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If you are looking around your business and feel deep down in your gut that now is the time for a voice of the customer (VOC) program, you probably should act on that feeling.
Nearly 90% of companies expect to compete on what level of customer experience they offer.
A top challenge many businesses experience is they lack control when it comes to customer interactions with the company. This challenge can be easily remedied and then used as a competitive advantag
e when they build and maintain a well-oiled VoC program.
And this means a well-executed and consistently maintained VOC program must be at the strategic forefront during each stage of the customer journey. Put simply: a VoC program is the very best way to capture the intel you need to improve service, products, and your overall brand. It allows you to listen, respond, and pivot accordingly. When done well and on a regular cadence, this can be the best way to maintain customer happiness and have a healthy retention rate.
What is VoC?
A system/process for collecting customer feedback across multiple touchpoints then putting that feedback in the hands of decision-makers to drive continuous improvements to your product or service. – Excerpt from How to Build a Successful Voice of the Customer Program
“Our goal with this guide is to remove the hype from VoC and clearly define the process, strategy, and concept,” says Christian Vanek.
A VOC program, ultimately, helps larger organizations to develop a system to collect, analyze, communicate, and coordinate customer-driven insights. Once established, the system funnels data directly to the people who need it the most such as key decision-makers, executive staff, and critical stakeholders.
At a customer-centric professional conference years ago, I was chatting with an attendee who said something that still resonates with me. Bare with me as I paraphrase here: if an organization and/or key business leaders are not totally behind and supportive about addressing customer needs, they should consider dropping everything to start building a VoC program before they don’t have any customers left because they were left unheard (from their perspective).
If organizations are anything less than 100 percent enthusiastic about their ability to address customer needs, they should begin the process of designing and deploying a VoC program for the business.