Did they (Azure) schedule the call or randomly dial you up? I'm trying to figure out how to do this with our customers without disrupting them (their workflow, day). And for busy customers, it seems like maybe these types of calls are not high priority enough (vs "app is down" situations) to get them to schedule.
I will say, customer development (prospects) are helpful. I've learned so much about what to and not to spend time building. I'd like to get the same milage out if existing customers.
I just picked up the phone and they were there (they always introduced themselves and asked if it was a good time to discuss X -- I assume they'd just reschedule a time if it wasn't a good time). There was no notice that they were going to call. I was usually bored and driving, which is about the only time I pick up a call from an unknown number. Azure is b2b, so I think there's a reasonable expectation that <em>someone</em> will pick up the phone.
Um. It was more like “Hello, is this (name)? Hi, this is (name), the product manager from (team) at Azure. I’ve also got (name) on the line, one of our devs. We were wondering if you have a few minutes to tell us about your experience with (thing team works on), and answer a few questions.”
I'm sure they get a lot of hang ups, but there is a clear difference between someone who can barely speak English calling you from a call center "to discuss the account" or whatever, and a native speaker calling from (presumably) their home or a quiet office, using your name, and who already knows what products within Azure you're using. It's pretty obvious from the get go it's not a scam.
Even if it wasn't someone from Azure, it's unclear what scam "Do you have a few minutes to answer some questions about how you use our product so we can better understand your use cases" could possibly be.
I will say, customer development (prospects) are helpful. I've learned so much about what to and not to spend time building. I'd like to get the same milage out if existing customers.