Voice of the Customer Program: Insights for Success

Today’s business landscape is hyper-connected and customer-centric. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of meeting customer expectations.

Consequently, this realization has given rise to the Voice of the Customer (VoC) program.

But why, you ask, do we need this enigmatic program?

Picture this: a world where businesses roam in the dark, guessing what their customers desire. Only to end up with products that miss the mark as spectacularly as a blindfolded archer.

Ah, the horror!

But fear not, for the Voice of the Customer program swoops in to save the day.

It’s a majestic symphony where customer feedback takes center stage, leading to insights that revolutionize product development. It unveils the desires, dreams, and dislikes of the masses. As a result, it empowers your business to dance to the tune of customer satisfaction.

Let’s silence the crickets of uncertainty and tune in to the vibrant chorus of customers. In the end, he who listens to the customer’s song dances to the tune of success.

Table of Contents:

1. What is the Voice of the Customer (VoC) Program?
2. Why Do We Need a Voice of Customer (VoC) Program?
3. Voice of the Customer (VoC) Program Benefits
4. How to Build a Voice of the Customer Program?
5. How to Measure Voice of Customer Survey Data?
6. Wrap Up

Voice of the Customer

Definition: The Voice of the Customer (VoC) is a term that refers to the process of  understanding the preferences, needs, and expectations of customers regarding a product, service, or brand.

It involves collecting feedback directly from customers to gain insights into their experiences.

What is the Voice of the Customer Program?

The Voice of the Customer (VoC) program is a strategic initiative that collects and analyzes customer feedback and insights. It involves gathering data through surveys, interviews, and other channels to understand customer preferences, needs, and expectations.

This program facilitates informed decision-making, product, and service improvements. Ultimately, it enhances customer experiences and drives customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Analyzing the Voice of the Customer Program data helps businesses make data-driven decisions, enhance customer satisfaction, and improve overall product and service quality.

Why Do We Need a Voice of Customer (VoC) Program?

VoC is not merely a trendy term but an essential business tool to ensure customer satisfaction. Here are several reasons why the VoC program is indispensable:

• Customer-centric approach: The VoC program enables you to adopt a customer-centric mindset by prioritizing customer feedback and insights. Understanding customer preferences, needs, and expectations helps you align your strategies, products, and services accordingly.
• Improved decision-making: Gathering and analyzing customer feedback provides valuable data for informed decision-making. You can identify trends, pain points, and improvement areas, prioritize initiatives, and allocate resources more effectively.
• Product and service enhancements: The VoC program provides direct insights into what customers like or dislike about your offerings. This information is invaluable for making product and service enhancements, developing new features, and staying ahead of competitors.
• Enhanced customer experiences: Actively listening to customer feedback helps you identify gaps in customer experiences. As a result, addressing these gaps can lead to improved satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.
• Competitive advantage: Prioritizing the voice of your customers helps you gain a competitive edge. Continuously adapting and evolving based on customer insights can help you with the following;
  • Stay ahead in the market.
  • Attract new customers.
  • Retain existing customers.
• Customer Holding and Loyalty: Customers are more inclined to become loyal brand advocates when satisfied. The VoC program plays a vital role in recognizing and resolving customer concerns, thereby enhancing customer retention. Consequently, this reduces churn rates and fosters increased customer loyalty.
• Innovation and differentiation: Customer feedback can inspire innovation and drive differentiation. Understanding customer needs and pain points will help you develop unique solutions and stand out in the marketplace.
• Proactive issue resolution: Through the VoC program, you can promptly identify and address customer issues. Consequently, reduces negative word-of-mouth and potential reputation damage.

Voice of the Customer (VoC) Program Benefits

Let’s get into the details of what a Voice of the Customer (VoC) program can have on your company and the benefits it brings to both your business and your customers.

Benefits of Voice of the Customer for Business:

• Informed Decision-Making
• Anticipate Customer Needs
• Proactive Issue Resolution
• Positive Brand Image
• Build Lasting Customer Loyalty
• Enhance Engagement and Retention
• Innovation and Adaptation

Benefits of Voice of the Customer for Customers:

• Improved Products and Services
• Engagement and Investment
• Real-time Feedback Sharing
• Feeling Valued and Heard
• Enhanced Customer Experiences

How to Build a Voice of the Customer Program?

