What is a customer problem template?
Understanding the problems faced by your customers is crucial for any business. One way to do this is by using a customer problem statement template. This template helps you see an issue from the customer's perspective.
The template contains two exercises: one is the customer problem statement itself, and the second exercise dives deeper into the problem by asking some specific questions.
The customer problem section consists of five elements:
- I am: The customer who is facing the problem.
- I'm trying to: The outcome that the customer is hoping to achieve.
- But: The barriers to achieving the outcome.
- Because: The reason for the barriers.
- Which makes me feel: The emotional impact it has on the customer.
The second exercise has some questions that you can answer to get more insights into the problem:
- What's the problem?
- When does the problem occur?
- What are the possible root causes for the problem?
- Which customers face this problem?
- What's the emotional impact on customers?
- What's the measure/metric of the impact on customers?
- What alternatives do customers use to solve this problem?
- What are the disadvantages of using these alternatives?
- What are the things we can do better to address the problem?
Who can use this template?
A customer problem statement template can be a useful tool for teams to identify and address the issues that a customer is facing:
- Leadership teams: To pinpoint the key challenges that the overall business is experiencing.
- Design teams: To understand the challenges users may face on the UX/UI front.
- Sales teams: To gain insights into pain points that customers may experience during the buying process.
- Product management teams: To clearly define the problems of potential customers so they can provide solutions in the product.
How to use this template
- Start off by writing a statement on the problem and why the person (your customer) is facing it.
- Dig deeper with your team by figuring out why the problem exists and how your team can solve it.
- Also map out other specific insights—for example, how your customers are currently dealing with the problem you're solving and whether it's worth it for you to solve it at all.