Small groups of customers meet with a facilitator to answer open-ended questions. Small groups may not be totally representative of entire customer base. Customer panels Similar to focus groups, but panels meet on a regular basis.
Regular meetings provide even more intimacy than focus groups.
Customers who think about your problems over the long-term may come up with especially valuable ideas. Customer panels require considerable management effort. In groups, customers influence one another's responses. Individual interviews may enable customers to articulate more idiosyncratic thoughts. In groups, customers help each other to articulate thoughts that may not be clear at first.