Qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) with customers, former customers, and prospects can provide a business with a wealth of information. This Voice of Customer (VoC) technique can be completed through in-person interviews, or more commonly through phone interviews. A strong moderator can create a conversational and informative research interview between the interviewer and the interviewee. Here are 5 tips to create a better research interview.
Qualitative VoC interviews are conducted with a small number of respondents (usually 8 to 15.) Conducting VoC surveys with a smaller sample size allows the skilled moderator to gather plenty of depth on all responses. Interviews can last between 15 minutes to 1 hour. Qualitative VoC uses in-depth conversations across a small number of respondents (depth of feedback) whereas quantitative VoC uses shorter conversations across a large number of respondents (quantity of feedback.)
How do VoC interviews work? The qualitative research process for VoC interviews is as follows (listed below.) All market research projects at Drive Research start with a kickoff meeting and conclude with a debrief on the results. Our time is focused on interpretation, strategy implications, and storytelling with data.
- Kickoff meeting to discuss project objectives, expectations, and what you need to learn
- Project workplan to highlight project tasks, deliverables, and key dates for the timeline
- Screener document to qualify participants for VoC to ensure they fit the profile you request
- Interview guide which dictates the flow and the questions asked by the moderator
- List of contacts can either be hand selected by you or purchased from a database
- Begin recruitment by screening individuals and scheduling interviews at a later time and date
- Fieldwork begins with moderator conducting a series of interviews over 2 to 3 weeks
- Case summary narratives are written to recap each conversation (transcript) for the appendix
- Report is broken into background and methodology, executive summary, and appendix
- Executive Summary highlights VoC themes, insights, key takeaways, and strategy next steps
- Debrief on results with you and your team to walk-through the report findings
The interview guide development is a back and forth process. A draft is created and sent to the client and comments are returned. The recruitment will not begin until the guide is finalized. A typical VoC survey project listed above takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks. The largest variable is the respondents' willingness to participate. Executives with busier schedules may extend the fieldwork timeframe by a week or two.
Drive Research is a market research company offering services to Rochester NY. VoC interviews are most frequently conducted through phone surveys - choosing either qualitative or quantitative methodologies. Questions about how Drive, a VoC company can help your business? Contact us at [email protected] or 315-303-2040.