Stay ahead of the competition and satisfy your customers by following these tips on implementing a VoC program.

1. Clearly define objectives: Identify what you want to achieve, like improving customer satisfaction scores, identifying pain points, or driving product innovation. Clear objectives will guide your program and ensure focused efforts.
2. Choose the right feedback channels: Select those that align with your target audience and objectives. This could include surveys, interviews, focus groups, social media monitoring, online reviews, or customer support interactions. Moreover, you can utilize a mix of channels to capture diverse perspectives.
3. Capture feedback across the customer journey: Gather feedback at various touch points throughout the customer journey visualization. This includes pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase stages. Comprehensively understanding the customer experience helps you address pain points, enhance satisfaction, and build long-term loyalty.
4. Make feedback collection easy and engaging: Ensure the feedback collection process is seamless and user-friendly. Use concise, well-structured surveys, provide clear instructions, and minimize response effort. Also, consider using gamification techniques or incentives to encourage participation and engagement.
5. Analyze and act on feedback: Collecting feedback is only the first step. Dedicate resources to analyze the data and extract meaningful insights thoroughly. Look for patterns, trends, and common themes from the feedback. Then use this information to prioritize action items and make data-driven decisions.
6. Foster cross-functional collaboration: VoC is not solely the responsibility of one team or department. Encourage collaboration and information-sharing across teams, such as marketing, product development, and customer support. Utilizing techniques like cross-tabulation facilitates a holistic understanding of customer needs, ensuring coordinated efforts to address them.
7. Close the feedback loop: Communicate with customers about their feedback and the actions taken. Let them know how their input has influenced changes or improvements. Closing the feedback loop demonstrates that you value their opinions and helps build trust and loyalty.
8. Continuously improve and iterate: Regularly revisit your objectives, feedback channels, and analysis methods. Utilize your Consumer Journey Map to incorporate feedback from your program, making iterative improvements and ensuring its relevance and effectiveness over time.

How to Measure Voice of Customer Survey Data?

Excel is the beloved spreadsheet software that can do almost anything. But let’s face it; Excel falls short when visualizing Voice of Customer survey data. But fear not because we have ChartExpo. This enchanting tool transforms your Excel data into captivating visual masterpieces with no coding involved.

Benefits of Using ChartExpo

• ChartExpo provides diverse visualization options, enabling you to choose the perfect match for your data.
• You don’t need to be skilled in coding to use ChartExpo. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to create appealing and insightful data visualizations.
• ChartExpo offers a free 7-day trial, allowing you to experience its capabilities before committing. The monthly plan is also affordable, costing $10 per user.

How to Install ChartExpo in Excel?

1. Open your Excel application.
2. Open the worksheet and click the “Insert” menu.
3. You’ll see the “My Apps” option.
4. In the office Add-ins window, click “Store” and search for ChartExpo on my Apps Store.
5. Click the “Add” button to install ChartExpo in your Excel.

ChartExpo charts are available both in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Please use the following CTA’s to install the tool of your choice and create beautiful visualizations in a few clicks in your favorite tool.

Example

Let’s say you want to conduct a voice of customer survey consisting of the following questions;

• How satisfied were you with the cleanliness of your room?
• How satisfied were you with the comfort of your bed?
• How satisfied were you with the level of noise in your room?
• How satisfied were you with the quality of the food at the hotel’s restaurant?

Your customers provide an answer to each question using the response scale below.

1. Extremely Dissatisfied
2. Dissatisfied
3. Neutral
4. Satisfied
5. Extremely Satisfied

Assume your survey has yielded the results table below.

