Customer profile

Definition and purpose

A customer profile describes observed behaviour in the face of a task. It records who performs the task, how often, under what pressure, and with what consequence when something goes wrong. Its purpose is to support a decision, not to illustrate a typical customer.

Use the customer profile glossary entry as a vocabulary reference. The practical test is direct: when two competing requests arrive, does the profile help decide between them? Demographic descriptions and generic preferences do not settle that decision.

Where it matters in practice

Customer profiles matter when legitimate requests compete. The guide describes a laboratory management product whose small units wanted fewer registration steps, while networks with larger teams wanted permission control by unit. The requests reflected different working conditions.

When the evidence does not settle the choice, the stated product direction supplies the criterion. In this example, the direction was growth among networks. That direction supported the choice and provided the reason communicated to the group whose request was refused.

Related terms and CPM-E preparation

Buyer, user and operator identify roles: the buyer signs the contract and answers for the budget; the user performs the task; the operator sustains the product. A customer profile describes group behaviour. Context of use describes the physical and temporal conditions of the task. Customer path describes stages, measured by loss at each transition.

The guide also gives persona a specific meaning: a profile defined by observed behaviour and used for deciding, rather than an illustrated portrait.

For CPM-E certification preparation, focus on applying these distinctions to decisions. The guide develops judgement, not merely recall of definitions.