Worksheet for Learning About Your Customers

INSTRUCTIONS

Focusing on customers isn’t just for people working in marketing, sales, or service. It’s for everyone, no matter
where they work in an organization. Use this worksheet to think about how you and your group can better
understand your customers and their needs.

1. Get feedback from customers.

You can get feedback from customers through your website, social media, market research, focus groups,
customer service, and surveys. What "listening posts" would be appropriate for and available to your group?
How might your group go about using the listening posts?

2. Observe customers.
Watching real customers actually using your products or services can reveal what they like, what they don't
like, and how they would improve your offerings. As appropriate, how might your group go about observing
your customers using your products or services?

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© 2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business School Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.
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3. Anticipate customer needs.

Another way to learn about your customers is to consider what they don’t yet know they want by analyzing
their current range of choices, tracking their experiences as they interact with your company, learning
together with them, or using scenario planning tools. What approach could your group take to anticipate
customers’ needs?

4. Learn from those who work closely with customers.

If your group does not have direct contact with customers, how can you learn more about customer needs
from those who do? For example, how might you tap into the knowledge of colleagues working in your
organization's marketing, sales, or service departments?

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© 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.
Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.