Whether you're a product manager, marketer, sales manager, or R&D lead, one of the most valuable skills you can develop is the ability to build meaningful connections with your existing and potential customers. In these conversations, you can surface their unmet needs, build stronger relationships with them, and inspire successful product and service development.
Our expert consultants, with decades of experience with Voice of the Customer (VOC) research and interviewing under their belt, have shared five practical techniques that you can use to level up your customer interactions.
1. Master the Art of Customer Interviews
Conducting an effective customer interview that yields meaningful insights is all about setting the right tone, building trust, and knowing how to dig deeper. A good interviewer knows when to follow the script and when to let the conversation flow.
2. Ask Questions That Get to the Heart of Customer Needs
Not all questions are created equal. The best ones help you uncover the “why” behind customer behaviors and preferences. In our upcoming Transforming Customer Conversations: A Continuous VOC Discovery Mindset workshop, we teach you how to move beyond surface-level responses and elicit deeper insights through open-ended questioning and a VOC discovery mindset.
3. Observe Real Time Pain Points
Sometimes, customers can’t articulate what they need – or don’t even realize themselves that they have this need. That’s where observation and ethnography come in. Watching customers interact with a product or navigate a problem in real time can reveal pain points that you might miss if your approach is solely interview-focused.
4. Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues
Similarly, facial expressions, body language, and tone can all provide clues about how a customer truly feels. In our upcoming course, your instructor will show you how to pick up on these nonverbal – and sometimes, subtle – signals, allowing you to read between the lines and better interpret what’s being said (and what’s not).
5. Tap into Existing Data Sources
You don’t always need to start from scratch. User-generated content, online reviews, support tickets, and call center transcripts can be a key source of customer insights. Our consultants are eager to share how you can mine these secondary sources for hidden gems that can help guide product or service improvements.
These five techniques are just a preview of what we cover in Transforming Customer Conversations: A Continuous VOC Discovery Mindset, taking place virtually this May 6-7. If you're looking to sharpen your customer insight skills and elevate your team’s approach to qualitative research, view course details here.
Better conversations lead to better insights—and ultimately, better innovation. Ready to start digging into your customers’ needs for improved satisfaction and sales? Let’s start the conversation!
