Synonyms: Customer Research, User Research
From a definition standpoint, when we talk about Voice of the Customer (VoC) we are describing the process or program of soliciting your customer’s feedback about their experiences with your product (aka site/portal/app).
Why do we care about VoC?
Oh man – where do I even begin? We care about VoC because we (us marketers and strategists) care about our customers. Establishing a VoC program will help you ensure that you are meeting customer needs and expectations. It is a way to solicit customer feedback in order to improve the product/service you are delivering. VoC is imperative for key business functions like customer success, product development and iteration cycles.
How do I initiate a VoC program?
The first and most important thing to note about Initiating and developing a VoC program should be directly tied to your overall customer experience strategy. Having this alignment upfront will ensure the experience you deliver aligns with your CX goals. Now that that is out of the way, a good framework to follow is: Define, Design, Implement, Analyze, Act and Iterate. Following this framework will allow you to establish an initial program and also expand on a VoC program throughout your organization.
If you think you will have a hard time formalizing a VoC program, don’t let that deter you. Go ahead and start getting your hands on any data that you can. Focusing on omni-channel data and feedback is a great place to start getting some answers and seeing where to apply efforts to solicit more customer feedback.
If you want to chat more about customer research or implementing a VoC program, fill out the contact form or HMU on twitter @jgrozalsky.
Stay thirsty, friends!
