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QAQ: The Path to Customer Insight

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The ritual happens thousands of times every day in restaurants around the country.  You are in the middle of a restaurant meal and the maître d' or manager approaches your table with the query: "How is everything?"  And, you politely respond, "fine" unless something is really, really bad.  The inquirer thinks an evaluation has been rendered by the customer; the customer believes a fair-weather friendly greeting has been delivered.  

The question is only a question in it’s form, not it's intent.  Sure, it has a question mark at the end; but that is just for show.  Think of it like the greeting you use most mornings when you arrive at work: "Good morning, how are you doing?"  You are not expecting the respondent to give you the lowdown on how his kid is flunking out of third grade, or how she is behind on a mortgage payment, or the fact that he has a dull ache in his lower back.  Frankly, you were just saying, "hello."

So, let your opening query be a friendly greeting.  The real test of the intent of the enquirer is the second question—the QAQ, or question after the question.  My friend John Miller made a cottage industry out of QBQ, or the question behind the question.  It taught us ways to take full responsibility for our situation instead of being a victim to circumstances.  I believe equally important is the question that follows the fair-weather greeting question.  It signals the real intent of the dialogue—am I here just to be friendly or am I here to learn?

Tools for the QAQ Pursuit of Insight

What makes customers give you the lowdown on their honest needs, concerns, expectations and aspirations?  What causes them to tell you their truth and not just a politically correct, superficial, be nice, avoid conflict "white lie?"  How can you probe deeper into an honest evaluation?  It starts with a countenance of curiosity.  You listen intently, you look to the customer like you are listening, and you listen to learn. 

Years ago, my son and I had one of those serious teen-daddy conversations. Right in the middle of our heated "discussion," he frustratingly said, "Why don't you quit being a daddy for a minute and just listen to me."  I realized precisely what he meant.  I was not listening to learn; I was listening to teach, or correct, or find a new, creative way to utter the two-letter answer all parents of teenagers speak a lot.  Show your customer the curiosity signals that telegraph a sincere desire to learn and discover.

Be completely non-defensive when your customer tests your sincerity in getting feedback or true information.  Their first complaint is just a trial balloon.  It is aimed at learning of your real interest in a counter point of view.  If you put your energy into defending, explaining or rationalizing, you will shut the door on getting any more authentic information.  Remember, learning is a door open only from the inside. Create the genuine rapport that encourages customers to open their doors to allow you to learn their truth.

Use Open-ended Interesting Questions

The conventional wisdom on questioning has always been to ask open-ended questions. Closed questions, the lesson goes, will cause the receiver to deliver a short, single-word or phrase answer. However, the process is more complicated than that.  Anyone with a teenager knows that the answers to questions beginning with "what," "how," and "why" can be as short as those for a yes-no question.

The goal of insight-seeking questioning is not just more words in the answer, but more depth in the thinking needed to produce the answer.  Craft interesting questions that make customers reflect before they report. "What is one thing that makes your experience memorable?" might be more exciting than "What do you like most about our hotel?"  Rather than asking, “What can we do better?" you might try, "If you owned this retail store and wanted your customers to have an awesome experience, what would you do?"

Avoid Questions That Begin with Why

Why avoid "why" questions? The point was made earlier, but it bears repeating. In most cultures, sentences that begin with the word "why" and end with a question mark are typically viewed as judgmental, critical and indicting. Body language can obviously play a role in how such questions are perceived. But even with perfect body language, customers' "Am-I-being-judged" antennae go up as soon as they hear a "why" question.

Find ways to soften the interrogatory question. "Why do you say that?" can sound very different from "What were your reasons for saying that?" The word "why" is not the problem; it is putting "why" on the front of a question.  The perception of judgment can turn an open atmosphere into one of protection, caution, and guarded behavior.

Albert Einstein wisely said, "It's not that I'm so smart, but I stay with the questions much longer."  "Staying with questions" enables you to demonstrate curiosity.  Sincere curiosity tells customers you genuinely care about them and their point of view.  The byproduct is not just more information or greater understanding.  It is the insight that becomes the roadmap on your path to meaningful service improvement.