Listen, Darn It! Six Rules for a Successful VOC Strategy

If you ever sit and talk with me about business, chances are I will eventually talk about Voice of Customer (VOC).??The first time I saw it in action was as a Territory Manager, watching one of our marketing leaders facilitate a VOC session with a group of contractors.??I remember taking notes on the feedback from that session, and then months later seeing our Marketing team deliver a series of new programs and services that served to meet those needs.??It was an amazing experience to be able to go back to those contractors who had been at the meeting, show them what had been developed to help meet their needs, and watch their reactions.??Priceless!

In my first Marketing role I was charged to lead our VOC strategy and processes. Through trial and error, solid mentoring, and a great team, I developed a set of rules for how to successfully implement and lead a VOC program:

RULE 1: Make the time to listen.

You may be thinking seriously, “Does this have to be a rule?”??Sadly, it does, as the number one reason a VOC strategy fails is because no one ever gets around to doing the work.??Whether it is surveys, or phone calls, or live meetings, all these things take time to plan and execute properly.??Planning VOC activities is one of those things that is easy to push back when faced with other things like budget or long-range planning.??Make the VOC process one of your top priorities every year.

RULE 2: This isn’t your meeting; it’s theirs.

I witnessed a Voice of Customer meeting where a seasoned business leader came with their own agenda and attempted to steer the conversation.??It quickly became apparent to the customers that they were not there to give feedback as promised, but rather to answer the business leader’s questions and hear his pitch.??This is the kind of moment that can take years to recover from.??As facilitator or business attendee it is okay to probe and ask questions, but as soon as you start giving answers or explaining situations you have ended that feedback process.?

RULE 3: Make decisions about what you heard.

Review all the data, even the most granular things (I used to read every note from our process).??Work with your team to prioritize what the most important things were, and then make decisions about what you will do, what you might do, and what you will not do.??The number one way to lose a customer is to ask them for feedback and then do nothing with it.

RULE 4: Communicate, communicate, communicate!

In my role as a Marketing leader, I have presented to audiences hundreds of times, and almost every one of those presentations started with a prioritized list of what my team and I were hearing from customers followed by a recap of what we are working on to address those issues.??While you may not want to actively discuss things that are confidential or things you have chosen not to work on, be sure to have well thought out talking points prepared if you are asked about those topics.

RULE 5: Feedback is a gift!

As odd as this may sound, some people are scared to get feedback.??Maybe it is ego, maybe imposter syndrome, or maybe a lack of security in their work or how it will be interpreted, but whatever the reason, they get anxious about it.??Do the political work to make sure everyone understands the goals of the process, how it will work, how the customer feedback will be analyzed, and what will be done with the data.??Remind people that the only way you continue to evolve and beat the competition is to identify areas of opportunity and act on them.

RULE 6: Try new things.

Be on the lookout for different methods of collecting feedback from customers.??Make it a goal to find one new thing to try every year.??Find methods that work for your customers and your organization, and don’t be afraid to reduce or eliminate methods of collection that you think are not working or have a poor return on investment.??Remember that 50% of the value in the process is thanking customers for their business.

Voice of Customer is such a simple strategy to implement, and yet I have seen countless businesses struggle to do it right.??The way I implemented VOC in 2009 was a once-a-year snapshot of a single segment… the way I run it now is more like a film where data and information continually flow in from segments, channels, and internal customers.??Building and implementing a solid, successful VOC process is a critical factor that businesses must embrace to achieve their goals, and I wish you success in your journey!

Thank you for reading this.??During my career I have had the joy of mentoring a lot of fantastic people.??One of the main ways I do this is by listening to their challenges and then sharing stories of my experiences with those same issues and how I worked to overcome them.??I have started documenting them in the hopes that others can find value in them, too.

#voc #voiceofcustomer #marketing #customerexperience