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Developing a Customer Selection Matrix
The third step in developing an Interview Guide is to develop the Customer Selection Matrix,
which will identify the customers that will provide the most useful information about
requirements for the new product. When selecting which customers to visit, we must consider
talking not only with our immediate customers but also with customers throughout the value
chain.
Sometimes talking with our customers customer can present a sticky situation if our customer is
concerned about important aspects of the relationship with its customer being revealed. To
minimize these concerns, the team may have to carefully explain to the immediate customer that
the purpose of the visit is to bring value across the entire value chain and that no confidential
information will be shared with their customer. At times, our customer will insist on being part
of these discussions with their customer. While not the most desirable situation, we may at times
need to yield to this request and allow our customer to participate with us in discussions with
their customer. In this situation, our customers customer may not be as forthcoming with
specific information regarding problems with their current product from either our customer or
our customers competitors, but this solution may be required in order to preserve a good
relationship with our customer.

Creating the Interview Guide Questions
After completing the Customer Selection Matrix, the next task for the DFSS team is to create the
Interview Guide questions. The Interview Guide is a structured document focused on the key
items needed for successful commercialization of the new product or service. In preparing the
Interview Guide, the team should review the gaps identified in the Financial Value Analysis,
Market Perceived Quality Profile, SWOT Analysis, and Product Positioning Maps. As
mentioned earlier, the purpose of these tools is not only to identify what we know, but also what
we dont know. The time to get more information to fill our knowledge gaps has arrived as we
begin the process of interviewing customers.
Areas to Be Explored
The DFSS team will now focus on developing the questions to be asked during a customer
interview. The objectives identified earlier will form the basis for the questions developed in the
remainder of the Interview Guide preparation process. The goal is to develop a list of six to ten
high-level questions and additional follow-up questions. The questions developed should
generally be open-ended questions centered around obtaining the information outlined in the
previously identified interview objectives. Given that the purpose of the interview is to learn and
be surprised by new information, open-ended questions are encouraged. Occasionally, a specific
closed-ended question is appropriate in order to obtain a particular piece of information, but the
use of closed-ended questions should be minimized. When written around the interview
objectives, open-ended questions begin the conversation in the area of interest without restricting
the direction of a customers answer. Open-ended questions typically begin with words such as
what, how, why, and could. For example, a good opening question in exploring the technology
used by a customer in processing a product might be, Could you please describe your
manufacturing process?
Chapter 15. Conducting Customer Interviews
As the customer interview process begins, the project commercialization team will create one or
more interview sub-teams. Each of these sub-teams will be assigned to interview one or more
key customers. The interview teams should be cross-functional in nature and will generally
contain representatives from marketing, technology, and often manufacturing. While the sales
representative for a customer may be a part of an interview team, including sales in the interview
process may sometimes be awkward. There is no doubt that the sales representative is
responsible for maintaining a good relationship with the customer and must be involved in
arranging customer interviews. Including sales in the interview itself, however, may tend to bias
the answers given by the customer. At times, customers may not be forthcoming about problems
with past product performance or service if the concerns involve the sales representative. Each
customer interview is different, however, and the DFSS team will need to assess the value of
having the salesperson in the room to help open the dialogue and the costs of not having the
salesperson present because of concerns about openness or the topics to be explored.
Preparing for the Interviews
After using the Customer Selection Matrix to select the companies to be interviewed, the
commercialization team must be sure to interview people from different functions and at
different levels within the customer organization. Typically, 1220 customer interviews are
targeted in order to generate the data needed to understand key customer needs. An interview
consists of a thorough discussion of the questions contained in the Interview Guide with one
person at one company by the interview team. If representatives from marketing, technology,
manufacturing, and business management are individually interviewed at one company, the total
number of interviews conducted would be four. The team should be careful, however, not to
overemphasize the voice of one company, function, or position. Careful examination of the
Customer Selection Matrix will ensure that voices from all key market areas, functions, and
positions are heard.
As customers are selected to be interviewed, the DFSS team should work through the sales
representative for that customer to arrange the interview. In preparation for the interview, the
team should forward to the customer a list of objectives for the project and the topics to be
covered in the interview. The team should not send a copy of the entire Interview Guide to the
customer, because the interview is a free-flowing discussion and may not follow the Interview
Guide exactly. Customers selected for interviewing should be informed that the interview will
last approximately one hour and that this is not a sales or troubleshooting meeting. The team
should inform the person to be interviewed that the purpose of the interview is to gather
information that will assist in the development of a product that may add value to the customers
area of business. The team should also be clear that no firm commitment to commercialize the
product has been made and that the information gathered through the interview process will
assist the team in making a decision about whether to proceed with the project.

