Customers today are more demanding than ever. Moreover, the needs of individual customers and customer groups can vary considerably. That is why more and more companies are now investing in Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs. These can be very valuable. But make sure you are listening to the right feedback. Otherwise, you could completely miss the mark!

What is VoC?

The term Voice of the Customer (VoC) describes customers' feedback about their experiences with and expectations of products or services. This is very valuable for product development, product improvements and, of course, your marketing or sales, for example. By better understanding the critical requirements of (key) customers, you can tailor products, services or campaigns more closely to them and work purposefully toward strong customer satisfaction and customer experience (CX). In addition to VoC, other terms are also used, such as Customer Orientation or Customer Needs Mapping (more on this later).

Customer frustrations you may not know about

Companies and the people who work for them often think they know their customers. But this frequently turns out to be a misconception. If you ask a few probing questions, you soon discover this. It then becomes clear that they are unaware of customers' major frustrations or minor annoyances. And even minor annoyances can become a major problem if you do not know about them. Just think of those small moments when you are a customer yourself and encounter minor annoyances. For example, when an online store will not even let you update your email address or request a new password (this still happens, even at very large, well-known chains!). In such cases, companies can lose customers for good in an instant.

VoC is essential for a customer-focused organization

VoC programs have become increasingly important to the core strategy of companies and organizations in recent years. They use them to meet or exceed customers' expectations. After all, that is the essence of a customer-focused organization: who is your customer, and what does he (or she) expect? And who are the customers who purchase specific products or services? What are their specific characteristics? What matters to them?

Researching the VoC 

How can you gain a clear understanding of what customers really want? There are various ways to do this. Traditionally, customer interviews were often used (and still are). Fortunately, this online age has brought many useful new measurement methods. Based on online search behavior, live chats, other customer interactions or email, you can ask the right questions at the right time relatively easily and in a highly targeted way. 

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is also a valuable tool for measuring the VoC, thanks to its strong focus on customer loyalty and the longer term. But other measurement methods can also be useful. At GrowPromoter, we help customers with this by providing a dedicated VoC template for asking the right questions online. And, of course, by offering advice on this. Because asking the right questions, of the right people, at the right time is crucial to gathering truly valuable insights about customers. 

Beware of unusable feedback

If you do not listen carefully to customers—for example, by measuring incorrectly—you can completely miss the mark. You will then receive inaccurate feedback and completely ‘misinterpret’ the voice of your customers. In addition to inaccurate feedback, you can also gather ‘unusable’ feedback. In practice, for example, we encounter customers who: 

• ‘Want faster answers to questions.’
• ‘Want certainty about delivery on the agreed date.’
• Want to be able to place an order more easily.’

But this feedback is not specific enough to translate into valuable actions. A better question or a single smart follow-up question can often make a big difference. Fortunately, there are also many good examples of VoC research.

Keep measuring

If you want to conduct VoC research, the most important thing is to keep measuring. This kind of research is not a one-off process. Customers and their needs are constantly changing. Fortunately, online measurement can be relatively simple and easy to implement. Customer Journey Mapping may be valuable for walking through the customer journey through your customers' eyes. Such a session reveals when customer interactions occur, which moments are valuable for measurement and how customers experience your work processes.

NPS is also valuable for continuing to measure the VoC. This is mainly because it is a simple and powerful tool for measuring customer satisfaction with (in principle) just one question and gaining an indication of your growth potential. It is easy to repeat and monitor. Pay close attention to the balance between your ‘detractors’ (dissatisfied customers) and your ‘promoters’, who are extremely satisfied.