valuable as metrics or design reviews.
From Feature Requests to Product Strategy
Of course, not every piece of feedback can—or should—be implemented. That’s where Sabeer’s leadership makes a difference.
Instead of saying yes to everything, he and his team categorize feedback into:
- Quick wins – Clear improvements with low risk
- Strategic features – Ideas that align with long-term vision
- Edge cases – Valid, but best solved with workarounds or education
This structure ensures that feedback shapes the roadmap without derailing it. Zil Money doesn’t chase noise. It prioritizes signal—requests that reflect patterns across a broad user base.
One great example? The decision to develop Payroll by Credit Card—a feature driven by hundreds of small businesses struggling with cash flow during payroll runs. Instead of a generic loan tool, users wanted a direct way to bridge the gap.
Sabeer listened, validated the need, and green-lit the feature. It quickly became one of Zil Money’s most loved offerings.
Building a Feedback Culture Internally
Listening to customers works best when everyone in the company knows how to listen.
That’s why Zil Money:
- Encourages product managers to sit in on support calls
- Hosts quarterly user roundtables across industries
- Promotes “customer champions” in each department—employees who advocate for user needs in team discussions
Sabeer leads by example here. He frequently replies to users directly, joins demo calls, and probes deeper when he hears a complaint.
The result? A culture where users don’t feel like outsiders. They feel like collaborators.
Avoiding the Feature Trap
One of the biggest risks of customer-driven development is overbuilding—trying to please everyone and ending up with a cluttered, confusing platform.
Sabeer avoids this trap by sticking to a core principle: Simplicity scales.
Even when new features are added, the team works hard to:
- Integrate them smoothly into existing workflows
- Minimize additional clicks or setup
- Provide clear documentation and onboarding tools
This balance between responsiveness and restraint is part of Zil Money’s identity. You get powerful tools, but in a package that stays intuitive and calm.
Why Listening Is a Competitive Advantage
In fintech, where trust and usability matter more than raw power, being responsive is a brand advantage.
When users see their feedback reflected in updates—or even receive a personal reply from the CEO—it builds loyalty that no marketing campaign can match.
That’s why Zil Money has grown largely through word-of-mouth. It’s not just because the platform works. It’s because the company listens—and proves it.
Lessons for Founders and Builders
Sabeer Nelli’s approach to feedback offers a blueprint for product-led growth:
✅ Build systems that capture feedback continuously
Don’t just ask for it after major launches. Collect and review it regularly.
✅ Respect small complaints
Sometimes the “little” frustrations are the ones that matter most to real users.
✅ Train teams to listen
Feedback should be a company-wide skill, not just a support function.
✅ Respond with action
Users remember when their words turn into results. That’s loyalty magic.
Final Thought: The Product of Listening
Some companies build based on instinct. Others build based on trends. But the most durable companies—like Zil Money—are built on listening.
By treating feedback not as a burden but as a gift, Sabeer Nelli has created more than a great fintech platform. He’s created a user community that feels heard, respected, and involved.
And in today’s noisy digital world, that kind of connection is rare—and powerful.
Because at the end of the day, the best products aren’t the ones that wow in a demo. They’re the ones that quietly say, “We heard you. We fixed it. We’re here for you.”
And that’s exactly what Zil Money does—every day.