Carrie Brill

And the key to solving a problem well? Knowing who you’re solving it for.

That’s why customer communication, active, intentional, and yes, ongoing, isn’t just another task on our list. It’s the foundation of great product management.

Customers Are Experts in the World You’re Serving

Let’s start with a simple truth: No one understands your customers’ needs, challenges, and workarounds better than they do. It’s tempting to rely solely on quantitative metrics, surveys, or feedback forms to fill in the gaps, but these only tell a fraction of the story. Customers live their pain points daily, and they know what’s at stake if your product misses the mark.
Here’s something equally important to remember: They might not articulate those pain points in the same language we use as product managers. That’s why communication can’t just be transactional, it has to be exploratory. You’re digging deeper, asking open-ended questions, and listening without the intent to respond right away.
The goal isn’t just to validate your hypotheses. It’s to build a shared understanding and gain a front-row seat to their experience.

Why You Need to Leave the Office (Literally)

The most valuable insights often come from stepping away from your desk and into the customer’s environment. It’s one thing to hear someone describe their workflow in a conference call. It’s another thing entirely to stand over their shoulder in their office or worksite and see what they see.
In the field, you notice things they might consider too “obvious” to mention. You see the duct-taped solutions they’ve cobbled together to fill in gaps. You witness the subtle frustrations, the pauses, the extra clicks, the quick fixes, that happen before they verbalize what’s wrong.
Spending time in their space helps you appreciate both the context and constraints they’re working within. Yes, this takes time and effort, but it’s a worthwhile investment. When you’re walking in their shoes (or at least sitting in their chair for a moment), you’re better equipped to create a product that seamlessly fits into their lives.

Clear Communication Is a Two-Way Street

Engaging with customers isn’t just about asking them questions or observing their behavior. It’s also about making sure they clearly understand what you’re building, and, perhaps more importantly, why you’re building it. Transparency here is your best friend.
When customers understand your process, constraints, and trade-offs, they’re more likely to appreciate the nuances behind the decisions being made. This doesn’t mean offloading your challenges onto them, but it does mean being honest about timelines, scope, and feedback loops.
And remember, your job isn’t just to pitch polished solutions. Customers should feel like active partners, not passive recipients. Invite their input at meaningful stages, and let them see how their feedback influenced the design. Few things build trust like demonstrating that their voices are heard.

Better Communication, Better Outcomes

When communication with customers is prioritized, the ripple effects are felt across the entire product lifecycle. You catch potential misunderstandings earlier. You reduce the likelihood of delivering a product that misses the mark. You strengthen relationships that lead to partnerships rather than just transactions.
Most importantly, you create products that truly serve the people they’re designed for. And isn’t that the reason most of us got into product management in the first place?