How AI-Moderated Interviews Expand Customer Understanding with Aaron Cannon

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:

1. How is AI-moderated research interviews are transforming customer feedback? 
2. What are the main differences between AI-moderated interviews and standard surveys? 
3. In what ways can AI provide a deeper understanding of customer motivations and experiences? 
4. How does “visual intelligence” add value to customer experience research? 
5. How can AI help companies reduce survey fatigue among customers?

Top Takeaways:

• AI-moderated research gathers insights from customers through interviews that feel more like a conversation than a traditional survey.  

• Traditional surveys usually ask participants to pick a number, an option from a multiple-choice question, or to rank something. AI-moderated research goes beyond this by digging deeper and asking follow-up questions, enabling customers to provide the full picture by explaining their choices in their own words.  

• Trust is very important in collecting feedback. While opt-in participation should be the norm, make sure to let your customers know that their data privacy and security are a priority when they share their feedback.  

• AI tools help marketing and CX teams expand their reach by making it possible to have in-depth conversations with thousands of individual customers without needing a large team. This means organizations can cover a wide range of backgrounds and opinions, including outliers, to understand their customers better.  

• Context makes feedback more actionable. For example, if a customer’s flight is delayed, AI can include this context in conversations so that it can collect feedback that is more specific and personalized.  

• AI-moderated research can feel more like a two-way conversation than just checking boxes on a form. AI can even escalate issues, so human support can jump in when needed.  

• Plus, Shep and Aaron discuss how listening to diverse customer voices can help companies make smarter decisions and gain happier customers. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“When the right questions are asked, people are willing to share deeply, even with AI. Good questions elicit thoughtful, honest responses.” 

“It’s not just about what customers say, but also about what they do. Understanding the gap between words and actions is important for getting true insights.” 

“AI isn’t replacing people, but extending the power of customer experience and marketing teams by amplifying their ability to listen to thousands of customers.” 

“A survey feels like a transaction. It’s a one-way ask where you answer, and it’s gone. Conversational feedback (powered by AI) is aware of the context, digs deeper, and can even act on your behalf to make the world better for you. It is a two-way value exchange, not a one-way data extraction.”  

“AI in customer understanding is not zero-sum. It’s a positive-sum game. The easier and more affordable it is to hear from more people, the more businesses want it.” 

About:

Aaron Cannon is the co-founder and CEO of Outset, an AI-moderated research platform that helps enterprise teams at companies like Microsoft, Uber, and Google gain deeper customer insights. 

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.