PRESCOUTER

Get in Touch
Click here

Expert and Customer Interviews

Better decisions start with a conversation.
We bring the right people together.

We connect you with relevant experts and customers to test assumptions, understand buying decisions and identify unmet needs – giving you evidence for confident decisions.

Schedule a Free Strategy Session
Schedule a Free Strategy Session
The world's top companies work with PreScouter
BHP
Anglo American
Baker Hughes
Lhoist
Chevron
European Commission
Hydro
SLB
BHP
Anglo American
Baker Hughes
Lhoist
Chevron
European Commission
Hydro
SLB
BHP
Anglo American
Baker Hughes
Lhoist
Chevron
European Commission
Hydro
SLB
BHP
Anglo American
Baker Hughes
Lhoist
Chevron
European Commission
Hydro
SLB

The World's Top Companies Work With PreScouter

Baker Hughes

Lhoist

Chevron

European Commission

Hydro

SLB

Ørsted

BHP

Anglo American

Baker Hughes

Lhoist

Chevron

European Commission

Hydro

SLB

Ørsted

BHP

Anglo American

Baker Hughes

Lhoist

Chevron

European Commission

Hydro

SLB

Ørsted

BHP

Anglo American

Proven Outcomes

Expert interviews in action.

Examine how enterprise teams have used expert and customer interviews to close knowledge gaps, test assumptions and move forward with confidence.

A Major Chromatography Products Manufacturer

Mapping Unmet Needs in Liquid Chromatography

The Challenge

The client needed the competitive landscape, the unmet needs and the open opportunities across high- and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography products, to steer product and business development.

The Solution

Expert interviews and questionnaires reached both end-user frustrations and the OEM procurement side. The panel ranked the client a leader, named what to fix, and we built a procurement decision tree of the real buying inflection points. Upcoming players: low to medium risk over 3 to 5 years.

A Leading Digital Camera and Imaging Manufacturer

Profiling the Smart Camera Hardware Market

The Challenge

Before setting product portfolio direction, the client had to know who the serious players in smart camera hardware were, which automation applications they targeted, who bought from them, and what their systems did.

The Solution

We profiled 15 companies against the client's criteria, then interviewed 6 subject matter experts, product managers among them, on specs and differentiators. Customers running those systems supplied the rest: functionalities, pain points, segmentation, and the case for a price premium.

A Biometrics Technology Company

Growth Opportunities in LC-MS for Clinical Diagnostics

The Challenge

The client wanted to know what it would take to grow the LC-MS side of its business as an OEM player, and where sample preparation for clinical diagnostics was heading.

The Solution

A landscape analysis was followed by expert interviews on the metrics that establish value. We mapped 39 stakeholders in LC-MS and 21 in assay development, consulting 10 experts across clinical, academic and commercial views, then built 2 models of sample prep impact and ROI.

A US-Based Manufacturing Firm

Voice of Customer Studies for Technology Partnerships

The Challenge

The client needed a voice of customer study on the key drivers for users of automation technologies, to support OEM discussions and find co-development partners for two projects.

The Solution

Expert interviews established the value proposition for the client's technologies inside LC and CE-MS pipelines, then OEM partners were asked what the concept was worth to them. Interest in both was confirmed, along with partners including two medical device leaders.

defined

More conversations are not insight.
The right conversations are.

Expert and customer interviews surface why buyers choose what they choose, which roadblocks stall adoption, and where unmet needs sit. At Prescouter, we source verified experts and targeted customers, run neutral structured interviews, and validate what we hear across dozens of conversations to separate real signal from noise.

The PreScouter Difference

Why choose Prescouter for expert-led due diligence?

Panels give you access, transcripts give you volume and consulting firms give you interpretation. Our research brings all three together in one validated view of your market.

