Key takeaways
💡 Customer experience (CX) shapes every interaction a customer has with your brand
🔦 Great CX leads to customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and reduced cost
🔍 Start customer interviews with a friendly, approachable tone to make them feel comfortable
✨ Show empathy and listen actively to encourage open and honest feedback
We’ve all been there—asking a question and getting a one-word answer, or worse, complete radio silence. If you’ve ever struggled to get your customers to open up, you know just how frustrating it can be.
But don’t worry, you’re not alone! Getting valuable feedback doesn’t have to be so hard. With the right approach, you can turn awkward silences into meaningful conversations and gather insights that actually help.
Let’s see how.
What is customer experience (CX)?
Customer experience (CX) is all about how people feel when they interact with your business.
It’s the full journey—starting from the first time they hear about you, through the buying process, using your product or service, and even reaching out for support later on. Every step shapes their perception.
As Annette Franz from CX Journey Inc. wisely says:
Bring the customer voice into all you do. Customer understanding is the cornerstone of customer centricity.
In short, CX is about truly listening to your customers, understanding their needs, and making their lives easier at every turn. Because when the experience feels effortless and memorable, they’ll keep coming back—and tell others about it, too!
Why is customer experience important?
Customer experience (CX) research is like the vibe check your business needs to pass—if customers aren’t feeling it, they’re out.
Here’s why it matters:
- Keeps customers coming back: When people enjoy their experience with your product or service, they’re more likely to stick around and choose you again
- Boosts word of mouth: Satisfied customers love to share their experiences with friends and colleagues, bringing in more business without extra effort. Remember that the voice of customer often carry more weight than traditional advertising
- Reduces costs: Happy customers complain less, meaning you spend less time and money fixing issues or handling support
- Sets you apart: In competitive markets, a great experience can make your brand the obvious choice, even if others offer similar products
💡 Pro Tip
We’ve conducted a survey about interesting or funny stories that researchers have experienced while talking to interview participants.
Check it out for some actionable tips from UX and CX professionals on how to talk to customers (and for a laugh, of course!)
How to talk to customers during customer interviews?
Let’s face it: a customer interview is like a first date. You’re curious, you want to learn more, and you really hope they’ll open up.
But it’s not just about asking questions—it’s about how you ask, how you listen, and how you make them feel comfortable enough to spill the beans.
Be approachable
Approachability is key. Start the conversation with a warm greeting and maybe even a light joke if it feels right.
For instance: “Hey, thanks for joining me today! I promise this isn’t like one of those never-ending Zoom calls. Think of this as us geeking out over (your product/service).”
Use their name often, keep your tone light, and actively listen without interrupting. Your job is to make them feel heard, not interrogated.
💡 Pro Tip
Smile. Even if it’s a phone call, they’ll feel it in your voice.
And remember, customers are people first—so ditch the jargon and have fun with the conversation while collecting feedback.
Keep your tone neutral
One of the biggest mistakes during customer interviews is getting too emotionally involved. If they say something negative about your product, don’t get defensive.
Respond like you’re listening to feedback from a colleague.
Let’s say a customer says “The app crashes way too often“.
Don’t respond with “But it’s working fine for other people!” Instead, calmly acknowledge, “Yeah that sounds frustrating. Can you tell me when it typically happens?”
Keeping a neutral, open tone encourages honest and more detailed feedback. If you sound too eager to justify or defend, it might make the customer hesitant to share fully.
To provide customers with a good experience during the interviews, make sure you choose the right interview platform. With UXtweak, you don’t have to worry about reminding participants about the upcoming interview, or about data privacy protection.
Plus, UXtweak allows you to recruit customers from different channels – for example, by sending your customer database an interview invitation and setting a registration widget on your website! 🐝
Give time for thoughtful answers
We all know that awkward moment when there’s a lull in the conversation, and the silence starts to feel like it’s stretching forever.
But guess what? Silence can be your friend in a customer interview.
After asking a question like, “What feature do you find most useful?” don’t rush them to answer. Let the silence sit for a few seconds. You’d be surprised how often this leads to deeper insights.
If you’re feeling the urge to jump in, count to five in your head before speaking. It feels like forever but gives them the space they need to respond.
Show empathy and understanding
When customers share their challenges, it’s your chance to show you’re on their side. Empathy isn’t just about nodding politely—it’s about truly connecting.
As storytelling strategist Kathy Klotz-Guest says:
Emotional connections can turn customers into loyal advocates.
So when a customer says “I feel like I need a Ph.D. to figure out your dashboard,” laugh with them (not at them) and respond, “Totally get that—it’s something we’re working on simplifying. Can you tell me about the specific areas you struggle with?”
Empathy doesn’t just mean saying, “I understand.” It’s about acknowledging their pain points and inviting them to share more, which builds trust and opens the door to better feedback.
