# Customer Segment Comparison: What Each Group Asks For

Compare what two customer segments ask for, such as enterprise and SMB, with shared themes, leading themes, and quotes. Run it in Deck or with your agent.

- URL: https://getdeck.io/playbooks/segment-comparison
- Author: Matt Teixeira
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Stage: Decide

## What Is a Customer Segment Comparison?

A customer segment comparison puts the feedback of two customer groups side by side, such as enterprise and SMB, or trial and paying users. It shows the themes both groups share, the themes that lead in only one, what each group asks for, and their sentiment, with quotes from each group to back every difference.

## Why One Roadmap Rarely Fits Every Customer

Enterprise customers and self-serve users want different things, but their feedback lands in the same pile. The loudest group sets the roadmap by default. When someone asks what enterprise wants that SMB does not, the answer is a few remembered calls, not counts.

## How Deck Compares Segments with the Same Filters

Deck sorts every insight into your segments with rules, AI classification, or manual assignment. The same Segment filter works on Themes, Subthemes, Insights, and NPS Score, so you compare two groups with identical views and only the segment changes. Each difference comes with that segment's own quotes.

Deck features used:

- [Segments](https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/features/segments)
- [Themes](https://getdeck.io/product/themes)

## How to Compare Customer Segments in Deck

### 1. Check Your Two Segments

Open Settings → Segments. You need segments turned on and at least two of them. Compare their total insights first. If one group is much smaller, say the comparison is uneven.

### 2. Filter Themes to the First Segment

Open Visualize → Themes and set the Segment filter to the first segment. Note the top 10 themes and their counts. Then add the Feature Request category filter to see what this group asks for.

### 3. Repeat for the Second Segment

Keep every other filter the same and switch only the segment. The selection is saved in the URL, so you can keep both views open or share them.

### 4. Sort Themes into Three Groups

Shared themes are in the top 10 of both segments. The rest lead in one segment only. Use the ranks and Deck's counts. Do not add the two counts together, because segments can share insights.

### 5. Read the Quotes Behind Each Difference

Open the top themes that lead in each segment with the Segment filter still on, and read the Theme Insights table. On the Starter plan or higher, Visualize → Subthemes with the same filter shows the tighter topics inside each theme.

### 6. Compare Satisfaction

If satisfaction matters, open Visualize → NPS Score and switch the Segment filter between the two groups. NPS needs the Starter plan or higher.

## Compare Segments with Your AI Agent

You need:

- Deck MCP connected to your agent
- Customer feedback already in Deck

Your agent starts with the `explore_segments` tool.

Paste this prompt into your agent:

```text
Use Deck MCP. Fetch and follow https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/segment-comparison.md
```

Full agent workflow: https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/segment-comparison.md

## Customer Segment Comparison Template

### Customer Segment Comparison

```text
## Segment comparison: [Segment A] vs [Segment B]

SUMMARY
[Two or three sentences on the main difference]

Segments:
[Segment A]: [Deck insight count], rules: [rules]
[Segment B]: [Deck insight count], rules: [rules]

| Theme | Count in A | Count in B | Group | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Theme] | [Deck count] | [Deck count] | Shared / Leads in A / Leads in B | [Deck link] |

Top feature requests:
- [Segment A]: [request], [request], [request]
- [Segment B]: [request], [request], [request]

Quotes:
- [Theme] ([Segment A]): "[quote]"
- [Theme] ([Segment B]): "[quote]"

Caveats:
- [Uneven sizes, all-customer subthemes, org-wide NPS parts]
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What do we need before we start?

Segments turned on, with at least two segments. An organization admin can turn segments on in Settings → Segments. Subtheme and NPS comparisons need the Starter plan or higher.

### How do customers end up in a segment?

Rules match contacts by email domain, company, plan, integration source, tags, custom attributes, Slack channel, or Gong properties. When no rule matches, AI classification assigns a segment. You can also assign one by hand from an insight.

### Why not add the two counts for a total?

Segments can share insights. The same insight can count in both, so adding them double counts.

### What if one segment has far fewer insights?

The comparison is uneven, and the write-up should say so. A theme can lead in the bigger segment just because it has more feedback.

### Can we act on a difference we find?

Yes. Your agent can open Deck's review to create an opportunity from the insights behind a difference. Nothing saves until you click Create in Deck. It can also scope an existing opportunity to a segment after you say yes.

### Can my AI agent run this?

Yes. With Deck MCP connected, paste the prompt on this page. The agent runs the same theme, category, and quote checks for both segments and confirms Deck applied the right segment each time. It only reads unless you approve an action.

## Related Playbooks

- [Segment Customer Feedback by Plan, Size, and Key Account](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/define-segments.md): Set up customer segments in Deck with rules that tag feedback by plan, domain, or source, check each rule catches the right insights, then filter by each group.
- [NPS Analysis: Find the Themes Behind Your Detractors](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/nps-breakdown.md): Explain your NPS score with its period, trend, and respondent split, then find the themes and quotes that drive detractors. Run it in Deck or with your agent.
- [Prioritize Your Product Backlog with Customer Evidence](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/prioritize-backlog.md): Pick the top opportunities from a backlog ranked on customer evidence, with a reason, a risk, and quotes for each pick. Run it in Deck or with your AI agent.