Warm-up
Customer Research & Market Analysis
Customer Research & Market Analysis
After this lesson you'll be able to...
- Use key market research vocabulary
- Ask polite indirect questions in surveys and interviews
- Use correct word order in indirect questions with if / whether
- Describe and report research findings clearly
Get to know each other (3 minutes)
- Have you ever answered a customer survey? What was it about?
- How do companies find out what customers want?
- Which brand do you trust most? Why?
- What do you do when you cannot decide which product to buy?
Say it out loud
Ask an indirect question. → Could you tell me how often you use our app, and what you like most about it?
Fact worth knowing
Vocabulary
Market research vocabulary
Useful research phrases
| Could you tell me how often you use it? | Чи не могли б ви сказати, як часто ви цим користуєтеся? |
| Do you know whether it is available online? | Чи ви знаєте, чи це доступно онлайн? |
| I’d like to know why you chose us. | Я хотів би знати, чому ви обрали нас. |
| Can you tell me what you expect from a good service? | Можете сказати, чого ви очікуєте від доброго сервісу? |
| We surveyed 500 customers. | Ми опитали 500 клієнтів. |
| The findings show a clear trend. | Результати показують чітку тенденцію. |
| Demand is growing in this segment. | Попит у цьому сегменті зростає. |
| I wonder if you could answer a few questions. | Цікаво, чи не могли б ви відповісти на кілька запитань. |
Try out the new words
Ask a polite indirect question about a customer’s favourite product. → Could you tell me which product you like best and why?
Say what you would like to find out from customers. → I’d like to find out whether customers prefer … or …
Which word is it?
Fill in the missing word
Choose the correct word
Translate the phrase
Write each phrase in English.
Grammar
Indirect questions
| Why indirect? | Indirect questions sound more polite and less direct: Where is the manager? → Could you tell me where the manager is? |
| Word order | after the introduction, use statement word order (subject + verb) and no do / does / did: What time does the shop open? → Do you know what time the shop opens? |
| Yes / no questions | use if or whether: Is the product available? → Could you tell me if the product is available? / I wonder whether it is available. |
| Useful introductions | Could you tell me … ? / Do you know … ? / Can you tell me … ? / I’d like to know … / I wonder … / Would you mind telling me … ? The question mark is used only after Could / Do / Can / Would. |
| Reporting findings | We asked customers how often they shop online. Most of them said they use it weekly. Remember: no inversion after the question word in reported questions. |
Which question is correct?
Complete with the correct word
Make it indirect
Rewrite the direct question as an indirect question. Several answers are possible.
Correcting mistakes
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.
Put the words in order
Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.
Say it about your own work
Ask an indirect question to a customer about a product. → Could you tell me … ? I’d like to know …
Reading
Read: a customer survey report
Customer survey: key findings
Last month, we asked 400 customers to answer an online survey. We wanted to know how often they use our app, what they like about it and whether they would recommend it to a friend. The respondents were aged 20 to 45, and most of them live in big cities.
The findings are clear. Most customers use the app at least three times a week, and 72% said they would recommend it. However, many respondents asked us to add a simple payment option. One customer wrote: “Could you tell me when this will be available?”
We also invited ten customers to a focus group. We asked them what they expect from our service and why they chose us instead of a competitor. Several people said that price is important, but trust is even more important. Brand awareness is still low in smaller towns, and demand is growing in the 30–40 age segment.
In conclusion, customer loyalty is strong, but we need to improve the payment process and increase awareness. In the next survey, we would like to find out whether people prefer weekly or monthly offers.
True or false?
The survey was sent to 400 customers.
Only 30% would recommend the app.
Customers asked for a simple payment option.
Brand awareness is high in smaller towns.
The company will never ask more questions.
Answer the questions
What did the company want to know?
What did many respondents ask for?
Why did they organise a focus group?
What will the next survey try to find out?
Find the key language
Write the word (or phrase) from the text.
Fill in from the text
Why is this a good text?
Your own opinion
- Do you usually answer surveys? Why or why not?
- Which questions would you ask in a survey about your favourite app?
- Why can an indirect question get a better answer?
Practice
Picture the situation
Plan the questions → Ask politely → Collect the answers → Analyse the findings. Polite indirect questions help people to answer openly.
Match the phrase to its function
Put the words in order
Put the words in the right order and write the full sentence.
Fill in the missing phrase
Say it in your own words
Write one sentence. Several answers are possible.
Translate into English
Write each sentence in English. Several answers are possible.
A useful tip
Speaking
How to use this section
Your tutor plays a customer, a researcher or a manager. Ask polite indirect questions, report findings and discuss what to do next. Use Could you tell me … / Do you know if … / I’d like to know why ….
Starting a survey
Task: you stop a customer and ask them to answer a few questions. Be polite.
Starter: "Excuse me, I wonder if you could answer a few questions about our products. It will only take two minutes."
Asking about habits
Task: find out how often and where a customer uses your product.
Starter: "Could you tell me how often you use our app? And do you know whether you use it more at home or at work?"
Asking for reasons
Task: a customer has stopped buying from you. Find out why politely.
Starter: "I’d like to know why you stopped buying from us. Could you tell me what we can improve?"
Interviewing a customer
Task: you interview a customer for a case study. Ask three indirect questions.
Starter: "Could you tell me how you first heard about us? Can you tell me what problem you wanted to solve?"
Presenting findings
Task: present three findings from a survey to your manager.
Starter: "We surveyed 300 customers. The main finding is that most of them use the app weekly. Demand is growing in the younger segment."
Comparing competitors
Task: your manager asks about competitors. Say what you know and what you would like to find out.
Starter: "I know that our main competitor has a larger market share. I’d like to find out whether their customers are more loyal."
Planning the next survey
Task: suggest what to ask in the next survey and why.
Starter: "In the next survey, I’d like to ask whether customers prefer weekly or monthly offers. It will help us to plan our marketing."
Full conversation — no stops
Run through a research conversation with your tutor: ask a customer a few indirect questions, then report your findings to a manager — entirely in English.
Let's talk — reflection
- Which indirect question sounded the most polite?
- Was the word order easy to remember?
- What would you like to find out about your own customers or colleagues?
Cool down
Now I can...
- Use key market research vocabulary
- Ask polite indirect questions in surveys and interviews
- Use correct word order in indirect questions with if / whether
- Describe and report research findings clearly
Quick self-check
What word order do we use in an indirect question?
Which words do we use in indirect yes / no questions?
Why do people use indirect questions?
One more thing before you go
Tell your tutor one thing you would like to find out about your customers. → I’d like to find out whether …
Homework
Words to remember
| a survey | опитування |
| a respondent | респондент |
| a target audience | цільова аудиторія |
| market share | частка ринку |
| a trend | тренд |
| a competitor | конкурент |
| a focus group | фокус-група |
| demand | попит |
Fill in the missing word
Choose the correct question
Open the brackets
Correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the correct sentence.
Translate the phrase
Write each phrase in English. Several answers are possible.
Write it yourself
Write five indirect questions for a customer survey about a product or service you know (for example: a bank, a café, an app). Then write 3–4 sentences about what you would like to find out.
Practise out loud
Say your questions aloud as if you were interviewing a customer. Use polite intonation and clear word order.
Read aloud
Read the text “Customer survey: key findings” aloud twice before the next lesson.
- 8.7 I wrote five indirect questions and 3–4 sentences
- 8.8 I said my questions aloud
- 8.9 I read the survey text aloud twice