Help! I'm not allowed to invite customers to a user interview!

It actually sounds like a real no-brainer: product managers want to work closely with their customers. In reality, however, this doesn't always mean that they are actually allowed to talk to them. Find out today how you can approach customers and what you can do if the path to conversations with customers gets bumpy! User interviews are a fundamental method to gather honest and unbiased opinions and should be used together with other discovery methods to get a holistic picture.

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Why should you talk to users at all?

When talking to your customers, you collect more than just data on the performance of your products. Rather, you develop a deep understanding of your target group - and thus also of your product, because you learn what problems it will solve for your customers. These insights will boost your skills as a product manager and enable you to develop great products. By asking targeted questions, you can gain deeper insights into users' thoughts and needs. It is important to ask the right questions in order to collect qualitative data that will help to make the offer and website texts more effective. User research plays a central role in capturing the behavior, needs and motivations of users.

On the other hand, if you don't talk to your customers, you quickly lose touch with their needs and wishes. This distance can lead to your solutions failing to meet the customer's needs. In the video, Thomas talks about many situations in which employees refuse to talk to customers and are even reluctant to do so. This shows how important this topic really is.

Even if the first conversations take some courage, it is essential to overcome your own barriers and talk to strangers. If you seek a direct exchange with customers, you can develop a successful, customer-centric product based on real feedback.

Experience in the B2C sector for user interviews

In the B2C sector, direct contact with customers is often much easier to achieve than in the B2B sector - especially when it comes to widely used products. Nevertheless, many employees are reluctant to do so.

Example: B2C automotive industry

In one case, Thomas worked with a large car manufacturer from Munich. The manufacturer stated that Thomas was not allowed to speak to its customers. In response, Thomas pointed out that the cars were very common and it would be almost impossible not to come into contact with customers of this brand. At a party in Munich, for example, around a third of the guests would be driving a car from the brand in question. In cases like this, Thomas advises going on a personal level, for example by meeting users of the product for a coffee.

There can be many reasons why companies put obstacles in your way when you want to talk directly to customers. Typically, sales departments want to prevent you from interfering with the sales channel by conducting customer surveys. Marketing, on the other hand, often has concerns about brand integrity.

Thomas suggests using a specialized agency or recruiting tools to conduct customer interviews without damaging the brand. It is also helpful to adapt your wording. For example, don't label interviews as "customer interviews" in the first place, or use less intimidating terms such as "conversation with the customer".

User interviews are a structured method for obtaining valuable information about user needs and pursuing specific goals. It is important to understand the needs and perspectives of users in order to develop an effective product. Conducting user interviews is a key method for developing a deep understanding of customers and using the information gained for personas and marketing strategies.

The B2B sector and the sales problem

In the B2B sector, it can be much more difficult to arrange user interviews. This is because there are usually different levels in organizations that make decisions regarding a product.

Example: Insurance industry

Thomas mentions his collaboration with a large insurance company. The internal sales agents were afraid to send their customers to an interview. They panicked and asked why he absolutely had to talk to their customers.

Similar to B2C, the sales department is often a key hurdle in B2B. Sales is often reluctant to conduct customer interviews, making it difficult to get customer feedback. Salespeople are afraid that their existing customers will be confused by an interview and may even drop out as a result.

It can help to get the sales department on board. If you speak openly with the internal team and explain the exact intentions of the customer interviews, this can make things a lot easier. In some cases, it is even advisable to take one of the critical sales agents along to an interview. This way, you show transparently what exactly you are discussing with the customer.

If Sales still doesn't cooperate, you can get information from competitors if necessary and also approach customers nationwide or via contacts outside the in-house Sales network.

Experience with the GDPR

The GDPR is also a typical hurdle. Despite the positive aspects of the GDPR in Germany, it has caused many companies to fear contacting customers. However, this is essential for interviews.

Example: GDPR in the B2C environment

Sebastian suggested to a company's marketing team that they contact existing customers to invite them to an interview. The marketing team took offense to this idea because, according to the GDPR-related marketing consent, it is only permitted to contact existing customers for marketing purposes and not to contact them individually based on targeted segmentation. The customers simply did not give their consent for a targeted approach and a telephone interview.

As a result, Sebastian came up with the idea of sending out a newsletter to existing customers who were in the target segment. At the bottom of this newsletter, they were invited to an interview with a link to a form - as a reward, they received an online voucher. In the form, customers could enter their phone number and agree to direct contact. As a result, Sebastian's team had more volunteers than they needed within a few days and were able to conduct enough interviews to improve the product.

Good product managers seek direct contact with customers in order to gain an in-depth understanding of what they really need, in which situations and how often the product is used.
Sales and marketing oftenblock direct customer contact - for fear of disruptions in the sales channel, customers leaving or due to a lack of consent in accordance with the GDPR directive.
In the B2C sector, informal discussions, special agencies or recruiting tools help.
In the B2B sector, it is best to work closely with the sales and/or marketing team. You can also specifically look for customers from a competitor. In the latter case, special agencies or recruiting tools can also help here.

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