Strategy Markets and Customers

Customer needs research ranked by what customers say

What do your customers need most from you?

Works plans research with at least 10 of your customers and prospects. Every answer is recorded word for word. The answers are grouped by theme. Each theme gets a score from how often it comes up and how strongly people feel it. You get the top five to eight needs, ranked, with three to five actions.

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Updated

What you get
Customer needs map · Fenwright Systems
Top 6 needs ranked
15
interviews recorded word for word
6 / 6
needs with three or more quotes
Know which machines need service before they fail Score 60 · Gap
Find spare parts fast during a breakdown Score 50 · Gap
Log work orders on a phone from the plant floor Score 44 · Well served
Show auditors a full maintenance history Score 36 · Well served
Plan technician shifts around planned downtime Score 24 · Gap
Report maintenance costs for each site Score 21 · Gap

You use the map to choose changes to your product, messaging and sales.

See it run

A needs map in progress

Interviews recorded
15 · 12 customers and 3 prospects
Themes scored 4 / 6
Run log
  1. You
    “Find the top needs of the mid-size manufacturers. Interview 12 customers and 3 prospects.”
    Your instruction
    ✓
  2. C
    Interview guide ready Customer Researcher
    The research must help you choose between two product directions. The interview guide is written. All 15 participants are confirmed.
    ✓
  3. C
    15 interviews recorded Customer Researcher
    Each interview took 20 to 30 minutes on Zoom. Every answer is recorded word for word. Each need is tagged by urgency.
    ✓
  4. C
    Scoring the themes Customer Researcher
    The answers are grouped into 6 themes. So far, 4 of 6 themes are scored. The top theme comes up in 12 of 15 interviews. The intensity of the top theme is 5 out of 5. Intensity is how strongly people feel the need.
    •
  5. You
    Your choice needed You
    Choose where the actions apply: product, messaging, sales or more than one. The Customer Researcher then writes three to five actions.
  6. ↓
    Ideal customer profile used Upstream
    The profile comes from Define Ideal Customer Profile.
    ✓
How it works

Needs ranked from what your customers say

The research starts from the decisions you need to make. You choose interviews, a survey or both, with at least 10 participants. Every answer is recorded word for word. The answers are then grouped by theme. Each theme gets a score: frequency multiplied by intensity. Frequency is the number of mentions. Intensity rates how strongly people feel the need, from 1 to 5. The top five to eight needs are ranked, each with at least three quotes.

What it needs
A list of at least 10 customers and prospects available for research
Existing support tickets, reviews, or customer feedback, if you have them
Sales call notes or recordings
The budget and time available for the research
What you get

A ranked needs map with the top five to eight needs, scored by frequency multiplied by intensity, with at least three word-for-word quotes per theme. The map marks gaps and strengths and comes with three to five specific recommended actions and a one-page summary.

Run sequence

Start to finish

The work starts from your ideal customer profile. Four stages produce the ranked needs map.

  1. 1
    Research Plan

    Plan the research and participants

    You set the questions and the method
    Interview guide written for the customers you choose
    At least 10 participants confirmed
    You + Customer Researcher
  2. 2
    Raw Research Notes

    Hold the interviews or survey

    You choose who takes part
    Every answer recorded word for word
    Each need tagged by urgency
    You + Customer Researcher
  3. 3
    Ranked Needs Map

    Score and rank the needs

    Answers grouped into themes
    Each theme scored as mentions times intensity
    Top five to eight needs ranked with quotes
    Customer Researcher
  4. 4
    Recommended Actions

    Choose the actions to take

    You choose where the actions apply
    Three to five specific actions written
    A one-page summary for your planning meetings
    You + Customer Researcher
Before it starts

What Works asks you

A few questions in plain words. The answers set up the run for your business.

Which pending decisions should the research help you make?
YouWhich of two product directions to invest in next
Which method fits the depth you need and the time you have?
YouInterviews for depth on the reasons behind the needs
Which 10 or more customers or prospects can give you 20 to 30 minutes for a conversation?
YouA mix of new, long-time, and former customers
Do you want each need tagged by urgency as the answers come in?
YouTag acute (buying now), chronic (considering), and latent (not yet noticed)
Which functions should the recommended actions cover?
YouProduct, messaging, and sales each get specific actions
Who runs it

The agents behind this workflow

The Customer Researcher runs your needs research from plan to ranked map. The Segmentation Strategist builds your ideal customer profile.

