How to get to the customer insights that matter

Liezel Jonkheid, director and founder of the Consumer Psychology Lab. Image supplied

But true qualitative research isn’t about gathering statements - it’s about uncovering what customers don’t say outright.

Why?

Because people often don’t have the words to fully articulate their experiences. They’ve been conditioned to respond in ways that protect them - either by avoiding conflict, over-explaining, or shutting down altogether.

To get to the insights that matter, researchers must go beyond surface-level answers and create a space where customers feel heard and safe enough to reveal what they really think and feel.

Why customers hold back, and how to break through

When asked about their experience, customers don’t always provide straightforward answers. Instead, they instinctively fall into three response patterns:

• Flight: Avoiding discomfort, keeping answers neutral to prevent conflict. “It was fine.” “Nothing really stood out.”
  
• Fight: Overloading their response with exaggerated frustration or complaints. “It was terrible. A complete disaster.”
  
• Freeze: Withdrawing, offering minimal responses. “I don’t know.” “I can’t really explain it.”

If you accept these answers at face value, you miss the real story. What motivated their guarded responses? What emotions are beneath their words?

Skilled qualitative researchers don’t just hear - they interpret. They recognise when a participant is holding back, mirror their language, and gently guide them to peel back the layers of their experience.

Creating a safe space: the foundation of meaningful customer insights

The key to deep, honest feedback isn’t in the questions themselves - it’s in the environment you create.

Customers need to feel that:

• Their opinion or experience matters
  
• They won’t be judged or retaliated against
  
• They can express positive and negative emotions freely
  
• They are talking to someone who genuinely cares about their experience

When a person feels heard, they relax. Their guard comes down. They stop giving rehearsed or guarded answers and start sharing their real thoughts, fears, and motivations.

Start customer interviews with neutral, open-ended prompts like:

• “Tell me about a time when you felt truly valued as a customer.”
  
• “If you could change just one thing about your experience, what would it be?”

By focusing on their perspective, rather than the company’s, you build trust and invite them to open up.

Going beyond words: reading between the lines

Some of the most valuable customer insights aren’t spoken outright - they’re implied through tone, hesitation, and non-verbal cues.

If a participant pauses before answering, what thought are they filtering? If they rush through a response, what emotion are they skimming over? If their voice drops slightly on certain words, what discomfort are they feeling?

For example, you ask a customer, “Would you recommend this service to a friend?”

They hesitate before saying, “Yeah… I guess so.”

A surface-level interviewer moves on. A skilled interviewer mirrors their hesitation and probes: “I noticed you hesitated - what makes you say ‘I guess’ instead of a clear yes?”

That slight pause could reveal a hidden frustration, an unmet expectation, or a lingering doubt -all of which would have been missed without careful attention.

Mirroring is an excellent way to validate and explore emotions: “It sounds like that experience left you feeling frustrated - what made it feel that way?” Or “I hear some uncertainty in your voice - can you tell me more about what’s making you hesitant?”

Why active listening is the most powerful tool in research

People don’t just want to answer questions - they want to feel like their words matter.

When a customer feels truly heard, they open up more freely, provide deeper, more personal insights and feel valued and connected to the brand. But if they sense their words are just being collected and logged, they shut down.

Active listening isn’t just nodding and making eye contact - it’s responding in a way that makes them feel understood.

A skilled qualitative researcher:

• Acknowledges emotions before moving on.
  
• Repeats key phrases to validate understanding.
  
• Asks follow-up questions that prove they were truly listening.

Instead of just saying “I understand”, reflect back what they said: “It sounds like you felt let down because your expectations weren’t met. Is that right?”. This makes customers feel heard and encourages them to share more.

The deepest insights come from the right approach

Most companies think they’re gathering customer insights - but they’re often just scratching the surface.

If you want to truly uncover what truly drives customer behaviour - not just what they think you want to hear, you need to:

• Create a safe space where customers feel comfortable opening up.
  
• Listen not just to words, but to tone, hesitation, and emotions.
  
• Gently probe beyond surface-level responses.

Because at the end of the day, people want to be heard. And when you truly listen, they tell you everything you need to know.