Does it really need to cost that much to collect customer feedback?

I recall sitting in a pitch room when one of the shortlisted VoC platform companies shared their pricing structure with the client I was helping with the selection process. I've always thought the expression, 'fall off my chair' was a strange one, until I found myself having to hold on in shock too.

Worse than that on another pitch process, one vendor refused to participate becuase the client wanted to remain anonymous in the early rounds. The VoC sales person explained to me, "do you know how expensive it is for us to take our Lamborghini out of the garage?" I shared the comment with the client. Needless to say they didn't make it any further than the phone call. They are still one of the largest feedback tech vendors, but am I sure even they would have enjoyed a client with a 60 country footprint and a brand more famous than the Queen. I was tempted to call back and quote the Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman Rodeo Drive scene. '

Are expensive customer feedback solutions justified anymore? When the pioneers built the rails back in the day there were pipes to contend with and new analytics engines to train. But now, many of the reasons high costs were incurred are outdated.

I was in Mexico City recently discussing this very topic with some international brands. Unsuprisingly, they were all seeking to take this cost out of their budget and free it up to invest in the improvements. As one said, the dashboard showing scores doesn't mean a thing if we have nothing left to fix the problems!

One of our consultants shared a recent experience which didn't suprise me too much; a client's current VoC contract is coming to an end this year. The client has found a solution with more functionality and analytical acuracy but for almost half their existing vendor was charging. When they shared the challengers proposition, the incumbernant vendor cut their price in a heartbeat. It reaffirmed the clients initial concern that the pricing was not a reasonable reflection of product and servicing costs.

John Lewis this week announced significant cuts to their head count and Partnership bonuses are suspended. The retailer has been perched on the top of many satisfaction and advocacy feedback polls for CX. Was the cost versus delivery of their customer managament contracts a contributor?

A new age of VoC platforms has arrived; high quality specification, easy adaptations, collection across all channels, high analytical accuracy and board level dashboards. But for a fraction of the price of the premium solutions.

That's worth checking out on its own. But the new breed come from a different place as well. These are customer experiences in their own right, rather than just a system to measure the customer experience. Their interest is invested in improvements and not indexes. Limetropy for instance invites customers during the feedback exchange to propose improvements which then get served back to other customers with similar issues as potential solutions. This engages the customer in the fix rather than just the rant. And it gives the CX team a head start with several customer ideas for improvements presented. The best thing about this being is an improvement is implemented, a match can be made back to the customers who suggested it, and the CX team can inform the customer changes have occurred. It puts case management on a whole new level.

VoC is critical to ensure the CX investment is targetted effectively, but not at any cost. Ensure your VoC platform is part of your customer experience and not the biggest cost in the department.

Posted by Christopher Brooks, Customer Experience Specialist, Clientship.

Customer experience is under the microscope, and it's not suprising. Some of the greats have recently found their budgets cut and their CX activities scrutinised. You cant pay employees on satisfaction and advocacy scores alone. Sales, employee retention, reduced cost to serve and profit are all reliable indicators of a successful customer experience strategy.