What is the voice of the customer service (VoC)?

While “Voice of Customer” (VoC) often refers to general feedback, it’s especially powerful when applied to customer service. VoC goes beyond just surveys; it’s about systematically gathering all customer interactions with your service team – their opinions, preferences, and experiences across every touchpoint.

By actively listening to this feedback, businesses gain a goldmine of insights. This allows them to improve how they deliver service, boost customer satisfaction, and ultimately build stronger, more loyal relationships.

Types of voice of customer (VoC) Data:

There are various ways to capture customer feedback for VoC programs:

• Transactional feedback:

Surveys and ratings are collected immediately after interactions with customer service representatives.

• Relational feedback:

Surveys, phone calls, or emails directly asking customers about their overall experience with the brand’s service.

• Social media feedback:

Monitoring brand mentions, reviews, and online conversations to understand customer sentiment on social media platforms.

• Customer support interactions:

Analyzing call recordings, chat transcripts, and emails from customer support interactions for common issues and feedback themes.

VoC techniques for gathering feedback:

Effective VoC programs utilize a variety of techniques to collect comprehensive feedback:

• Surveys: Online surveys with open-ended and closed-ended questions allow customers to share specific details and provide quantitative data.
• Interviews: In-depth interviews with customers delve deeper into their experiences, uncovering underlying reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
• Social Media Listening: Tools and platforms can track brand mentions on social media, providing real-time insights into customer sentiment.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): A single-question survey asking customers about their likelihood to recommend the brand, categorizing them as promoters, passives, or detractors.

How does the VoC process work?

The VoC process follows a structured approach:

1. Define goals and objectives: Clearly define what information you want to gather from customers, aligning it with your overall CX goals.
2. Choose VoC techniques: Select the appropriate feedback channels based on your goals and customer demographics.
3. Collect customer feedback: Deploy chosen techniques to gather rich and actionable customer feedback.
4. Analyze and understand feedback: Analyze data and identify key trends, themes, and areas for improvement.
5. Take action: Develop and implement action plans based on the insights gained from customer feedback.
6. Measure and track progress: Monitor the impact of implemented changes and their effect on customer satisfaction.

The benefits of a voice of customer service program:

• Improved customer satisfaction: By addressing customer concerns and proactively resolving issues, VoC programs lead to increased customer satisfaction.
• Enhanced customer experience: Identifying and addressing customer pain points throughout their service journey leads to a more positive customer experience.
• Increased customer loyalty: Proactive service and genuine care for customer feedback create loyal customers who become brand advocates.
• Data-driven decision-making: VoC insights provide valuable data to make informed decisions regarding service processes, training, and resource allocation.
• Reduced customer churn: Addressing customer concerns before they escalate prevents churn and retains valuable customers.
• Innovation and product development: VoC feedback can highlight unmet customer needs, leading to innovative service offerings and product development.

Value of voice of customer for businesses:

Ultimately, VoC programs offer a significant return on investment. By prioritizing the customer’s voice, businesses can:

• Build stronger customer relationships.
• Differentiate themselves from competitors.
• Increase brand loyalty and customer lifetime value.
• Drive business growth and profitability.

How companies are changing the business landscape with VoC:

Leading companies are leveraging VoC programs to change the way they interact with customers fundamentally. Here are some examples:

• Proactive service: Analyzing VoC data allows companies to anticipate customer needs and offer proactive solutions before issues arise.
• Personalized service journeys: Businesses can tailor customer service interactions based on individual customer preferences identified through VoC feedback.
• Omnichannel experience: Companies are creating seamless customer service experiences across all channels, ensuring consistency and convenience.
• Continuous improvement: VoC programs create a culture of continuous improvement within organizations, with a constant focus on exceeding customer expectations.

How voice of customer impacts your business:

By utilizing VoC effectively, businesses can expect:

• Increased positive customer reviews and testimonials.
• Improved brand perception and reputation.
• Reduced customer complaints and support tickets.
• Positive word-of-mouth marketing by satisfied customers.

Building a successful voice of customer service program

Now that you understand the importance of VoC in service excellence, let’s explore how to build a successful program within your organization. Here are the key pillars for implementation:

1. Align with customer experience goals:

• Clearly define your overall customer experience (CX) vision and goals.
• Ensure your VoC program aligns with these goals and measures progress towards achieving them.
• For example, if a goal is faster resolution times, identify VoC questions that gauge customer satisfaction with response speed.

2. Choose the right channels and techniques:

• Consider your target audience and their preferred communication channels.
• Utilize a mix of surveys, interviews, social media monitoring, and analysis of support interactions for a comprehensive view.
• Formaloo, with its user-friendly interface and diverse survey and feedback options, can be a valuable tool for gathering rich VoC data.

3. Make feedback easy and convenient:

• Design surveys and feedback mechanisms to be clear, concise, and mobile-friendly.
• Ensure responses are anonymous to encourage honest feedback.
• Offer multiple ways to provide feedback, such as in-line surveys after support interactions or social media channels.

4. Regularly collect and analyze feedback:

• Don’t wait for quarterly reviews – gather feedback consistently to identify trends and emerging issues.
• Leverage tools like Formaloo to automate data collection and analysis, providing real-time insights.
• Focus on both qualitative and quantitative data to understand the “why” behind customer sentiment.

5. Take action and close the feedback loop:

• Prioritize identified issues based on their impact on customer satisfaction.
• Develop action plans to address recurring problems and implement improvements.
• Inform customers about actions taken based on their feedback, demonstrating that their voice matters.

6. Foster a customer-centric culture:

• Encourage all employees to embrace VoC principles and prioritize customer satisfaction.
• Train customer service representatives on effectively collecting and utilizing customer feedback.
• Recognize and reward employees who consistently demonstrate a customer-centric approach.

A real-world example of voice of customer market research:

Imagine a company getting slammed with customer complaints about long phone wait times. They decide to use a VoC program to figure out what’s going on. They listen to customer calls and send out surveys.

After looking at everything, they discover a bunch of questions about a new product they just launched. This explains the surge in calls! So, they use this VoC info to:

• Hire more customer service reps to answer phones during busy times.
• Create a self-service section on their website with answers to common questions about the new product.
• Update their call center scripts so reps can quickly address customer concerns about the new product.

By listening to their customers, the company can cut down wait times and make the whole customer experience a lot smoother.

Follow these best practices when building your VoC program:

To get the most out of your VoC program, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Be clear with everyone involved: Let your employees and customers know why you’re asking for feedback and how it will help.
• Keep customer information safe: Make sure you have strong security measures in place to protect any data you collect from customers.
• Listen and show you care: When customers give feedback, respond to them honestly and let them know how their voices are making a difference.
• Always be improving: Think of VoC as an ongoing conversation. Use what you learn from customer feedback to constantly improve your customer service.

Focus on the customer: It all comes back to them

Focusing on customer feedback, or “Voice of Customer” (VoC), is a game-changer for businesses. When you listen closely to what your customers say, you can build stronger connections with them. This feedback can also fuel innovation and ensure your products and services truly meet their needs.

Remember, happy customers are the backbone of any successful business. By prioritizing VoC, you keep your customers at the heart of your company and set yourself up for long-term success.

Sign up for Formaloo today and experience the ease and efficiency of creating powerful surveys and gathering valuable customer feedback.

Follow us on our YouTube channel for more useful tutorials.