Stay professional yet relatable
Drop the corporate jargon and talk like a human.
Instead of saying, “Our team is optimizing user-centric solutions,” try “We’re tweaking things to make it easier for you to find what you need.” Bonus points if you throw in a laugh: “Think of it as a Marie Kondo for our app.”
You can also test your scripts on colleagues. If it makes them yawn, rewrite it.
Set clear expectations upfront
Transparency is key to keeping the interview smooth and productive. Set clear expectations right at the beginning.
For example, you can say “This’ll take about 20 minutes, and we’ll mostly talk about your experience with [product]. Sounds good?” Customers really appreciate knowing what to expect.
It also reduces any awkwardness if the interview ends early or takes longer than expected.
If you’re nearing the end, remember to ask if the customer has time to continue.
Saying “We’ve hit the 20-minute mark. Do you have another five minutes to chat?” gives them control and keeps things professional.
Encourage honest feedback
It’s important to create an environment where customers feel like they can be brutally honest—whether they love your product or absolutely despise it.
Feel free to be upfront and tell them “We’re here for the good, the bad, and the brutally honest. Even if you say you hate our color scheme, we want to know why!” Humor disarms people and encourages openness.
This shows that you’re open to constructive criticism, and it invites more in-depth responses. Remember, you’re not just looking for compliments—you want actionable feedback that will help you improve.
💡 Pro Tip
Check out 8 voice of customer examples from UX-focused companies in this guide.
Avoid bias in questions
Nobody likes being led into an answer like it’s a pop quiz. Avoid questions that scream, “Please tell me what I want to hear.”
Instead of asking “Would you say this feature is amazing?” Go for “How did you feel about using this feature?”
Keep it open and neutral so their honest opinions can shine through.
Focus on active listening
It’s tempting to jump in when they say something exciting, but hold back and let them finish. You might discover a nugget of information in their next sentence that you’d have missed by cutting them off.
This is even more important now, with more than 65% of customer interactions happening virtually, compared to just 25% in 2020.
Virtual conversations demand extra care, since nonverbal cues are harder to pick up. Active listening gives them space to fully express themselves and build trust – even through a screen.
Such practices will also help your team effortlessly deliver a satisfying digital customer experience.
Use nonverbal cues
If you’re in person, maintain eye contact, nod, and smile. Over video calls? A little lean forward or a quick thumbs-up can do wonders.
Even over the phone, your tone can convey nonverbal enthusiasm. Think of it this way: if you’re genuinely engaged, they’ll feel it.
Paraphrase and confirm
To avoid misunderstandings, you can repeat back what you heard: “So, you’re saying that finding the right option was a bit tricky at first, but now it’s become second nature?”
This gives them a chance to correct or add more context and shows you’re really paying attention.
Follow up to clarify key points
If they mention something juicy but vague, don’t let it slide. Follow up with questions like: “You mentioned this feature saved you time. Could you walk me through how that looked in your day-to-day?”
It’s all about digging deeper without being pushy.
Probe without pushing
Getting vague answers like, “It’s fine,” can feel like hitting a wall, but it’s an opportunity to dig deeper—gently. Instead of interrogating, try nudging them along: “Fine’s a good start—what would make it fantastic?”
This keeps the tone light and conversational while inviting them to share actionable customer feedback.
Remember, as Nate Brown puts it:
The work of CX is making customers’ lives better and easier, starting with the voice of the customer.
Probing with genuine curiosity not only uncovers deeper insights but also shows that their voice truly matters.
💡 Pro Tip
Discover the specific steps on how to conduct customer research in our guide.
Steer the conversation when needed
Having a plan is great, but don’t sound like a robot reading a teleprompter. Steer the conversation when it starts to drift, but do it smoothly.
If they go on a tangent about their dog’s new trick (cute, but not relevant), bring it back with a line like: “That’s adorable—now, about [specific feature/experience], how did that work out for you?”
It’s all about guiding without cutting them off.
End on a positive note
Close the conversation by showing gratitude and leaving them with a good vibe. Say something like: “Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts—it’s been incredibly helpful. If you think of anything else, feel free to reach out.”
Ending on a positive note makes them more likely to engage with you again in the future.
💡 Pro Tip
Read our article on the differences between UX vs. CX to understand how these disciplines work together and what their objectives are.
Wrapping up
Now that you’ve got the tactics to talk to your customers down—let’s make sure you’ve got the right tools to back you up.
Whether it’s scheduling 1:1 interviews, running surveys, or setting up a user panel, you need something that can handle it all without the hassle.
That’s where UXtweak comes in. It’s your all-in-one platform for getting real, honest feedback from your customers.
From casual chats to detailed surveys, UXtweak makes the whole process super smooth so you can focus on what really matters—turning insights into action. Ready to see it in action? Talk to our team today! 🐝
