Don't Be a Chicken, Ask Your Customers for Feedback: The Ultimate Guide to Customer Exploration

So, you've got a product that's being used by a ton of customers and it's pretty good, but how do you know for sure that it's still solving their problems? Well, my friend, it's time to do some customer exploration! This is essentially just continuous validation of your product's customer-facing features to make sure it's still doing its job. And the best way to do this is by setting up a screen-share-based video call with your customers and incentivizing them to join with something valuable, like a service credit or an Amazon gift card.

Now, it's important to get a variety of feedback, so try to find customers who had trouble with your product, volunteers who haven't reported any issues, and those who love your product and share it with others. This will help you find the extremes and overlaps in customer experiences. And don't forget to include the customers who pointed out problems in the solution-finding process – this will often turn them into brand ambassadors.

So, what should you ask during these customer exploration calls? First, set the expectation that you want them to be as critical as possible and that you're looking for problems, not praise. Then, have them walk you through using the product to solve their problem, acting as if you're seeing it for the first time. After that, ask about any pains or needs that aren't being fulfilled, where costs are too high, and where they're spending more time than they'd like. Then, find out if there are any alternative solutions and how they compare. And finally, ask for any suggestions for improvements or new features.

This whole process might sound like a hassle, but it's really important to keep your product on track and make sure it's still meeting the needs of your customers. Plus, it's an excellent opportunity to turn those customers into brand ambassadors and get some valuable feedback. So don't be afraid to ask your customers for their honest opinions – it'll be worth it in the long run.