Interview Team Roles
Customer interview teams will typically consist of three people. The individuals selected to
participate on a customer interview team will each have a specific role in each interview. The
first role assignment is that of team leader. The team leader has most of the interaction with the
customer being interviewed and is responsible for asking most of the questions. The team leader
strives to build rapport with the person being interviewed and manages the discussion. As the
primary interviewer, the team leader will make sure that, by the end of the interview, all key
topics have been covered and that the information objectives defined during preparation of the
Interview Guide have been achieved.
The second role on the interview team is that of scribe. The role of scribe is the hardest but
perhaps the most important role on the team. The scribe is responsible for taking very specific,
verbatim notes of the answers given by the customer being interviewed. The scribe should avoid
summarizing or interpreting the comments made by the person being interviewed. He or she
should record the customers comments word for word as much as possible. People will often
ask if tape recorders can be used during interviews in order to minimize the burden on the scribe.
In general, recorders or other electronic devices should not be used, because people will often be
less open if recorders are in use. As a backup to the scribe, all interview team participants should
keep notes of the interview responses so that comparison and consolidation of these notes can
take place upon completion of the interview. The scribe also has the opportunity to ask follow-up
questions for clarification in support of the team leader as time permits.

Conducting the Interview
As the customer interview begins, the interview team leader will start the discussion by
introducing the members of the interview team. Next, the team leader will describe the purpose
of the interview and how the information obtained will be used. The interview leader will explain
that detailed notes will be taken and how the information obtained will be used. During this
phase of the interview, the goal is to develop a good rapport with the customer being
interviewed. After the opening segment of the interview is complete, the team leader will begin
to ask the open-ended questions contained in the Interview Guide in order to open the dialogue
with the customer in the area of interest. The interviewer will not restrict the direction of the
customers answer as long as the answer relates to the development project area of interest. If the
customer begins to stray for a long period of time from the area of interest, the interviewer will
need to politely guide the conversation back on track. The limited time available with the
customer is a very valuable resource and must be managed well.
Active Listening and Probing
As the interview proceeds, the team will ask follow-up questions as needed to ensure that the
required information is obtained from the interview. At times, the interview team will need to
probe and clarify responses from the customer to ensure that the answers given are well
understood and that true underlying customer needs are discovered. To confirm an accurate
understanding of the Voice of the Customer, occasionally the interviewer will need to paraphrase
the customer response with phrases such as, I think what I heard you say is ... or It sounds
like you are saying that. . . When probing, the interviewers may use questions such as, Could
you explain what you mean by that a little more? or Can you give me a specific example?
Sometimes the most effective means of probing is the use of silence. If the interviewer feels that
the customer has not adequately explained a comment, the interviewer may choose to remain
silent for a few seconds to see if the customer will continue to expand on the initial thought.
Silence is a powerful force in a group setting and can sometimes be uncomfortable. If the
interviewer chooses not to fill the silence after an answer has been completed, the customer will
sometimes go further in depth with the response.
Debriefing the Interview
It is absolutely critical that the interview team debrief the interview results as soon as possible
after completing the interview. Ideally, debriefing should take place within 6090 minutes of
interview completion. Teams will often go to a local restaurant with sufficient table space to
allow notes to be compared and gaps in the notes to be identified and filled if possible. The team
should assess what went well with the interview process and what should be improved. The
Interview Guide should be assessed for effectiveness, and opportunities to improve the guide
should be identified.
The interviewers skills should also be constructively assessed. What were the areas of strength
for the interviewer, and what areas can be identified for improvement? As the interview notes are
consolidated, one overall transcript of the interview should emerge. The final transcript should
identify key images observed during the visit as well as important voices heard during the
interview. In the days after the interview, the team should make sure to follow up on any
commitments made to the customer during the visit. Customers will often request a summary of
the interview results and feedback concerning the status of the project. If commitments are made
to forward these results to the customer, the team will need to make sure that these commitments
are met. Immediately following the interview, the interview team should follow the visit with a
thank-you note. The relatively simple act of sending such a note demonstrates the gratitude of the
project team and makes it more likely that similar requests for information in the future will be
granted.
Good Project Management of the Interview Process
If the interview team is not proactive, the interview process can become lengthy and frustrating.
It is important for the interview team to set a schedule for completion of all customer interviews
and to adhere to that schedule. It is often difficult to schedule interviews with customers, because
of the busy calendars of the individuals needed to conduct and participate in the interview
meetings. Two tools are required for dealing effectively with this issue. First, the interview team
must be persistent. While a customers schedule is beyond the control of the interview team, the
interviews must be a top priority for the team. If a given team member is not available for an
interview, the team must find a substitute for participation in that interview. The second tool
required for effectively managing the interview process is the use of good project management
practice. Failure to use good project management skills and techniques in managing the
interview process can lead to an extended interview period. The interview process should be
scheduled, tracked, and managed with modern project management techniques, just like any
other project.

Practice, Practice, Practice
The ability to conduct good customer interviews is a developed skill. The elements of a customer
interview are relatively simple, and management of the interview is straightforward. As with any
developed skill, however, practice is essential. Prior to interviewing a customer, the interview
team should stage practice interviews within the company. As the team conducts these practice
interviews, the Interview Guide and the skills of the interviewer are tested, critiqued, and
improved. Practice should start within the DFSS project team and proceed to others within the
company. When internal practice sessions are complete, the interview team should identify
friendly customers with whom to begin the interview process outside of the company. After that,
the team should identify and interview more demanding customers. When customer interviews
are complete and all notes are consolidated, the team will begin the process of analyzing the
results using KJ Analysis.

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