Area of Focus
Typical Interview Approach
The Prescouter Approach Recommended
Who You Speak To
Typical Interview Approach Whoever a panel can produce this week, matched on job title alone.
The Prescouter Approach Specialists, former operators, suppliers and regulators on the expert side. Current customers, lost customers and prospects on the buyer side.
Recruiting and Screening
Typical Interview Approach A standing panel database, where the same frequent respondents reappear across unrelated studies.
The Prescouter Approach Each participant sourced against your criteria and screened on real operating experience, typically 8 to 20 experts or 15 to 30 customers per study.
Question Design
Typical Interview Approach One questionnaire reused across clients, leading respondents toward tidy answers.
The Prescouter Approach Guides written for the decision at hand: how the market works and where it is going for experts, why buyers choose, switch or refuse for customers.
Conducting the Interview
Typical Interview Approach A generalist reads the script, takes notes, and misses the answer worth following.
The Prescouter Approach Neutral, structured conversations run by researchers who know the technology and can probe a contradiction while the person is still on the call.
Synthesis and Validation
Typical Interview Approach A transcript pack and a quote reel, where the most confident opinion becomes the finding.
The Prescouter Approach Themes compared across every conversation, contradictions surfaced rather than smoothed over, and single opinions separated from validated patterns.
Decision-Ready Output
Typical Interview Approach A summary of what people said, ending at the findings.
The Prescouter Approach A market map with adoption drivers and constraints, a needs hierarchy with purchase criteria, and the next move each finding points to.
Why It Matters

Why invest in expert & customer interviews

Companies invest in expert and customer interviews to bring firsthand evidence into business decisions - testing assumptions, understanding customer priorities and identifying what drives adoption.

Untested Assumptions

Internal experience can leave important assumptions unchallenged. We test your thinking with relevant experts and customers, examining where their perspectives agree and differ - so your team understands what the evidence supports before committing resources.

Unmet Customer Needs

Product specifications rarely tell you what customers struggle with in practice. We speak directly with buyers and end users to understand their priorities, workarounds and unmet needs - helping your team identify improvements that matter.

Unclear Buying Decisions

The person using your product may not control the purchase. We investigate who influences buying decisions, which criteria carry weight and what prompts customers to switch - giving your team a clearer basis for product and commercial decisions.

Hidden Adoption Barriers

Interest in a technology does not always translate into adoption. We interview practitioners and customers to assess integration requirements, operational constraints and resistance to change - helping you understand what needs to happen before a solution gains traction.

Our Services

The right conversations to guide your next decision.

Industry Expert Interviews

Technical questions need people with practical experience. We interview engineers, researchers and industry specialists to assess technical challenges, adoption barriers and developments that could affect your decisions.

Voice of Customer Studies

Understanding customers starts with listening. We speak directly with buyers and end users to identify purchasing priorities, unmet needs and what they value in a solution.

Segment-Specific Customer Research

Customer priorities vary across segments. We examine differences in needs, willingness to pay and adoption readiness so your team can shape its offering around the right audience.

Competitive Perspective Interviews

Knowing your competitors means understanding why customers choose them. We gather informed perspectives on competing offerings, strengths and weaknesses to help you assess where your business can compete.

Market Patterns & Opportunities

Individual opinions need context. We compare findings across interviews, examine conflicting views and identify recurring needs and demand signals - giving your team clearer evidence for its next move.

AI-Powered Customer Insights

Customer conversations extend beyond formal interviews. We combine human interviews with AI analysis of customer discussions to test emerging themes and turn feedback into useful findings.

When It Matters Most

Published data has limits.Interviews don’t.

Interviews are the right method when the decision is high-stakes, the market is niche or moving fast, and published data is thin, dated or too broad to trust.

