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In recent years, the increased popularity of design thinking and user research has led companies to make a focused effort to incorporate customer feedback into various functions including to inform product development, improve customer experiences, and fine-tune marketing strategies.
However, when conducting customer research we have found that there’s often a disconnect between what customers say and what they actually mean. Understanding this subtle difference is crucial because customers don’t always articulate their true needs, emotions, or preferences directly. Whether it's due to a lack of clarity, politeness, or even unawareness of their own motivations, customer feedback can sometimes be misleading if taken at face value. Fortunately, with the right tools and mindset, businesses can uncover the deeper truth behind customer responses, leading to more effective solutions.
One of the main reasons for this discrepancy is that customers often speak in generalities. When we ask them for feedback, they may provide vague comments like “It’s fine” or “It could be better,” which don’t offer much insight. At first glance, these responses seem positive or neutral, but they often mask deeper frustrations or desires. For instance, a customer might say a product is "fine," but their true feelings may be closer to disappointment or indifference. They could be reluctant to express dissatisfaction or may not be sure how to pinpoint the exact issue. By digging deeper and asking follow-up questions or analyzing their behavior, companies can get a clearer picture of how the customer truly feels about the product.
In personal finance, this disconnect between what customers say and what they mean is particularly evident. When conducting interviews about financial behaviors, we have found that many customers claim they want to save more money and be financially responsible. They may express satisfaction with a bank’s savings product in a survey and say, “This savings account meets my needs.” But when you look at their actual behavior, they may be making minimal contributions to their savings or frequently withdrawing money, suggesting a lack of commitment to long-term saving goals.
This behavior shows that while customers may express positive sentiments toward a financial product, their actions indicate they aren’t using it as intended. The reasons could vary—they might feel the interest rate isn’t motivating enough, or they may have cash flow issues they don’t mention in their feedback. However, deeper emotional and social factors often come into play here as well. Customers may say they want to save more, but their real emotional "job to be done" might be about gaining a sense of financial security or avoiding the anxiety of unexpected expenses. Socially, they might be concerned with how they appear to others—whether it’s wanting to seem financially responsible or keeping up with peers who seem more in control of their finances. By digging into these underlying emotional and social drivers, we can uncover why some customers may be hesitant to commit to long-term savings, even when they express interest.
Behavioral data such as savings trends, withdrawal patterns, or how often they switch between different financial products can provide a clearer picture of their true financial habits. In our work, we have combined insights with these emotional and social “jobs to be done,” to help financial institutions develop more tailored products that address both practical needs and deeper motivations. For example, offering flexible savings accounts that reduce the emotional burden of feeling “locked in” or providing higher interest rates tied to milestones could give customers a sense of achievement and control. These products would not only meet their expressed desire to save more but also speak to their unspoken emotional need for financial empowerment and social validation.
In the retail sector, we have found this same pattern plays out in customer feedback around products and shopping experiences. Take, for example, a customer who shops at a high-end fashion store. When surveyed, they may say, “I love the quality of the clothes here,” giving the impression that they are loyal and satisfied. However, a closer look at their shopping behavior may reveal something quite different: they frequently visit the store or browse online but rarely make a purchase unless there is a sale. Despite their positive comments about quality, their purchasing behavior indicates that they find the products too expensive at full price.
By analyzing this behavior, retailers can uncover hidden pricing sensitivities that customers may not explicitly mention. The data might show that this customer prefers high-end fashion but waits for discounts, signaling an opportunity for the retailer to engage this customer with personalized offers or exclusive deals that align with their price expectations. By recognizing the gap between their spoken admiration of the product and their actual buying habits, retailers can adjust their pricing strategies, promotions, or even loyalty programs to better cater to customer needs.
This disconnect often reflects more than just budget constraints; emotional and social factors are at play as well. The emotional job to be done could be the desire to feel unique, stylish, or confident, while the social job might involve signaling status or fitting into a particular group. However, the customer might experience cognitive dissonance if the price point feels too extravagant relative to their own financial reality or peer group standards. They may avoid purchasing at full price not only because of cost but because it disrupts their internal balance between feeling aspirational and being financially prudent.
On the other hand, sometimes some customers are actually attempting to solve a different, more emotional or social job. Let’s say someone is trying to solve the job of “treating myself” or “showing that I am successful”. In that case, no discount and a premium price help satisfy that job. In our work in luxury fashion, we have seen several examples of customers motivated by curating a certain image of themselves and using luxury goods to achieve this. In these cases, a discount would devalue their experience.So we see that different circumstances can lead customers to react very differently based on their key motivations.
By analyzing these emotional and social jobs to be done, retailers can better tailor their engagement strategies. Offering personalized discounts or exclusive deals not only aligns with the customer’s financial expectations but also speaks to their desire for social recognition and emotional satisfaction. Retailers can craft messaging that emphasizes the emotional reward of owning a luxury item while subtly easing the financial tension. Loyalty programs that provide “insider” access to exclusive collections or early sale alerts cater to the customer’s social desire to feel part of an elite group, making their purchasing experience feel both emotionally fulfilling and socially rewarding.
Behavioral data is a powerful tool in differentiating between what customers say and what they mean. Customers may claim they are satisfied with a service, but their actions—such as frequent complaints, product returns, or switching to a competitor—tell a different story. Tracking customer behavior and cross-referencing it with feedback can help identify gaps between perception and reality. For example, a customer might rate a product highly in a survey but never repurchase it. This contradiction suggests that while the initial feedback was positive, the product didn’t deliver the long-term value the customer expected. In this case, focusing solely on what the customer said could lead to misguided conclusions.
At Untold, we believe that great customer insights are dependent on great interviewing skills. Our team specializes in digging deeper and we’ve spent many years perfecting this art. We aim to holistically understand the customer’s unique point of view, and adjust our questions accordingly. This personalized approach for each interview leads to a higher level of empathy to be established as well as a more honest dynamic.
Our interviewing techniques aim to break through the emotions, social norms, and biases that disillusion both customers and businesses. We have seen examples where customers might downplay their dissatisfaction to avoid seeming confrontational, or they may exaggerate an issue if they are frustrated at the moment. Companies can address this by fostering open and honest communication channels where customers feel comfortable expressing their true opinions. Offering anonymous feedback options or using conversational tools like chatbots can encourage more candid responses.
By integrating emotional and social drivers throughout the research process, businesses can gain richer insights that go beyond what customers explicitly say, unlocking deeper motivations that drive their decisions. This approach leads to the development of products, services, and strategies that not only satisfy practical needs but also resonate on a personal, emotional, and social level—offering a competitive advantage in customer research.
In conclusion, the gap between what customers say and what they truly mean is a complex but critical aspect of customer research. By going beyond surface-level feedback, analyzing behavioral data, leveraging AI, and considering psychological factors, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs and motivations. This insight is invaluable for creating products and experiences that not only meet but exceed customer expectations. The companies that succeed in interpreting the real meaning behind customer feedback are the ones that will build stronger, more loyal customer relationships in the long run.
This illustrates the difference between what customers often say and what they may truly mean:
