I have worked on drafts that have undergone 37 rounds of client amendments. I have been part of a project team that has painstakingly deliberated more than 40 questions ahead of a 45-minute customer interview. I have seen it take more than 12 months to sign-off an 800-word piece of copy.
What I have rarely seen is a client spend more than a minute considering the experience of the customer during an interview. No post-interview analysis, no feedback forms, no coaching on brand style.
But I believe it’s coming.
The customer interview is the moment. Customer advocacy programs are underpinned by permission forms, spreadsheets, brand guidance, incentive structures and microscopic alignment with sales and marketing goals. But it is only during the customer interview that customer can tell their story, freely. It is their moment in the spotlight.
It should never feel like a chore. It should be the highlight of the customer’s week.
It is something other media has long understood: the Interview as an event. Since 1994, the Financial Times does a regular interview over a good lunch. The Guardian keeps things fresh by inviting readers to submit a question. Clare Balding joins interviewees on a walk. Jerry Seinfeld buys his coffee, and drives around in a nice car.
Like the examples above, the customer interview experience is an opportunity to create a point of difference.
All this to say: I am here for ‘Peter Padels With…’, a 4-week series recorded in Malaga each winter.