4 Types of Customer Interviews

It's easy to get excited about doing customer interviews, only to wander aimlessly.

This can be a symptom of skipping a foundational step: clarifying what specifically you're looking to understand from your customer. 

Knowing what you're seeking to understand will determine which type of customer interview to use. 

Here are four types of customer interviews and what each type is designed to understand:

Type 1: Buyer Journey

• Target Audience: Person(s) who makes the buying decision

• Designed to Understand: How and why they buy

Type 2: Churn/Win Back

• Target Audience: Ex-customers

• Designed to Understand: Why customers leave

Type 3: User Interviews

• Target Audience: Users of your product/service

• Designed to Understand: How people use your product

Type 4: Brand & Positioning

• Target Audience: Your target audience

• Designed to Understand: Perception of your brand

It's tempting to cram one than one type into a typical 30-45 minute customer interview. When this happens, you’ll end up only scraping the surface, instead of getting a deep dive look into their preferences, behaviors and goals.

Questions to ponder:

👉 Have we clarified what we're trying to understand with our customer interviews?

👉 Are we trying to do multiple customer interview types on one customer interview call?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does it matter to clarify what's being learned before starting a customer interview?

Because without a clear goal, interviews can wander aimlessly. Knowing specifically what needs to be understood determines which type of interview actually fits the purpose.

What is a "Buyer Journey" customer interview designed to understand?

How and why the person or people who make the buying decision actually buy, targeting decision-makers specifically to understand their decision-making process.

What is a "Churn/Win Back" customer interview designed to reveal?

Why customers leave, targeting ex-customers specifically to understand the reasons behind their departure rather than guessing at what might have gone wrong.

What do "User Interviews" focus on understanding?

How people actually use the product or service, targeting current users specifically to reveal real usage patterns rather than assumed ones.

Why is it a mistake to try covering multiple interview types in a single 30-45 minute call?

Because doing so results in only scraping the surface of each topic, rather than getting the deep dive needed to genuinely understand preferences, behaviors, and goals within any one specific area.