In this episode of Launch With Confidence, Chris Rader sits down with Randy Ford, Director of Product Management at Consolidated Communications. Randy has spent more than 20 years leading product teams across networking, cloud, and security, but what sets him apart is his conviction that the best ideas come from observing customers in their own environments.
From stadiums packed with thousands of devices to small supermarkets with hidden connectivity issues, Randy shares how in-the-wild insights can transform product development, customer trust, and even company strategy.
If you’ve ever wondered how to bridge the gap between product roadmaps and customer reality, this conversation will change the way you think about field research and customer engagement.
What you’ll learn:
- Why stepping outside of the office uncovers problems no survey ever will
- How to turn onsite observations into product improvements
- Ways to build personas that reflect real environments, not just demographics
- Advice for teams navigating travel restrictions and budgets
In this episode
(0:00) Introduction to Randy Ford
(1:01) Randy’s role and product management scope
(1:41) Why getting out of the office matters
(2:11) Observations you only see onsite
(4:14) Problem-solving with real-world signals
(5:03) Stories from Western Digital and stadium Wi-Fi challenges
(7:16) Turning field context into product planning
(8:19) Lessons from supermarkets and everyday environments
(10:05) How observations improve customer experience
(12:25) Personas and environmental factors
(15:32) Building vertical profiles for customer segments
(15:50) Advice on connecting with customers in the wild
(17:10) Regional and environmental differences in customer needs
(18:43) Becoming a trusted partner by sharing insights
(19:15) Budgets, travel bans, and scrappy ways to stay close to customers
(20:43) Rapid-fire questions
About Our Guest:
Randy Ford has a long history within the information technology world with spending his first 25 years with roles in fulfillment, health care, real estate, and more. He transitioned to product roles in a business to business environment and has spent the last 13 years as a product manager, engineer, developer, owner, etc. He currently leads a successful team as a Director of Product Management offering services within the network service provider industry with a focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences from small business to large enterprise.
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Download the transcript here.
