“What would you like to change about your bathroom?” gives you more information than “Would you like a new bathroom?”. Open questions get a conversation going and let the customer say what they really want.
What does this mean in practice?
Open questions can't be answered with “yes” or “no”. They start with how, what, where or why. For example, “How did you come to us?” instead of “Did you find us through Google?”.
Why does this matter for your business?
Open questions let the customer describe their situation. That gives you the information you need to tailor your offer properly. A customer who does the talking gets involved and often draws the conclusion themselves.
Examples and best practices
- “What do you want to achieve with this job?”
- “What does the ideal result look like for you?”
- “What problems are you running into at the moment?”
- After an answer, simply ask more: “Tell me more.”
How we do it at Ikoon
Your website can ask open questions too. With the quote form with photos, customers describe in their own words what they're looking for. The 24/7 AI chat assistant on your Ikoon website can ask follow-up questions when a visitor wants to know something, even outside office hours.