We rely on open-ended, guided interviews to bring out the voice of the customer in their own words. Ethnographic interviews rely on a guide designed to meet the overall research goals, but research in this tradition understands that interviews ebb and flow as the participants want to tell their story in their own voice and often at their own pace.

Getting at the customer voice is a nuanced process that requires researchers to know when to push, when to hold back and when to give the participants some room to go a little off topic in order to make them feel comfortable and understood. We get the customer feedback through careful listening in any location, whether home, office or other setting.