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Five beginner customer interview mistakes

List of five beginner customer interview mistakes: leading questions, talking too much, only happy customers, not recording and waiting too long to start.
Every one of these is easy to fix once you know to look for it.

Five mistakes people make in their first customer interviews, each with the fix: asking leading questions, talking too much, only talking to happy customers, not recording the session, and waiting for a perfect plan before starting. Use it as a quick review before your next interview or to coach a teammate. Koji's AI interviewer asks neutral follow-ups and keeps a transcript of every interview.

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What's in this guide

  1. Asking leading questions: Not 'Don't you think our onboarding is too complicated?' but 'Tell me about getting started with our product.'
  2. Talking too much: If you catch yourself explaining things or filling silences, pause and let the participant talk.
  3. Only talking to happy customers: Critics often have the most useful feedback. Seek out churned users, frustrated customers and people who chose a competitor.
  4. Not recording: Always record, with permission. You will miss important details if you rely on memory alone.
  5. Waiting too long to start: Your first interview won't be flawless, and that's fine. You get better with practice.

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<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/five-beginner-customer-interview-mistakes">Five beginner customer interview mistakes</a>, Koji</p>