Gathering Data on Customer Pain Points in Real-Time

Surveys can serve an important purpose. We should use them to fill holes in our understanding of the customer experience or build better models with the customer data we have. As surveys tell you what customers explicitly choose to share, you should not be using them to measure the experience. Surveys are also inherently reactive, surface level, and increasingly ignored by customers who are overwhelmed by feedback requests. This is fact. There’s a different way. Some CX leaders understand that the most critical insights come from sources customers don’t even realize they’re providing from the “exhaust” of every day life with your brand. Real-time digital behavior, social listening, conversational analytics, and predictive modeling deliver insights that surveys alone never will. Voice and sentiment analytics, for example, go beyond simply reading customer comments. They reveal how customers genuinely feel by analyzing tone, frustration, or intent embedded within interactions. Behavioral analytics, meanwhile, uncover friction points by tracking real customer actions across websites or apps, highlighting issues users might never explicitly complain about. Predictive analytics are also becoming essential for modern CX strategies. They anticipate customer needs, allowing businesses to proactively address potential churn, rather than merely reacting after the fact. The capability can also help you maximize revenue in the experiences you are delivering (a use case not discussed often enough). The most forward-looking CX teams today are blending traditional feedback with these deeper, proactive techniques, creating a comprehensive view of their customers. If you’re just beginning to move beyond a survey-only approach, prioritizing these more advanced methods will help ensure your insights are not only deeper but actionable in real time. Surveys aren’t dead (much to my chagrin), but relying solely on them means leaving crucial insights behind. While many enterprises have moved beyond surveys, the majority are still overly reliant on them. And when you get to mid-market or small businesses? The survey slapping gets exponentially worse. Now is the time to start looking beyond the questionnaire and your Likert scales. The email survey is slowly becoming digital dust. And the capabilities to get you there are readily available. How are you evolving your customer listening strategy beyond traditional surveys? #customerexperience #cxstrategy #customerinsights #surveys

Forget fancy ICP slides…I uncovered surprising customer pain points with a simple Nextdoor post… Most marketers think we know what our target customers want by creating fancy ICP slides… But the hard truth is market insights don’t always come from data reports, surveys, or those fancy ICP slides. Sometimes, they come from talking directly to the people who will actually use your product. 🤝 Yet so few marketers actually practice the art of talking to real customers. Sure, we all claim we do but how often do we really dive deep with our audience? Recently, I tested a new approach by posting a geo-targeted inquiry on Nextdoor, seeking recommendations from local institutions about a SaaS platform. The response was incredible - get this Over 13.3K views, 70+ comments, and a ton of engagement! 🎉 From those comments, I followed up with around 35 potential "customers" and managed to schedule follow-up calls with 15 of them. After speaking with these 15 interested organizations, I gained some valuable insights that every product company can leverage: 1. Refine Product-Market Fit through Direct Conversations Instead of relying solely on data trends, engage directly with potential customers. One-on-one discussions reveal pain points, preferences, and specific needs you might miss in broader research. This approach helped me understand which features and ease-of-use factors would truly resonate. 2. Validate Pricing Models with Real Pain Points Many SaaS companies base pricing on competitor analysis, but why not test pricing structures directly with your target audience? My calls helped uncover the price points and value propositions that align with actual budget constraints. This hands-on feedback is gold for creating a pricing model that meets customer expectations. 3. Tailor Marketing Channels Based on Customer Preferences Don’t assume where your customers spend their time; ask them! These conversations highlighted that while social media presence matters, the importance varies by industry and demographic. SaaS companies can adapt their content strategy to align with where their audience is most active, amplifying each channel’s impact. From this simple Nextdoor post, I was even able to create a 7-Step Competitive Analysis Chart based on real customer feedback. Lesson learned: If you want real insights, skip the assumptions and go talk to your audience. Sometimes, your best product market fit (or expansion) is just one conversation away! #hustle #marketing #marketinginsights #saas

🎯 "The best salespeople ask good questions." But what if AI could help you ask the PERFECT questions at scale? Tomorrow on the GTM AI Podcast, I have Lihong Hicken joining me, the CEO of TheySaid | World's 1st AI Survey shared a brilliant framework for using AI surveys to both book meetings AND deeply understand your customers: Here's her fascinating approach: 1. Start with the Money Question "I ask sales teams: What's the ONE question that tells you if this is a good lead or not?" Real example she shared: ❌ Don't ask: "Are you interested in outsource development?" ✅ Instead ask: "How satisfied are you with your current outsource development agency?" 2. Let AI Go Deeper The AI then: - Explores pain points - Uncovers specific challenges - Discusses potential solutions - Books meetings with qualified prospects 3. Train AI Like Your Best SDR "You don't want a general AI chatting with your customer. You want it to be YOUR employee." She programs the AI to: - Use company messaging - Focus on specific value props - Route enterprise vs. SMB leads differently - Book directly into the right rep's calendar 🎯 The brilliant part? While booking meetings, you're simultaneously gathering intelligence about: - Customer satisfaction - Common pain points - Buying triggers - Product gaps She is thinking outside the box and leverage her own AI survey tech to do things that could not have been done before, like: Pipeline Generation & Sales: - Using AI surveys as an outbound prospecting tool - Converting research requests into sales opportunities - Qualifying leads through AI-driven conversations Customer Intelligence: - Getting honest feedback through AI conversations vs. human interactions - Capturing customer sentiment at different journey stages Win/Loss Analysis: - Moving from annual to continuous feedback collection - Reducing analysis costs (from $20-50K to $150) Upsell Strategy: - Moving from "sitting duck" to proactive upsell approach - Identifying expansion opportunities through AI conversations Customer Experience: - Creating engaging survey experiences vs. traditional methods - Using AI for continuous customer pulse checks Product Development: - Using customer feedback for feature prioritization - Understanding pricing expectations Market Research: - Reducing research costs and timeline - Getting both quantitative and qualitative insights Operations Efficiency: - Automating feedback collection - Reducing need for large BDR teams So excited to show this to you all and I may or may not have an example survey for you to test the tech out on yourself! Drops tomorrow ;)

