Frequently asked questions
Last updated 25 Oct 2026 · by Surge Software
What is CustomerInterviewAI?
A web app that runs customer interviews for you: an AI moderator asks your questions by voice, video or text, asks follow-ups, and turns the answers into findings that quote the exact words people said.
Is it really free?
Yes. AI interviews with your own participants are free. Where we pay a third party per use (fallback AI, panel recruiting when it launches) you pay exactly that cost, with no markup. Today everything is free: at-cost top-ups become available once live payments are switched on.
How do I start?
Create a free account, describe what you want to learn, review the AI-drafted guide and screener, go live, then share the interview link or invite people by email. Analyse when interviews come in.
Who are the participants?
People you bring: share the interview link or add their emails and we send one invite and at most one reminder. Panel recruiting (Prolific, Cint, Surge India Panel) is coming soon.
Which interview types are there?
Voice (speak and listen in the browser), video (camera clip per answer) and text chat. Participants can always type instead of speaking.
Which languages work?
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Indonesian and Japanese. Indian-language voice interviews are coming soon.
How does the AI decide follow-ups?
Each question has a follow-up budget. Short, vague or emotional answers get a neutral probe such as asking for a recent example; a guard blocks leading questions.
Can I trust the findings?
Every finding must cite participant turns with a verbatim quote. A validator rejects findings whose quote is not in the cited turn, so invented quotes never reach your report.
How do you catch bots and fake participants?
Nine signals (speed, gibberish, copy-paste, duplicate answers or devices, chatbot phrasing, too-short answers, straight-lining, screener contradictions) give a 0–100 score. High scores are excluded and never charged.
Can I test concepts, ads or prototypes?
Yes. Attach images or videos for concept tests, or a Figma or other prototype link for a usability task with think-aloud and an ease rating.
Can I try it before inviting real people?
Yes. Pilot mode runs your guide with AI personas so you can fix confusing questions first. Pilot interviews are labelled and never charged.
What do I get at the end?
Themes, cited findings, a highlight reel, survey charts, a Markdown or printable report, and a decision tracker. You can send findings to Slack, Notion or Jira.
Is there an API?
Yes. A read-only REST API and an MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can query your research with a workspace API key.
Do you support SSO?
Yes, OpenID Connect single sign-on (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace), set up in Settings.
Where is my data?
The app, database and interview clips are hosted on our own servers in Bengaluru. The fallback AI (Claude) and email (Resend) are outside India.
Can participants delete their data?
Yes. Owners can erase a participant's transcript, clips and personal data in one click, and old clips can be purged by age.
How is it different from Listen Labs or Outset?
Similar AI interviews, but free with your own participants, with enforced quote citations, fraud scoring, a decision tracker and public pricing. See the comparison pages.
How do I talk to a person?
Use "Talk to a person" in the chat bubble or email [email protected]. Contact page: https://surgesoftware.co.in/contact.
What is your refund policy?
Payments are taken by Razorpay. Refunds and cancellations follow Surge Software's company-wide policy: https://surgesoftware.co.in/refunds. Privacy: https://surgesoftware.co.in/privacy. Terms: https://surgesoftware.co.in/terms.
Still stuck? Ask the chat bubble, or create a free account and try it.