Situation What interviews resolve Who to Interview
01 Entering an adjacent market You are weighing a segment you don’t sell into yet.
What interviews resolve Real addressable demand, who the incumbents are, how buyers purchase and which channels control access.
Who to Interview DistributorsChannel partnersOperatorsTarget buyers
02 Evaluating a new technology Before you license, build, buy or invest.
What interviews resolve Field performance against the spec sheet, failure modes, integration effort and what is blocking adoption.
Who to Interview EngineersPlant managersEarly adoptersDeployment specialists
03 Setting or defending pricing Launching, repricing or facing discount pressure.
What interviews resolve Willingness to pay, the value drivers buyers will pay a premium for, and the alternatives they price you against.
Who to Interview BuyersProcurement leadsProspects who didn’t buy
04 Losing deals to a competitor Win rates are falling and your CRM notes don’t explain why.
What interviews resolve Why buyers switch, the capabilities you don’t match, and how competitors position and price against you.
Who to Interview Lost customersRecent switchersResellersChannel partners
05 Building a product roadmap Deciding what to build next, and what to stop.
What interviews resolve Unmet needs ranked by severity and frequency, the workarounds buyers rely on, and the features they would trade off.
Who to Interview Current usersLapsed usersNon-users in segment
06 Navigating regulatory change A new rule could reshape demand or approval timelines.
What interviews resolve How new rules are likely to be interpreted and enforced, realistic compliance timelines, and who gains or loses.
Who to Interview Former regulatorsCompliance leadsStandards specialistsIndustry associations
07 Finding co-development partners You need an OEM or partner to take a technology to market.
What interviews resolve Which partners have genuine interest, the capability to deliver, and the value they need to see before committing.
Who to Interview OEMsIntegratorsSuppliersPartner technical leads
08 M&A or investment diligence Validating a target before you commit capital.
What interviews resolve The target’s reputation with customers, retention risk, and whether its technology and claims hold up.
Who to Interview Target’s customersCompetitorsSuppliersFormer employees
How It Works

Our expert and customer interview process.

Four focused stages take you from the questions your team needs answered to evidence and recommendations that guide your next decision.

Define the Objectives

We clarify the decision you need to make, the assumptions to test and the perspectives you need - defining target audiences and research questions that keep every conversation relevant.

Find the Right People

We source and screen experts and customers against your criteria, drawing on our global network and research team to find people with the experience and market knowledge your questions require.

Conduct Structured Interviews

We guide conversations around your objectives, using neutral questions to understand motivations, technical challenges and unmet needs. Follow-up questions examine the reasoning and practical experience behind each response.

Validate & Recommend

We compare perspectives, examine contradictions and test recurring themes across interviews. Your team receives clear findings, opportunity areas, risks and recommended next steps - with evidence to support the decision ahead.

Start Your Interview Project Today →
Participant Quality

Finding names is easy.
Vetting them is the work.

Quality is decided before the first call. Every candidate is screened across four dimensions - sixteen checks applied before an interview is booked.

Dimension 01 / 04 Relevance

Have they actually done this?

We screen for hands-on experience with the specific application, process or purchase in question, not familiarity with the category around it.

What we screen for
01Direct experience with the application
02Depth in the segment, not the adjacent one
03Screening answers reviewed before shortlisting
04Recency of the experience recorded
Dimension 02 / 04 Authority

Were they the one who decided?

We look for the person who specified, operated or signed off, rather than the person who watched the decision happen from one desk away.

What we screen for
01Specified, operated or signed off
02Role within the decision-making unit
03Budget or technical authority held
04Seniority matched to the question
Dimension 03 / 04 Coverage

Does the roster cover the whole picture?

A roster of people who already like you answers nothing. We build the mix so the market side and the buyer side are both represented, including the accounts you lost.

What we screen for
01Specialists, operators, suppliers, regulators
02Current customers and long-term users
03Lost customers and churned accounts
04Prospects who chose a competitor
Dimension 04 / 04 Integrity

Can the answers be trusted?

Nothing undisclosed shapes what you hear, and nothing confidential comes out of it. You see the anonymized roster before a single interview is booked.

What we screen for
01No undisclosed commercial ties
02Confidentiality briefed and confirmed
03Employer restrictions checked
04Anonymized roster approved by you

Select a dimension · 16 screening checks per participant

Confidentiality

Candid answers need cover.We build it before the first call.

Every interview is set up so participants can be candid and you are never exposed in the process.

Your identity stays protected. Blind or double-blind on request. Participants hear the sector and the purpose, never your name.

Participants are briefed on scope. Each one confirms, before the call, that they will not disclose confidential or material non-public information.

Competitors are screened out. Anyone with a commercial tie that would compromise the conversation is excluded, and you see the roster before anything is booked.

Every engagement runs under NDA. Your questions, your intent and the findings stay with your team.

Attribution is agreed in advance. Findings are anonymized themes by default. A name is attached only where that participant has consented.

Data handling is on your terms. Notes and transcripts are stored securely, kept only as long as the project needs them and deleted on request.

Behind the Analysis

Behind every interview finding.
Every voice tested against the evidence.

