Recommendations for conducting a case study

[ashlen]

I am working with a small company that sells technology via Amazon. We want to learn more about how customers are using the product and would like them to give us direct feedback through phone call. What would be an ideal method to have customers commit to speaking with us? Customer base is 60+. Any recommendations are appreciated!

[Harold Mansfield]

I am working with a small company that sells technology via Amazon. We want to learn more about how customers are using the product and would like them to give us direct feedback through phone call. What would be an ideal method to have customers commit to speaking with us? Customer base is 60+. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Posting a phone number where it's easy to see will make it easy for those who want to contact you to do so. Maybe place some text to the effect that "Your feedback is important to us. Feel free to call and let us know how we're doing" (with business hours)

You could also try putting a customer service survey on your website, and send to your mailing list to solicit feedback.
Whenever I get an email from Amazon asking me to review my last purchase I almost always do.
It's hard to get people to call in for a survey. A few will, but most won't unless something is wrong.

You could also call them. It's risky, but I've been OK with it from a few companies that I use all of the time. But it's still risky. Ask any survey taker in a phone room and they'll tell you it can be brutal. People have no problem being mean to cold callers.

[Brian Altenhofel]

You could also offer them something like a two question satisfaction survey with an option for them to opt-in to being contacted by phone.

[ashlen]

Thank you for the recommendations, I will use them. The customer base is relatively small and the product is fairly involved and expensive, I would assume customers would respond to personalized email asking to set up a meeting for a call, but yes using multiple contact options is a priority.

[tallen]

What kind of incentives can you offer? For example, I had an equipment installation that the vendor wanted to use to demo the equipment to other prospective customers, in exchange they provided a maintenance visit by one of their service techs...

[Adel Landman Steyn]

Posting a phone number where it's easy to see will make it easy for those who want to contact you to do so. Maybe place some text to the effect that "Your feedback is important to us. Feel free to call and let us know how we're doing" (with business hours)

You could also try putting a customer service survey on your website, and send to your mailing list to solicit feedback.
Whenever I get an email from Amazon asking me to review my last purchase I almost always do.
It's hard to get people to call in for a survey. A few will, but most won't unless something is wrong.

You could also call them. It's risky, but I've been OK with it from a few companies that I use all of the time. But it's still risky. Ask any survey taker in a phone room and they'll tell you it can be brutal. People have no problem being mean to cold callers.

Agreed. Web-based is really the way to go... It is faster, cheaper and you can do it at a time which suits you.
Just something to think about, many companies are now using "Mystery Shopper" type of initiatives.
Basically, if you complete the survey (with proof of purchase, which you will have because it is a smaller customer base and you have their details on Amazon anyway) and stand the chance to win a prize.
The prize doesn't have to be all that big.