Customer Success Professionals · situation guide
Ask what changed, uncover the outcome behind a feature request, and compare stakeholder priorities.
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A customer's requested feature is one possible solution; it does not tell you the outcome they need.
Vocabulary for this situation
Draw out useful information
Elicit means to draw forth or obtain information, a response, or a reaction; purpose and attempt forms do not guarantee a result.
“The follow-up questions elicited the team's main concern.”
Usage note: Asking does not guarantee that you obtain an answer.
Practice “elicit” →Resolve an unclear request
Use clarify to make information, meaning, expectations, or a position clearer and easier to understand, often by adding detail or removing ambiguity.
“Could you clarify what you need the export to help you do?”
Usage note: Clarifying a request does not mean agreeing to deliver it.
Practice “clarify” →Describe a process obstacle
Friction is resistance that makes a process, transaction, or working relationship harder or slower than it should be — usually something to reduce, but professionals also add it on purpose as a deliberate safeguard.
“The extra approval step is creating friction for users.”
Usage note: An obstacle does not establish that users are unwilling to adopt the product.
Practice “friction” →Communication sequence
The follow-up questions elicited the team's main concern.
Could you clarify what you need the export to help you do?
The extra approval step is creating friction for users.
Common mistakes
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