«Return to Blog List The 5 Missed Moments in Customer Interviews That Make Stories Fall Flat
Lately, I’ve been binging on “The Bear,” a chaotic, gripping drama set in a Chicago restaurant.
Splurging on pricey ingredients nearly sinks the business.
But there’s something to investing in getting the right raw ingredients, in cooking and customer stories.
Without them, your recipe — or customer story — can fall flat.
Here are 5 of the most common missed moments in customer interviews and how to turn them into opportunities.
1. Not Sending Questions Ahead of Time
On a recent interview, the customer arrived with polished quotes and concrete metrics — the kind of nuggets every marketer seeks. That only happened because we sent the questions in advance.
Not every customer will prepare so thoroughly, but without this step, there’s zero chance they can.
➡️Frame it as a heads-up, not homework. Let customers know that previewing the questions will make the conversation faster and smoother.
2. Not Being Specific Enough
Broad scene-setting questions are useful for building context (e.g. “Tell me about the challenges you faced…”). But details make a story credible and memorable.
➡️Instead of asking “What benefits have you seen?” try: “How long did that take before? And now?”
3. Not Digging Deeper in the Moment
Customers often give surface-level answers or don’t connect their experiences to business outcomes. That’s where active listening comes in.
➡️An experienced interviewer notices when to press for specifics.
Whenever possible, include writers or other creatives who turn interviews into assets. They know what they need and can often spot points to probe further.
4. Not Asking for Anecdotes
Include “stories within the story” to make customer experiences memorable.
Think of the cybersecurity incident that changed everything, or the sudden switch to telehealth during COVID.
➡️Unlock them with a simple question like: “Can you think of a moment when it was clear things had changed for the better?”
5. Not Exploring the Human Impact
Metrics aside, the feel-good parts of a story will resonate with your audience, too.
➡️Ask how the solution affected not just the business, but the people:
“What’s the human impact? What does this mean for your customers?” or “How has this changed your day-to-day work?”
Often, their answers make the most memorable quotes.
With a deliberate, focused approach to customer interviews, you’ll collect all the right raw ingredients: metrics, context, anecdotes, and human impact.
Capture them, and you’ll have a customer story that’s fully baked — one that sales, marketing, and advocacy teams will reference again and again.
What are your favorite tactics to gather “quality ingredients” from happy customers?
About me: In the kitchen, I’m no Carmy or Syd from “The Bear.” But in customer storytelling, I capture the ingredients that build trust and drive sales.
