The voice of the customer provides powerful insight for messaging and content development. Learn how to conduct productive customer interviews.
Morgan Norris, TREW Marketing Brand and Content Strategist, knows when she has nailed a customer interview, and the impact it can have on a company's messaging. She uses data from interviews to inform persona development, reinforce or debunk company differentiators, and uncover surprises (good and bad) touching everything from product quality to operational execution. In addition to customers themselves, Morgan often interviews other stakeholders such as board members, investors, sales, and the occasional past prospect or customer who didn't have the best experience.
During the episode Morgan walks us through her process of preparing and conducting customer interviews, which she holds via phone and lasts about 20-30 minutes. Being aware that every minute counts, she goes into an interview prepared, but also leaves room for flexibility as the interview progresses. Morgan finds that customers are more likely to speak with candor to her (as a 3rd party) than with someone working for the company.
Once her interviews are complete, she identifies key themes and word choices, pulling out quotes to bring the customer's voice directly to the executive team. She also brings in those surprise findings for discussion.
Morgan strongly encourages companies to not skip the customer interview step when working on key messaging or persona development. There are always surprises and helpful data for prioritization.