When done right, customer interviews can be incredibly valuable.
They give you the opportunity to speak with customers in a direct, 1-on-1 setting that’s intimate and interactive — and it’s the best way to collect all kinds of juicy, specific insights.
As a website conversion copywriter, I use a variety of customer research methodologies — including customer interviews — to create more effective information architectures and copy for my clients’ websites.
I’ve also used customer interviews to help shape things like marketing, design, product decisions, and so much more.
But you can’t just call up your customers and expect insights to magically appear.
You have to go into every interview prepared, with a specific set of questions that will produce the information you’re looking for.
You need to start the interview in a confident, yet relaxed way — putting the participant at ease and encouraging them to open up.
You need to be clear about what’s going to happen during the interview, setting expectations for the participant, and getting their “buy in” at each stage.
You have to know when to dig deeper and ask follow-up questions — so you can uncover even more detail and data.
You need to know how to phrase questions in a non-leading way, so you don’t inadvertently influence the participant.
And finally, you need to know when and how to end the interview on a positive note so everyone feels good about the conversation.
Oh, and it helps to hit “record,” too 😉
I learned all of this and more while interviewing hundreds of customers over the last 10+ years — and today, I’m going to show you how it’s done with a mock customer interview.
In this example of a customer interview, you’ll learn a few quick tips for running a successful interview, PLUS you’ll actually see the process in action: how I start the interview, the questions I ask, how and why I follow up, and more.
The video also mentions my FREE customer interview template which I recommend using as a baseline for your next customer interview — and adjusting it with your own questions to fit your unique needs (more on that in the video).
I hope this example customer interview video helps you run more successful interviews for your clients or for your own business.
As always, thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the video, please share with a friend or colleague.
