What you'll need
Video conferencing with screen sharing and recording
Questionnaire
Meeting space
Recording device or notebook and pen
Questionnaire
Instructions for running this Play
Most plays involve little (if any) preparation. But the customer interview is different. Take the prep work seriously. You'll get far more out of the interview – and, ultimately, so will your customers.
1. Prep time 90 MIN
DECIDE ON EITHER BROAD OR DEEP
Do you want to explore general usage patterns and give the customer a chance to offer broad feedback? If so, plan for an open-ended interview and go with the flow. A broader scope for the interview can yield surprising insights into how your product or service is seen and used by customers.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for specific information, you can narrow the interview’s focus and take a deep dive into a particular subject. You can use a deep interview to validate assumptions you have about a feature, explore the nuances of a frequent feature request, or focus on problems that customers have reported.
Form an interview team
Anyone can participate in a customer interview, but typically, a product owner, service lead, or someone on the front lines (like a developer, designer, or service operator) fills the interviewer role. You'll also want another person from your team to take notes and generally be your co-pilot. Don't try to be both the interviewer and scribe – you'll get distracted and won't be able to listen actively.
It’s also a good idea to include a silent observer. The observer’s job is to absorb the conversation and listen for themes or connections the interviewer and scribe are too busy to catch. The observer can ensure you don't overlook anything important.
FIND THE BEST CUSTOMER TO INTERVIEW
Spend some time selecting ideal customers for the interview. You don’t want to grab just anyone — you want to make sure the person you select can actually speak to the topic you’re looking to learn more about.
Consider your interview goals and ensure you're recruiting customers who'll contribute to them. Aim for a balance of customer types: fans, haters, people who almost bought but didn't, people who switched to your product from a competitor (or vice versa), and so on.
Get to know each potential interviewee as well as possible before reaching out, and write up a few details for reference: what product/s or service they use, how long they've been a customer, the team or company size (if applicable), what feedback they've already provided, and so on.
When you've identified customers to interview, recruit them with an engaging invite that explains your goals for the interview, how long it'll take, and when you're hoping to conduct it. If the customer is in your local area, offer to hold the interview at their office – it's easiest for them, and you'll benefit from the richer context of being in your customer's natural habitat. If you can’t go to them, invite them to swing by your office and give them the VIP treatment.
A video or phone call can work if an in-person session isn't possible. Email or a form are also options, but they aren’t the best choices. You might lose subtle context clues and spontaneous insights with an asynchronous interview. So, do everything you can to get the customer into a live setting so you can build a rapport.
Craft an interview script
You’re not conducting a generic customer satisfaction survey, so don’t go into the interview and attempt to wing it — you need a script, even if it just serves as a guide. First, brainstorm at least 20 possible questions. Then, trim it down to 10 or fewer (assuming you have an hour with the customer). Start by cutting any questions your customer is likely to answer with a answer with a "yes" or "no."
Your questions should concentrate on current behavior as it’s a good predictor of future behavior. Be aware of your potential confirmation bias and don’t ask leading questions. Design your questions so your customers' views come through clearly. Include some soft-ball questions to kick off the interview and establish a rapport with the customer: how long they've been in their role, how often they use your product or service, or how they heard about it.
If you must keep the interview details between yourself and the customer, put together a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Get ready for game day
It’s finally time to interview your customer. You've printed copies of the interview questions and customer write-ups for everyone. You’ve charged your recording device and rounded up some swag to offer as a thank-you gift: shirts, mugs, stickers. The interview room (if at your office) is tidy and has a relaxed vibe.
Make sure your interview team understands their roles so you can operate like a well-oiled machine. Scribes should avoid leading the interview, and observers should only ask questions at the end.
The following interview questions are suggestions. Tweak them to suit your needs and style.
FOR EXAMPLE...
Here are a couple email templates we use when recruiting customers to interview.
Pro tip
Scribes can set up a Confluence page to record notes. Get some tips for creating a customer interview page from the Atlassian Blog.
2. Housekeeping 5 MIN
Welcome the customer and thank them for coming (again, it sounds obvious, but it's easy to forget).
Ask if recording the interview is okay so you've got everything verbatim in case the scribe falls behind. Assure your customer that the recording, and the interview in general, is only for internal use. You'll share the interview highlights with your team but will keep it confidential otherwise – you won't be pulling quotes for advertising purposes, for example.
3. Warm-up questions 10 MIN
Lead with the soft-ball questions from the interview script you prepared. Part of what you’re doing here is establishing rapport. Pay attention to cues like body language and tone. Does your customer feel at ease? Are they giving you the whole story?
4. Meaty questions 20 MIN
Now, dive into the questions from your interview script to get the specifics you're after. As you do, remember that the script is just a guide — you don't have to follow it verbatim. For example, you might want to ask unplanned follow-up questions if you uncover a pearl of wisdom.
Feel free to spend the bulk of your time having a loose conversation with the customer about what you're trying to learn from them. It's It's okay to just go with the flow as long as you get valuable info your team can use. Even getting a read on the customer's pain points can be helpful. Your questions will serve as an outline and are there for your reference if you get stuck.
Make sure you're validating responses as the interview goes along. Try repeating back what you've heard or asking the question in a different way to verify that your scribe has captured the customer's views accurately.
PRO TIP:
Ask the customer to show you how they use the product or what problems they face daily. Grab screenshots or record video to reference later and share with your team.
5. Observer questions 10 MIN
If you have observers in the room and they have questions, now is the time for them to ask.
Observer questions should prompt more profound thought and reflection. "Is this an important feature?" would not be a great question. But, "Why is this feature useful?" would be a great question. "What would happen if this feature disappeared?" would be even better — it'll either sharply illustrate the feature's value or make the customer realize that maybe the feature isn't so critical.
6. Turn the tables 10 MIN
We get more out of customer interviews when we turn them into a two-way conversation. Before the session winds down, give your customer a chance to ask questions of you. You might be surprised by what you learn.
7. Wrap it up 10 MIN
Thank the customer for their time (you can’t do this enough) and don't forget to hand over the swag!
If any follow up is needed, discuss and schedule it now.
For example...
Use the the 5 Whys Analysis Play to interpret problems. You'll come out with something like this.
8. Summarize findings from the interview 30 MIN
After you've parted ways, gather your team for a quick huddle. Ask what they thought about the customer's feedback: what was valuable? Surprising? Contradictory?
Wait to write up the interview, though. Let the experience marinate for a while, and give the problems and use cases you discussed time to soak in.
To get the most out of your customer interviews, go beyond simply relaying your customer’s comments and your observations to the rest of your team. Take what you heard and saw and interpret problems. Ask "why." Instead of jumping to a solution (which customers might want to do in the interview!), think about behaviors and their causes.
Then, connect those problems to opportunities. Find patterns that emerge across multiple interviews. Look at what customers say in support tickets, user forums, or on social media. Gather supporting evidence and build a case for solving the problems you uncovered during the interview.
Mentally chew on everything. Then do the write-up.
For more, check out our "customer interview pyramid" article.
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