AfieldIn this article
Ask a customer to reconstruct the last time the problem happened. The sequence often reveals more than a general question such as “Would automated reminders help?”
A 20-minute interview you can run
| Time | Question | Follow-up if the answer is vague |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 min | Tell me about the last customer handoff that needed extra work. | Which customer project was it, and roughly when? |
| 3–7 min | What started the handoff, and what did you need next? | What file, message or approval were you waiting for? |
| 7–12 min | Walk me through what happened after the request. | Who did what next? Where was that recorded? |
| 12–16 min | When did you realize something was wrong? | What did you try, and what finally changed? |
| 16–20 min | Let me read the sequence back. What have I missed? | Was the result complete, or did another person still need to act? |
If the participant cannot recall an incident, ask them to bring one to a follow-up. Do not turn an invented scenario into a finding. Ask permission before examining messages or recording identifying details.
Correct the timeline before choosing a solution
Demo interview notes: an implementation manager initially says the customer “didn’t send the export.” Follow-up questions produce this sequence:
| When | What the participant reports | Why it changes the diagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | The manager requests the export in the kickoff thread. | There is a specific requested input. |
| Thursday | The customer sends it in an older email thread. | The customer did act; the file was not absent. |
| Monday | The manager finds the attachment after sending a reminder. | The delay may concern visibility across threads. |
A follow-up worth asking is: “How would someone covering for you know that the Thursday attachment completed the request?” Asking whether they want more reminders would skip the information just learned.
Leave with a note another teammate can use
Incident: Customer export requested before kickoff
Reported sequence: Tuesday request → Thursday attachment in old thread → Monday discovery
Observed material: None retained; sequence is participant-reported
Outcome: File found; elapsed delay and business cost not independently measured
Hypothesis: Request status was disconnected from the arriving file
Still unknown: Frequency; whether the file was usable; how substitutes find it
Next test: On one suitable handoff, agree one place to record received inputs
Check afterward: Can a covering teammate locate the file and identify its owner?The next test addresses one uncertainty from one account. Keep the original notes so a later interview can confirm or contradict the explanation. If you publish a quote, check it against the recording or obtain approval for the exact wording.