Most teams are just wasting their time watching session replays. Why? Because not all session replays are equally valuable, and many don’t uncover the real insights you need. After 15 years of experience, here’s how to find insights that can transform your product: — 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮: Too many teams pick random sessions, watch them from start to finish, and hope for meaningful insights. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. The fix? Start with trigger moments — specific user behaviors that reveal critical insights. ➔ The last session before a user churns. ➔ The journey that ended in a support ticket. ➔ The user who refreshed the page multiple times in frustration. Select five sessions with these triggers using powerful tools like @LogRocket. Focusing on a few key sessions will reveal patterns without overwhelming you with data. — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 Think of it like peeling back layers: each pass reveals more details. 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟭: Watch at double speed to capture the overall flow of the session. ➔ Identify key moments based on time spent and notable actions. ➔ Bookmark moments to explore in the next passes. 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟮: Slow down to normal speed, focusing on cursor movement and pauses. ➔ Observe cursor behavior for signs of hesitation or confusion. ➔ Watch for pauses or retracing steps as indicators of friction. 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟯: Zoom in on the bookmarked moments at half speed. ➔ Catch subtle signals of frustration, like extended hovering or near-miss clicks. ➔ These small moments often hold the key to understanding user pain points. — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 + 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Metrics show the “what,” session replays help explain the “why.” 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 Gather essential metrics before diving into sessions. ➔ Focus on conversion rates, time on page, bounce rates, and support ticket volume. ➔ Look for spikes, unusual trends, or issues tied to specific devices. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 Organize sessions based on success and failure metrics: ➔ 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: Top 10% of conversions, fastest completions, smoothest navigation. ➔ 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: Bottom 10% of conversions, abandonment points, error encounters. — 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 Make session replays a regular part of your team’s workflow and follow these principles: ➔ Focus on one critical flow at first, then expand. ➔ Keep it routine. Fifteen minutes of focused sessions beats hours of unfocused watching. ➔ Keep rotating the responsibiliy and document everything. — Want to go deeper and get more out of your session replays without wasting time? Check the link in the comments!

What sets you apart from ALL the other products in your category?? It’s more than just your product. It’s about understanding your customer better than anyone else. With Enavi’s Customer Canvas, we don’t rely on assumptions.  We help you build detailed, human-first insights into: → What truly motivates your customers: Are they driven by convenience, prestige, or solving a problem? → What’s causing friction in their decision-making process: Is it confusion around pricing, uncertainty about product benefits, or trust issues with your brand? → How to create a seamless customer journey across every touchpoint: Are there gaps in their journey? Do they struggle with navigation, or lose momentum before checkout? We’re driving improvements across your entire business — from marketing to product development. How? We’re not just tracking clicks. We’re uncovering their motivations. Understanding their pain points. Delivering insights that transform every aspect of your marketing strategy. Not just your on-site experience. Be honest… do you REALLY know: — Motivations: What brings customers to your store?  Is it emotional, practical, or social factors that drive them? — Anxieties: Where are they getting frustrated or confused?  Why do they hesitate before making a purchase? — Behavioural Triggers: What’s the final nudge that pushes them to buy?  Is it a discount, a sense of urgency, or something else entirely? My guess is no. To gather this depth of insight, we use qualitative research tools like: 1. Post-Purchase surveys: Asking questions like: “What made you choose this product?” “What almost made you leave without purchasing?” 2. Customer interviews: Delving into their decision-making process with open-ended questions like: “When did you realise you needed this product?” “What would make you feel 100% confident in your purchase?” 3. Review mining: We analyse what customers are already saying, the praises and complaints. We use these to identify recurring themes in their desires and frustrations. 4. Support ticket analysis: We look at common complaints and issues that arise in customer support.  These often reveal hidden blockers in the customer journey that might not be obvious from the data alone. 5. Competitor benchmarking: What are your competitors doing right or wrong? And how can we leverage that insight to give you a competitive edge? And here’s what makes this approach so powerful: the Customer Canvas is not a static report. It’s a living, breathing document that evolves as your business — and your customers — change. Every update, every new product launch, every marketing campaign feeds into this evolving understanding of who your customers are and how best to serve them. Now, ask yourself: Are your current CRO tactics producing the real results you deserve? If not, it’s time to try something different. The Enavi Human Obsessed CRO is your answer.