How satisfied were you with the cleanliness of your room?	How satisfied were you with the comfort of your bed?	How satisfied were you with the level of noise in your room?	How satisfied were you with the quality of the food at the hotel’s restaurant?
Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied
Extremely Satisfied	Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Neutral
Neutral	Neutral	Extremely Dissatisfied	Extremely Satisfied
Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral
Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied
Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Neutral
Extremely Dissatisfied	Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Satisfied
Neutral	Satisfied	Neutral	Neutral
Extremely Dissatisfied	Extremely Satisfied	Extremely Satisfied	Satisfied
Extremely Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Neutral
Dissatisfied	Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied
Neutral	Neutral	Extremely Dissatisfied	Neutral
Dissatisfied	Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied
Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied
Neutral	Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Extremely Satisfied
Extremely Dissatisfied	Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral
Extremely Satisfied	Satisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied	Extremely Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Neutral
Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Extremely Satisfied	Dissatisfied
Satisfied	Extremely Satisfied	Satisfied	Satisfied

This table contains example data. Expect many responses and questions in real life.

• To get started with ChartExpo, install ChartExpo in Excel.
• Now Click on My Apps from the INSERT menu.

• Choose ChartExpo from My Apps, then click Insert.

• Once it loads, choose the “Likert Scale Chart” from the charts list.

• Click the “Create Chart From Selection” button after selecting the data from the sheet, as shown.

• When you click the “Create Chart From Selection” button, you have to map responses with numbers manually. The Likert scale has this arrangement:

• • Extremely Dissatisfied = 1
  • Dissatisfied = 2
  • Neutral = 3
  • Satisfied = 4
  • Extremely Satisfied = 5
• Once all is set, click the “Create Chart” button.

• ChartExpo will generate the visualization below for you.

• If you want to have the chart’s title, click Edit Chart, as shown in the above image.
• Click the pencil icon next to the Chart Header to change the title.
• It will open the properties dialog. Under the Text section, you can add a heading in Line 1 and enable Show.
• Give the appropriate title of your chart and click the Apply button.

• Let’s say you want to add text responses instead of numbers against every emoji.
• Click the pencil icon next to the respective emoji. Expand the “Label” properties and write the required text. Then click the “Apply All” button.
• Click the “Save Changes” button to persist the changes.

• Your final chart will appear below.

Insights

• 45% of customers found the cleanliness of their room to be satisfactory. 30% expressed dissatisfaction, and 25% remained neutral.
• 35% were satisfied with the comfort of their bed, while 35% were dissatisfied.
• Regarding noise level, 60% were satisfied, whereas 30% were dissatisfied.
• As for the food quality at the hotel restaurant, 30% were satisfied, while 30% were dissatisfied.
• Overall;
  • 43% of customers reported satisfaction with hotel services, with 23% extremely satisfied.
  • 31% were dissatisfied, with 15% being extremely dissatisfied.
  • 26% neutral.

FAQs

What is a Voice of the Customer (VoC) Strategy?

A Voice of the Customer (VoC) strategy is a systematic approach that businesses adopt to collect, analyze, and implement customer feedback. It involves methods and processes to understand customer preferences, expectations, and experiences.

What are the Voice of the Customer Techniques?

The Voice of the Customer common techniques include:

1. Surveys and Questionnaires
2. Interviews
3. Social Media Monitoring
4. Customer Journey Mapping

What is the Voice of Customer survey?

A Voice of Customer survey is a method used to collect feedback and opinions directly from customers. It involves structured questionnaires or interviews that capture customer perceptions, preferences, and satisfaction levels. VoC surveys provide valuable insights for product or service enhancements.

Wrap Up

The Voice of the Customer program is not a luxury but a necessity in today’s competitive landscape. Listening to the customers’ voices allows you to gain insights that shape strategies, products, and services.

The VoC program allows you to prioritize customer satisfaction, deliver exceptional experiences, and build long-lasting relationships. You can identify and address pain points, enhance your offerings, and stay ahead of the curve.

Moreover, the VoC program facilitates data-driven decision-making and opportunities for innovation to differentiate yourself from the competition.

That’s not all.

Fostering a customer-centric culture with the VoC program helps reduce churn rates and increase customer loyalty. As a result, you transform customers into brand advocates.

To truly unleash the power of customer insights, you need the magic of data visualization and analysis. Excel is a reliable workhorse for data management. However, it falls short when it comes to presenting VoC survey data visually.

ChartExpo bridges this gap, transforming Excel data into mesmerizing visualizations that breathe life into the numbers.

Do not hesitate.

Embrace the VoC program, harness the power of ChartExpo, and unlock a world of customer-centric success.