Customer surveys: when it’s really needed
The question is not whether to do it or not, but whether this decision depends on what the customer truly wants.
If the session touches on positioning, differentiation, or messaging, there should be at least one customer voice in the room, even if it's just a few in-depth interviews. It is not necessary to conduct new surveys: often, sales data, old feedback, and interviews with a few key customers are sufficient. Whether a structured survey is needed depends on the risk of the decision and the reliability of the data you currently have.
- Decision regarding positioning, segmentation, repositioning, or data the client currently has from the past.
- Conduct an audit or research internally, or decide on internal matters.
- Major decision regarding clients, but there is no voice from any client in the room.
- conduct extensive research while the background role is sufficient for this decision
- consider internal surveys of the team as representatives for external clients
When preparing for a brand strategy session, the question Sinh Vũ often receives is: "Should we hire someone to survey customers beforehand?" The answer is not simply yes or no, but rather: does the decision you are about to make depend on what customers truly want? If so, there should be at least one customer voice in the room. If not, the survey may just be an unnecessary expense.
Why is it important to have the customer's voice in the room when making major decisions?
When the whole group sits down to decide on positioning, messaging, or brand differentiation, what often happens is that each person in the room represents the customer in their own way. The highest-ranking person usually speaks the most, and the group gradually follows that judgment. This practice in brand workshops is known as the HiPPO risk, short for "Highest Paid Person's Opinion," meaning decisions are influenced by hierarchy rather than evidence.
Present a few core facts about the client in the room before starting to help the whole team have a common reference point, rather than each person making their own assumptions. This does not mean the client decides for you. The strategy is still up to you. But when decisions are based on what is real rather than what is assumed to be real, the likelihood of heading in the right direction increases.
When to supplement data, when to reuse
Should supplement surveys or new interviews when: the session touches on positioning, segmentation, or brand repositioning; existing customer data is too old or just internal perceptions; the market has recently undergone significant changes; you are targeting a segment that has never been served before.
Can you reuse existing data when: there has just been an audit or customer research that is still fresh and addresses the right questions; the session is more about internal decisions like organizational structure and processes, not customer perceptions; sales data, old feedback, and interviews with a few key customers are sufficient to answer the question being addressed.
The criteria for differentiation is very simple: if using old data leads to incorrect decisions, are the consequences significant? The higher the risk, the more you should rely on new and trustworthy data.
It's not always necessary to conduct a formal survey.
Large-scale surveys take time and resources. For most branding strategy sessions for small and medium enterprises, a few in-depth interviews with key customers often provide better insights than a rushed large survey. In-depth interviews help you understand the real reasons and emotions behind behaviors, while large surveys only confirm trends among the majority.
Additionally, scanning social media feedback and old product reviews is a quick and inexpensive supplement, but it cannot replace a few direct interviews when making important decisions, as voluntary online feedback often skews towards extremes (very satisfied or very frustrated), not representing the majority of silent customers.
Common mistakes when preparing data
- Making decisions about customers without any customer voice in the room, only internal judgments.
- Consider surveying the staff as sufficient representation of external customers, while these two groups often have very different perspectives.
- Conducting an expensive large survey when a few in-depth interviews are enough to answer the question at hand.
- Using customer data from three to four years ago while forgetting that customer behavior and expectations have changed.
- Present research results as "conclusions to follow" rather than "what we know," which makes the team hesitant to challenge or add different perspectives.
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
Sinh Vũ does not assume that every session requires new research. It depends on the decision to be made: if it involves reaching customers, then customer feedback should be included; if it is purely internal, it may not be necessary. When needed, Sinh Vũ prioritizes distilling core truths about customers to bring into the room, rather than drowning the group in unprocessed raw data.
If you already have an audit or customer research that is still usable, Sinh Vũ will leverage that instead of suggesting a new one to avoid paying twice for the same insights.
Research indicates that entering a room is not for dictating strategy, but for the whole group to make decisions based on what is real rather than what is assumed to be real.
Industry practice from the brand workshop service provider, Vantage Branding
Note: when Sinh Vũ suggests additional customer research, it can also be a service item. You should independently consider whether the upcoming decision truly requires more data before deciding to purchase that additional item.
Decision checklist
Topic: Is customer research necessary before branding? Sinh Vũ Handbook, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Brand Workshop Guide, Pre-Workshop Research (Vantage Branding); Data-Driven Decision Making, Beware of the HiPPO Effect (Bernard Marr, Forbes contributor). Both sources have low credibility and have not undergone independent academic verification. The practical insights are based on Sinh Vũ's experience.
Frequently asked questions
How do customer interviews differ from large-scale surveys, and which should be done first?
In-depth interviews involve talking directly with five to ten customers to understand their true reasons and feelings. Large-scale surveys collect feedback from more people to confirm trends. For most brand strategy sessions, a few in-depth interviews provide more quality insights than a rushed large survey. Only conduct a large survey when you need to validate a hypothesis across different segments.
If you already have research results from last year, do you need to redo it?
Depending on the extent of market changes and the decisions you need to make. If the old data addresses the right questions and the market hasn't shifted much, you can reuse it to avoid paying twice for the same insight. If the industry has recently undergone significant changes or you are targeting a new segment, it's advisable to conduct at least a few interviews to reassess.