We have already discussed how to find the right customers for your VoC program, but once you have developed your list, it is necessary to contact them to set up your VoC session. One alternative is to use an outside resource to help you schedule your interviews. There is value in using an outside resource to schedule your visits as appointment setting is a specialized skill and there is a considerable time commitment involved in setting up 20 to 30 interviews. However, I have found that setting up the interviews myself helps me to better control the expectations of the customers and begins developing the relationship with the customer that can help reduce any potential awkwardness during the first meeting. Making the calls myself also allows me to screen the potential interviewees to make sure they are a good fit for the program. Sometimes the company is the right company to interview, but the person I am contacting is not. By doing the interview scheduling myself I have the ability to ascertain whether this is the right individual, and if not, try and get a referral to someone else in the organization. Even if he is the right individual, he can often also refer me to other disciplines or people within his organization from which I would like to receive input. Quite often, they will even make the introduction for you to the other individuals, thereby greatly increasing your credibility to the people you do not know.
Regardless of whether you choose to do it yourself or have a third party do it, there are a few key things you should keep in mind when setting up the calls:
- Set the customer's expectation for the meeting: Customers may not be used to these types of research meetings and they need to understand that this is not a sales call, and your only objective is to listen and learn so you can better understand their needs.
- Share with them the agenda for the meeting: Make sure they understand why you are doing this research and why this would be a good investment of their time. Sometimes you may need to offer some additional "carrot" to get their participation, such as sharing with them your future product roadmap or a strategic briefing to solidify their participation.
- Set a time expectation: Tell them how long you expect the meeting to last.
- Try and schedule a tour or demo: While the main purpose of the trip is the face-to-face interview, seeing how the customer is using your product or similar products in their facility or application can often be more illuminating than the actual interview.