Customer journey analysis: great questions for consideration stage that reveal why customers choose you

Customer journey analysis during the consideration stage reveals why prospects choose you—or don’t.

Traditional surveys often miss nuanced feedback about how customers compare options and what really matters to them at this point.

With AI-powered conversational surveys, we can dive deeper and surface the hidden objections and decision factors that drive customer choices.

Why the consideration stage matters most

During the consideration stage, customers are actively weighing multiple solutions—yours and those of your competitors. This is the moment when people develop their evaluation criteria, raise objections, and look for triggers that will influence their final decision.

If we understand the comparison criteria our prospects use, we can tailor our messaging, surface the right features, and position our solution above the rest. Often, the toughest objections and make-or-break concerns arise in this stage but go undetected if we don't ask the right questions.

Hidden objections: Customers may hesitate to share their true reservations, especially in static surveys. Objections might relate to integrations, support, trust, or cost—factors that can quietly kill deals if unaddressed.

Comparison criteria: Prospects weigh solutions on aspects like ease of use, flexibility, price, reputation, or technical fit. Unless we uncover their real priorities, we risk emphasizing features that don’t matter.

Decision triggers: Every journey has a final nudge—something that tips the scales from "maybe" to "yes." Mapping these triggers lets us improve calls to action and reduce hesitation.

Collecting in-product feedback via conversational surveys is uniquely effective for surfacing these insights in real time while users are still evaluating us. Interested in how this works? Our in-product conversational survey feature lets us trigger contextual conversations right in your product, at the moment of truth.

It’s not just theory: 75% of online shoppers now prefer self-service options like AI-powered chatbots when evaluating solutions, showing just how impactful a conversational survey can be at this stage [1].

Great questions for consideration stage analysis

The right questions dig past surface reasons and expose the logic (and emotion) behind customer decisions. Here are some proven starters for consideration-stage journey analysis:

• What other solutions are you currently evaluating?
  

  This immediately reveals your competitive set—often with surprises. Using AI-powered follow-up, we can ask about which features they like in alternatives, or what drove them to include those options.

  
  Sample follow-ups:

  • "Which aspects stand out to you in [Competitor]?"

  • "Is there something missing from our solution that you find elsewhere?"

• What’s most important to you when choosing a [product category]?
  

  This question prioritizes evaluation criteria. The AI can probe to ask for a ranked list, clarifications, or weightings.

  
  Sample follow-ups:

  • "If you could only pick one ‘must-have’ feature, which would it be?"

  • "Are there tradeoffs you’re willing to make?"

• What concerns do you have about implementing our solution?
  

  Objections come out here. The survey can dynamically dig into the severity and ask for suggested remedies.

  
  Sample follow-ups:

  • "How serious is that concern for your decision?"

  • "Has a competitor handled it better in your experience?"

• How are you currently handling this problem?
  

  Reveals switching costs, existing workflows, and barriers. The AI might ask, "What would motivate you to try something new?" or, "How much time does your current approach require each week?"

By automatically responding to open-ended answers, conversational surveys turn feedback into a real dialogue—not just data points. That’s how we get beyond the basics and discover unmet needs, emotional drivers, and practical barriers.

Configuring AI probing for evaluation criteria

Specific’s AI follow-up logic puts advanced probing on autopilot. For every question, we can add instructions that shape how the AI agent uncovers deeper insights—no scripting or manual chasing required.

For comparison questions: When a user mentions competitors, the AI can dive into details without making the conversation feel interrogative.

When someone mentions a competitor, ask about specific features they like and what would make them switch

This approach lets us surface exact moments where we fall short or where our differentiation shines.

For objection discovery: The goal isn’t just to document objections but to understand their depth and solvability.

If they express a concern, probe to understand: 1) How critical is this issue? 2) What would resolve it? 3) Have they seen better solutions?

Fine-tuning the AI to follow up in this way (see automatic AI follow-up question configuration) creates a layered, contextual understanding from each response—something no static form can match.

You can use different prompting strategies for each stage or persona, guiding the AI to explore emotional hesitation, business impact, or practical workarounds as needed. The result: less guesswork and more actionable context for every answer.

Turning consideration insights into conversion improvements

After collecting in-depth responses, the real value emerges when we analyze for patterns. AI-driven analysis helps uncover the common threads in objections and comparisons—fuel for dramatic conversion gains.

First, analyze for recurring obstacles or misconceptions. Are there features users keep requesting? Are we losing on price, complexity, or integrations? With Specific, AI chat analysis lets us quickly ask, "Why didn’t they convert?"—and get an instant synthesis. Learn more about this with our AI survey response analysis feature.

Objection clustering: Group negative responses to reveal major friction points—such as missing integrations, unclear pricing, or perceived risk. Focus updates or messaging here to unblock conversions.

Feature gap analysis: Identify frequently mentioned competitor strengths. Add, emphasize, or clarify these features in your roadmap or homepage copy.

What are the top 3 reasons prospects choose competitors over us?

AI tools excel at segmenting by evaluation criteria, too. We can compare needs by role, company size, or behavior, making it easy to target the right improvements to the right audience segments. According to Salesforce, 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services [2]. That’s the leverage these insights unlock.

Best practices for in-product consideration surveys

To maximize completion rates and insight quality, timing and targeting matter. Here’s what works:

• Trigger surveys at logical evaluation points: after exploring the pricing page, exporting data, or using a trial feature for the first time.

• Limit the length—three to five questions, emphasizing open-ended starters.

• Adjust targeting for users showing “consideration” signals, such as lengthy sessions, visiting the competitor-comparison page, or floating on upgrade screens mid-trial.

Trigger on comparison behavior: When someone demonstrates interest in feature lists, pricing, or alternatives, hit them with a conversational survey that feels contextually helpful—not annoying.

Target trial users mid-journey: Don’t wait until day 1 or after trial expiration. Check-in while they’re in the thick of evaluating. This ensures feedback is fresh and actionable.

Specific’s conversational survey experience is designed so feedback feels like helpful chat, not work—the platform’s best-in-class user experience earns high response rates and deep engagement. For instance, studies show AI-powered chatbots drive over 80% satisfaction rates in surveys [3].

If you’re not running in-product, conversational surveys at the consideration stage, you’re missing out on the real reasons your trials don’t convert. There’s simply no substitute for real, contextual feedback delivered the moment it counts.

Start understanding your consideration stage today

Mapping the consideration stage with AI-driven conversational surveys uncovers the exact reasons prospects convert—or don’t. Insights from these moments can directly increase conversion rates and turbocharge your product positioning.

Create your own AI-powered consideration survey with the Specific AI survey generator and unlock the customer journey insights that really move the needle. There’s never been a better, more conversational way to dig into decision factors, objections, and buying triggers.