---
title: "Do You Know How to Conduct Customer Interviews?"
section: "Customers"
sectionId: "customers"
date: "2026-05"
---

## Talk to Your Customers Regularly

Are you solving their problem? Winning founders solve big problems for their customers — and the only way to know if you are is to keep asking. Use every interaction as an opportunity to gather data.

## You Don't Need Formal Interviews

A simple email checking in — "Do you have any needs, thoughts, or questions?" — can surface a lot of valuable information without anyone feeling like they're being interrogated.

When you release a new feature, reach out and be excited *for them*:

> "I think you'll love this new feature — it's going to make your life easier by doing XYZ. Would love to know what you think. What did we miss? What works for you?"

You will get honest feedback without people needing to commit to a formal interview slot. Building relationships and checking in before you *need* something also creates goodwill. When you eventually do want to conduct interviews, people are far more willing to participate.

## Finding the Right Customers to Interview

Use your segmented customer engagement data (see [cohort analysis](/startup-wiki/customers-how-people-use-your-product)):

1. Take different cohorts and select a random sample — from your most engaged to your least engaged
2. Reach out via email or phone
3. Offer a gift card or something meaningful if needed to secure their time
4. Weight input from **super users** more heavily, but make sure you hear from a wide range of users

## Sample Interview Questions

- What do you think about the product?
- What would you change about it?
- What does our product allow you to do that you couldn't before?
- How would you feel if you couldn't use our product anymore?
- What should we stop doing?
- Would you recommend our product to a friend or colleague? Have you? Why or why not?

Listen to their answers and ask open follow-up questions that keep them talking:

- "Can you say more about that..."
- "Can you explain what you mean by that..."
- "Would you elaborate on why..."

**Do not interrupt your customer's feedback.**

## Listening Labs

An alternative to structured interviews: have the customer explore the app and think out loud. Ask questions like:

- "What are you looking for?"
- "Did that do what you expected when you clicked it? Why?"
- "What do you need to do next?"

This surfaces usability issues that customers would never mention in a standard interview because they assume the friction is their fault, not the product's.

## The Next Step: NPS

For a more scalable, quantitative approach to understanding customer sentiment, see [Net Promoter Score](/startup-wiki/customers-net-promoter-score).