Most expert networks stop at the call. We test every voice against channel, survey, AI and published evidence first.

Interview Evidence Sources

What it adds:
What We Avoid

Four ways interview research goes wrong.And what we do instead.

0/4 Solutions revealed
Industries We Serve

Every industry has its own insiders.
We know who to reach.

From clinicians and lab managers to plant engineers, procurement leads and regulators, we reach the people who shape each sector and test what they say against the evidence.

Life Sciences

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Clinicians, lab managers, regulatory specialists and procurement teams explain unmet clinical needs, adoption barriers and how purchasing decisions are really made.

Recent engagement

Mapped 39 LC-MS stakeholders and 21 in assay development, consulted 10 clinical, academic and commercial experts, then built two models of sample-preparation impact and ROI.

Resources & Energy

Natural Resources

Utility, energy and resource specialists explain how projects are specified and scaled, which technologies are proving themselves and where policy is shifting demand.

Recent engagement

Mapped 58 energy management stakeholders and interviewed 8 experts from residential to utility scale, profiling 16 competitors to shape a solar company’s acquisition strategy.

Consumer Markets

Food & Beverage

Formulators, ingredient suppliers, operations leads and category experts reveal where demand is moving, how products are reformulated and what buyers will pay for.

Recent engagement

Ran 14 expert interviews across market, operations and formulation to map chia seed mucilage segments, trends and growth opportunities where public data was unavailable.

Aerospace

Aerospace & Defense

Engineers, program specialists and supply-chain experts explain procurement cycles, qualification hurdles and which technologies are moving from concept toward platform adoption.

Recent engagement

Drew on Prescouter’s expert network to support an A&D innovation group across propulsion, sensors and energy systems, identifying suppliers and competitor military-aircraft supply chains.

Emerging Technology

AI & High Tech

Product managers, integrators and technical users explain which functionalities matter, where systems fall short and how buyers compare competing offerings.

Recent engagement

Profiled 15 smart camera hardware companies, interviewed 6 experts including product managers, then spoke with integrating customers to define features worth a price premium.

Mobility

Automotive

Materials engineers, suppliers and OEM specialists explain specification requirements, qualification timelines and where new materials can realistically enter the vehicle.

Recent engagement

Interviewed 6 experts on resins and additives for recycled thermoplastics in automotive, mapping market size and value chain, and identifying unmet needs and partners.

Industrial Materials

Chemicals & Materials

Application scientists, formulators and end users explain performance requirements, switching barriers and where a new material can beat what is already on the market.

Recent engagement

Interviewed experts in the two strongest biopolymer fields for a biotechnology company, showing hydrophobins as a disruptor while bioadhesives were not yet viable.

Consumer Markets

Consumer Goods

Retailers, channel partners, OEMs and end customers explain how categories are bought, what drives switching and where an established brand can credibly win.

Recent engagement

Worked with subject matter experts to map the cabinet market’s OEMs, retailers, channels, pricing and margins, delivering a SWOT and a stage-gated entry path.

Industrial Operations

Manufacturing

Plant managers, OEM partners and operators explain automation priorities, integration constraints and what it takes for a new technology to be adopted on the line.

Recent engagement

Built a voice of customer study around two automation technologies, confirming OEM interest in both and identifying partners including two leading medical device manufacturers.

Circular Materials

Plastics & Packaging

Packaging engineers, converters, recyclers and regulatory specialists test assumptions on barriers, machinery, sourcing, recyclability and market acceptance before capital is committed.

Recent engagement

Combined expert interviews with regulatory research to help a glass packaging manufacturer find ways to shorten approval for a new glass-making technology.

See our work

The numbers behind stronger supplier decisions.

0 +

Enterprise Clients

Global 1000 companies
0 +

Global Experts

Industry expert network
0 +

Customer Segments

interviewed across markets
0 %

Client Retention

Year over year
0 mo

Months Earlier

Than the competition
0 %

Confidential

NDA protected
Schedule Your Free Strategy Session →

Client Praise

The right voices, heard clearly.
In our clients' own words.

Senior decision-makers share how Prescouter reached the right experts and customers, surfaced what their teams could not see, and turned interviews into decisions they could act on.

