Three research screener questions for B2B interviews

A useful research screener helps you decide whether someone has the experience you want to discuss. For a B2B interview, start with the work they personally do, when they last did it, and the setting they work in. A job title alone leaves too much unanswered.

Three questions to start with

1. What part of [task] do you personally handle?
2. When did you last do that?
3. What kind of business or team was that in?

Replace [task] with the activity you want to understand. Before asking, decide what experience the interview needs. Someone who performs a task, manages the team, or buys its software can answer different questions. GOV.UK recommends defining recruitment criteria around the people and experience relevant to your research.

Keep this exchange short. You need enough information to decide whether to have the interview; the detailed account belongs in the interview itself. Avoid asking whether the person dislikes their current process or wants your proposed product. UserTesting's screener guidance explains why leading questions and overly long screeners get in the way.

An equipment-rental example

Suppose you want to understand how rental staff inspect returned equipment and record its condition. You find a branch supervisor and ask what part of returns they personally handle.

“We check everything when it comes back, log any damage, and decide whether it can go out again.”

That describes the team's work. It does not yet tell you what the supervisor does. Ask one clarification:

“On the most recent return, which of those steps did you do yourself?”

They answer:

“I compared the item with its checkout photos and put a cracked casing on the repair list. The technician decides whether it can be rented again.”

Now you have a useful distinction. This person can discuss inspecting and recording damage. To understand the final decision about renting the item again, you also need the technician's perspective.

Your second question establishes that the supervisor last did this on Tuesday. Your third establishes that it happened at one branch of a tool-rental chain. Those answers give you a recent example in a specific setting. If you are researching independent shops, you still need someone who works in one.

The next interview question can be concrete: “Take me through what happened from the moment that item came back.” You can then explore what they checked, where they recorded the damage, and how the technician received it.

If the supervisor instead says they stopped handling returns before the current software was introduced, their account may help explain the old process. Find someone doing the work now for questions about the new one. If they only negotiate rental contracts, look for someone who receives the equipment.

Use the answers to choose your next step

When the experience matches, arrange the interview. When “we” leaves their role unclear, clarify that one point before deciding. A short or awkward answer is a reason to ask more clearly, not to guess from their title.

If another person recruits for you, give them the same criteria. Check their questions for missing requirements or extra exclusions, as GOV.UK's recruitment-brief guidance recommends.

If you already have a way to contact someone, you can ask these questions before arranging a conversation. For an Instant Expert call, describe the work you want to discuss in the invitation, review the price before sending, and use these questions at the start of the paid call. Keep to the agreed payment terms if their experience turns out to differ from what you expected.