Semi-structured interview

The qualitative interview (and in particular the semi-structured interview) is the specialty of IntoTheMinds. This qualitative method is particularly suited to the needs of businesses. It allows understanding the deep needs of clients. We conduct over 500 semi-structured interviews each year and are renowned for the rigor of our approach and the quality of our results. We apply this method both in B2C and B2B, face-to-face or remotely. The organization is 100% managed by our teams: recruitment, drafting of the interview guide, conducting, analysis.

Contact us for conducting your semi-structured interviews

Semi-structured interview: particularly suited to the needs of businesses

The semi-structured interview is based on an interview guide. It allows for an in-depth exploration of a specific topic, tracing a customer journey and understanding the needs of the person interviewed. Unlike the focus group which is confirmatory in nature, the qualitative interview is an exploratory method.

We recommend its use in the following cases:

• Customer journey: tracing the customer journey from A to Z, identifying key moments and points for improvement
• Customer satisfaction: deeply understanding the levers of customer satisfaction, the emotions felt, and ways to retain the customer.
• Development of a new product/service: analysis of the deep needs of users, expected customer experience.

Marie-Lucie Gibour, Product Manager, Hollister France

“We are very satisfied with our collaboration with IntoTheMinds on discovering a new target.

IntoTheMinds has shown great efficiency in implementing the study and provided us with a detailed report and an in-depth analysis of the existing situation. The recommendations on the study methodology proved to be very relevant, and the interview participants greatly appreciated the format and content of the exchanges.”

Semi-structured interview: examples of client projects

Here are some examples of the use of semi-structured interviews in B2B and B2C contexts. All the examples we provide below are real and have been handled by our firm in the last 12 months.

Bank (France): IntoTheMinds conducted for a major French bank a qualitative study on the use of neo-banks by small and medium-sized enterprises in France and Belgium. After conducting a literature review and developing the interview guide, we conducted 38 semi-structured interviews. Respondents were chosen based on their sector of activity, number of employees, and type of neo-bank used.

Sporting de Charleroi (Belgium): This legendary division 1 club called on IntoTheMinds to rethink its marketing strategy. We relied on 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with supporters belonging to one of the 5 identified segments. The analysis allowed us to identify the levers of customer satisfaction and loyalty that the Club needed to create its new strategy.

Hollister (France): Qualitative study on the role of caregivers in caring for people paralyzed and suffering from multiple sclerosis. Conducting 15 semi-structured interviews remotely, sometimes in the company of the sick person, allowed us to understand the care provided, interactions, and emotions felt. The testimony of Marie-Lucie Gibour, product manager, can be viewed above.

Weldom (France): Audit of satisfaction management within the Weldom group. This audit was based on about thirty semi-structured interviews. The interview guide had been adapted according to the nature of the interviewee (service provider, head office member, store manager, franchisee).

Hub.Brussels (Belgium): Hub.Brussels is an official agency for supporting and accompanying entrepreneurs. Hub.Brussels entrusted us with 2 large-scale qualitative studies in 2022-2023. The first was devoted to the needs of entrepreneurs in the design phase of their project; the second to the perceptions of entrepreneurs during the energy crisis.

GEB (France): GEB is a French company specializing in supplies for plumbers and heating engineers. As part of their expansion in Belgium, we conducted a qualitative study with in-situ interviews. In practice, we conducted semi-structured interviews directly with prospects to understand their purchasing habits and usage. We were thus able to reconstruct the complete customer journey and identify entry points.

Wittamer (Belgium): Wittamer is one of the most famous patisseries in Belgium. It was taken over by a trio of investors in 2021. They commissioned us to understand the marketing fundamentals of the brand. We first focused on conducting semi-structured interviews with loyal customers. We then used this knowledge to prepare a quantitative phase that helped us determine the most suitable areas for opening new outlets.

Christophe Hureaux, Managing Director, Wittamer et Co. SA

“By acquiring an iconic pastry brand, I wanted to revitalize the offer and expand the sales network. It seemed essential to have a detailed analysis before undertaking the strategic investments necessary for this redeployment. The qualitative and quantitative studies conducted by IntoTheMinds have become our reference guides. Moreover, the teams respected the deadlines. I therefore highly recommend IntoTheMinds for the quality of their market studies, the relevance of their marketing advice, and the rigor of their methodology within controlled prices and deadlines.”

The stages of conducting qualitative interviews

The qualitative interview, whether semi-structured or not, must follow certain steps to deliver reliable results.

• Literature review: the literature review allows you to “get into the subject”. By identifying the results already published, you will be able to understand which factors are likely to influence the behavior of your targets.
• Drafting an interview guide: the interview guide is an essential document for the quality of your project. You can find examples here. This document involves formulating and prioritizing the questions you want to ask. The interview guide is a document that must constantly be improved and takes into account the lessons from previous interviews.
• Planning and logistics

How to analyze a qualitative interview?

It is not enough to conduct qualitative interviews. It is also necessary to use the right methods to analyze them correctly and deliver reliable results.

We are probably the last market research firm to offer transcription and coding of qualitative interviews.

How many interviews should be conducted?

The question of how many qualitative interviews to conduct often comes up with our clients. To answer this question, we have created an online calculator whose operating principles are explained here.