Your next customer conversation

The goal is to understand how someone works today. A polite reaction to your idea is less useful than a specific example from their last week.

Before the call

Write down the one assumption you need to understand. Ask permission before recording or taking notes you plan to share. Keep personal or confidential details out of shared community notes.

Questions to borrow

1. Tell me about the last time you tried to [job or task].
2. What kicked that off?
3. Walk me through what you did, step by step.
4. Where did the process slow down or go wrong?
5. What did that cost you in time, effort, or missed work?
6. What do you use now? What have you already tried?
7. Who else is involved in deciding how this gets done?
8. Is there something I should have asked but didn’t?

A notes template

• Their role and context:
• The last real example:
• Current workaround:
• Consequence of the problem:
• What surprised me:
• What remains uncertain:
• Agreed next step, if any:

After the call

Separate what they said from what you inferred. Look for repeated problems across conversations. If you promise a follow-up, send it. An interview is a relationship, not just a row in a spreadsheet.