“The Prescouter team was a pleasure to work with and effectively communicated useful insights from our customers.”
Julia Brown Strategic Marketing Manager Phothera
“To have Prescouter on our team is like having an infinite number of experts in every imaginable area of research.”
Inna Maltseva Senior Principal Scientist, R&D CooperVision
“They take time to understand the problem and ask all the right questions to ensure the research is done right first time.”
Dave Coultas Carbon Capture Principal Scientist Infineum
“Any time we need unbiased perspective on the subject, Prescouter delivers consistent superior quality intel on our tight timelines.”
Vlad Zaitsev Director of Strategic Insights & Analytics Abbott
“Great quality of work shown from day 1. Deep understanding of our needs and consistently delivering results, sometimes exceeding our expectations.”
Romain Aubris New Product Planning & Market Insight Program Lead Sanofi
“The technical depth at which Prescouter conducts their research is impressive when compared to other consulting firms.”
Avi Robbins President, Porex Life Sciences Institute & AG Industries Filtration Group
“They did a great job walking through the highlights of the report — respectful and receptive to questions.”
David Grissom Senior Director Global Customer Experience and Commercial Analytics Taconic
“Prescouter was able to compile and analyze a large amount of information related to our project and present it in an organized fashion.”
Luis Figueroa Research and Development Engineer Flowserve
“They’ve been a tremendous partner.”
Christi Putman Senior Director Research and Development Procter and Gamble
“For the project we asked for, I do not think a more seasoned consultant would have done a better job. They delivered.”
Keith Wilcoxen Head of Strategic Partnerships, R&D Tesaro
“They provided reports with an appropriate amount of detail to explain the technology to someone unfamiliar with it.”
Kendall Sampson-Kitzul Applied Process Technology Engineer Mosaic
“Very well structured and comprehensible meetings and documentation.”
Peter Barth Global Product Manager Jointing Solutions Georg Fischer

Common Inquiries

Frequently asked questions.

An expert interview is a structured, one-on-one conversation with someone who has recent, hands-on experience in the market you are studying, such as an engineer, plant manager, procurement lead, regulator or former executive. It produces primary evidence on how the market actually works, and it is most valuable when published research is dated, too broad or simply does not exist.

 

Expert interviews explain how a market works and where it is heading, drawing on specialists, former operators, suppliers and regulators. Customer interviews, often called voice of customer research, explain why buyers choose, switch or refuse, drawing on current customers, lost customers and prospects. Expert interviews usually inform market entry, technology and competitive decisions, while customer interviews inform product design, pricing and positioning, and many programs combine both.

Every participant is recruited against your brief rather than pulled from a standing panel. We draw on Prescouter’s network of more than 10,000 subject matter experts, supplemented by targeted academic and industry outreach, and screen each candidate for hands-on experience, decision authority and recency. You review and approve the anonymized roster before any interview is booked.

Bias is controlled at every stage. Guides are written around the decision rather than a preferred answer, interviewers have the subject fluency to probe contradictions, and candidates are screened for undisclosed commercial ties. Findings are then compared across interviews and checked against independent sources, so no single confident opinion becomes the conclusion.

Most expert networks sell access to a call or a transcript and leave the synthesis to your team. Prescouter runs the whole program: we scope the questions with you, recruit and vet the participants, conduct the interviews, and deliver written findings, risks and recommended next steps. You get a decision, not a stack of call notes.

Let's Talk

Find the voices that guide your next decision.

No sales pitch. Just a focused 30-minute call about the decision ahead, the voices you need to hear and where interviews could help.

Our Quick Onboarding Pathway

01

Pick a time that works

We’ll send a calendar invite with flexible options across time zones.

02

Quick discovery call

30 minutes to discuss the decision you’re facing, the experts or customers you need to reach, your timeline and the outcomes you expect.

03

Custom proposal

Within 48 hours, you’ll receive a clear scope, participant profile, timeline and pricing for your interview program.

Let's find the right people

Book a Session

Want to skip the email back-and-forth?

Pick a time on our calendar right now.

Get in touch

What's the best email to reach you at?

Tell us where we can reply with initial approach options.

Get in Touch

If you’d like to know the outcome of your submission, please leave your email address