Playbook specialist
S

Segmentation Strategist

Owns this area

Defines and prioritizes market segments and the ideal customer profile (ICP) from evidence.

Split a market into distinct segmentsRank segments by fit and potentialBuild an ICP from evidence
On this workflow
C

Customer Researcher

Designs and runs customer needs research, then ranks the needs by frequency multiplied by intensity in a needs map with specific actions.

Record word-for-word findings tagged acute, chronic, or latentScore needs by frequency multiplied by intensityTurn needs into specific actions that someone can own
Jeanie, your Chief of Staff Works Crew

Jeanie leads a core crew of seven that runs your company day to day. They direct the specialist and workflow agents in each playbook, including the ones on this workflow.

Connections · apps · integrations

Bring what you already run

The apps and accounts this workflow reads from and writes to. Connect them once and Works keeps them in sync.

Google SheetsNotionTypeformZoom
  • Google Sheets. The Customer Researcher agent connects to Google Sheets.
  • Notion. You can keep the one-page summary in Notion, where you and your team leads review it.
  • Typeform. The Customer Researcher agent connects to Typeform.
  • Zoom. The Customer Researcher agent connects to Zoom.

These are starting points, not a limit. Connect the tools you already use.

Related workflows

Two Strategy workflows use this needs map.

Builds on Define Ideal Customer Profile
This one
Research Customer Needs
Feeds into 2 workflows
Define the Value Proposition
Grow Customer Value
Works · AI business OS

One workflow inside your whole business

In Strategy, Research Customer Needs is part of the Markets and Customers work.

Prebuilt playbooks, plus your own
StrategyMarketingSalesCustomer SuccessPartnershipsProducts & ServicesOperationsFinancePeopleLegal & Compliance + Build your own
The Strategy playbook
73
Workflows
19
Specialist agents
42
Workflow agents
238
Templates
You're here
Research Customer Needs
One of 73 Strategy workflows · run by 1 workflow agent
Templates

What comes with it

Built for this workflow
DOCX
JTBD Interview Guide
Questions for interviews about the jobs your customers need done. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Needs Prioritization Matrix
A table that ranks the needs of your customers. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Voice-of-Customer Synthesis Canvas
A one-page form that sums up what your customers tell you. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Customer Research Plan
A table where you plan your customer research. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Customer Interview Tracker
Tracks each customer interview. It opens in Works after you sign up.
Also included here
DOCX
Ideal Customer Profile Canvas
A one-page form for your ideal customer profile. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Buyer Persona Canvas
A one-page form that describes one buyer. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Persona Interview Guide
Questions for interviews about your buyers. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Buyer Journey Interview Guide
Questions for interviews about how buyers decide to buy. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Assumption Test Plan
A table where you plan how to test an assumption. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Win/Loss Interview Guide
Questions for interviews about the deals you won or lost. It opens in Works after you sign up.
DOCX
Market Entry Interview Guide
Questions for interviews about a new market. It opens in Works after you sign up.
XLSX
Value-Lever Prioritization Matrix
A table that ranks the ways to grow customer value. It opens in Works after you sign up.

Each template opens inside Works after you sign up.

Questions

What people ask

What do you need before you start?

You need a list of at least 10 customers and prospects you can talk to. Sales call notes or recordings help. Support tickets, reviews or other customer feedback help too, if you have them. You also need to know the budget and the time you have for the research.

How are the needs ranked?

The answers are grouped into themes. The score of each theme is its frequency multiplied by its intensity. Frequency is the number of mentions of the theme. Intensity rates how strongly people feel the need, from 1 to 5. The top five to eight needs are ranked by the score. Each need has at least three word-for-word quotes.

Should you use interviews or a survey?

Interviews let you hear the reasons behind each need. A survey reaches more people quickly on themes you already know. You can also do both: interviews first, then a survey to test the themes with more people. You choose the method that fits the time you have and how much detail you need.

What do you get at the end?

You get a ranked map of the top five to eight needs. The map marks each need as well served or as a gap. A gap is a need you do not meet well yet. You get three to five specific actions for product, messaging or sales. Each action comes from a top need. You also get a one-page summary.

Rank the needs of your customers from their own words

Sign up to start your customer needs research.

Sign Up