Analyzing Transcripts: Creating Needs

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Identifying Needs

In this part of the VOC process you will:

1. Highlight phrases that you think are needs, or can be rewritten as needs, in each interview transcript

2. Code each phrase as a:• Need• Solution• Opinion• Target Value• Quote

3. Create needs phrases, while retaining the customer’s language, to aid in subsequent communication

At the end of this, you may have as many as 1,000 phrases. This is typical.

Use the following pages as a guide.

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1. Highlight transcripts

• The goal in highlighting interview transcripts is to identify phrases that you think are needs, or can be rewritten as needs

• Set aside, but keep:– Features / Solutions– Target Values / Specifications– Opinion

• Multiple readers are desirable:– Assign two team members to read all interviews graded a B+ or higher – Assign one team member to read all interviews graded a B or lower– Estimate about 1.5 hrs. per transcript per reader

• Remember what you are looking for: Needs!

* Source: Griffin, Abbie and John Hauser, “The Voice of the Customer,” Marketing Science, Winter 1993, 12:1, pp. 1-27.

“A description, in the customers’ own words, of the benefit to be fulfilled by the product or service”*

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2. Code the phrases

• As you highlight each phrase, assign a code to it, according to whether it is a:– Need:

A description of the benefit to be fulfilled by the product or service. Code: N

– Solution: A solution or fix to the customer’s wants and needs. Code: S

– Target Value: A quantifiable amount, time frame, size, etc. that gives the “best” value of a need Code: TV

– Opinion: A personal comment based on a customer’s experience or feelings. Code: O

– Quote: A flashy or interesting point written in the customer’s language Code: Q

• Explore examples of each in the pages that follow

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2. Wants and Needs: Example phrases

“A cup of coffee that stays hot until I finish drinking it”

“I never have to worry about losing my work”

“Relaxed, stress-free boarding of the airplane”

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2. Features / Solutions: Example phrases

“A thermal cup would be really helpful”

“Gotta have an uninterruptible power supply”

“They should begin boarding from the rear of the aircraft”

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2. Target Values / Specifications: Example phrases

“My coffee needs to stay hot for 20 minutes”

“Automatically saves my file every 5 minutes”

“Once boarding starts, it should never take more than 10 minutes to get to my seat”

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2. Opinions: Example phrases

“My coffee never stays hot enough”

“My computer always seems to crash at a crucial moment”

“I feel like I’m being herded onto the jet”

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3. Create the Needs

• The needs you identify during this process:– Must retain the customer’s jargon as possible– Be able to stand alone outside the context of the interview so that anyone reading the

need will understand– May need to be rewritten– Should be coded so you can sort them

• When customers don’t speak in clean, complete needs statements:

– Fragments and pieces of sentences can often be “crafted” into a need– Using the interviewer’s paraphrasing is okay– Where possible, turn negatives into positives

• Use the next two pages as a reference as you create needs statements from the highlighted transcripts

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Need (N) Solution (S) Target Value (TV) Opinion (O) Quote (Q)

Definition

A description of the benefit to be fulfilled by the product

or service

A solution or fix to the customer’s wants and needs

A quantifiable amount, time frame, size, tec. That gives the “best” value of a need

A personal comment based on a customer’s experience

or feelings

A flashy or interesting point written in the customer’s

language

Example

“Able to troubleshoot problems quickly so that I don’t waste time when placing an order.”

“They have call forwarding to people in other locations

for after-hours help”

“When I call customer service, I can speak to a real

person within 2 minutes”

“ I think the customer service at Dunkin Donuts is much better than at Dunkin

Donuts”

“I often pay a little more for a product, a service, or a

provision if I know it will be done correctly”

When creating needs statements, ask yourself

• Is this a solution?

• Is this specific enough? Is it too broad? A secondary need?

• Have I kept as much of the customer’s language as possible?

• Does this explain what is most important?

• Can this be understood outside the context of the interview?

• Does this cover only one need or topic?

• If I ask “why” or what will this do for this person, will I get to an underlying need?

• Is there a reason or need behind this? (Is it to save time, avoid frustration, to feel like a valued customer?

• Is there a need behind this value? If so, how can I wordsmith?

• If I ask why the person thinks that’s the right value, will I get to an underlying need?

• If I ask why this person feels this way, will I get to an underlying need?

• Is there a need behind this opinion? If so, how can I wordsmith?

• Does this give an example of something important?

• Do I need to wordsmith this at all? (Remove “ums” and “ahs”. If it doesn’t make sense, reword it)

Creating Needs Statements

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3. Create the Needs: Rules of Thumb

• Always retain as much of the customer’s words as possible.

• Do not translate into “company speak” or industry jargon

• Be sure that all needs give a reference point and have a subject to refer to– Would YOU be able to understand the need if you didn’t just read the interview?

• Make sure the need is only one idea

• Sometimes you have to read between the lines: Not all needs are equally obvious

• Check that the need has the right level of specificity– Double check all probing words and ask “why”?

• Try to avoid using the word “I” at the beginning of a need– “I can do…” should be phrased as “Able to..” or “Can…”– There is an implied “I need” or “I want”. Do not restate this.

• Use the first person e.g. “Able to take my family to…” (can be singular “I” or plural “we”)

• Keep needs phrased in the positive, unless negative is absolutely necessary to convey the point

Capture your work in a database or Excel sheet so you can easily sort the phrases (See the “Phrase Sorter” tool).