Only 15% of voice-of-the-customer (VoC) programs are considered "very successful"* by their managers, according to the Temkin Group's State of Voice of the Customer Programs 2016 report. What's broken?
Just 34% say their VoC program is "good" or "very good" at making changes to the business based on VoC insights.
So why is it that two-thirds of VoC programs aren't making a difference? Here's my analysis:
You get what you measure. Emphasis on a survey index score focuses execs' attention on what the customer is doing for the company rather than what the company is doing for the customer. Survey index scores are treated by most companies like SPC -- statistical process control -- where performance within a "safe range" means business-as-usual is okay. Instead, focus on action plan progress metrics.
You get what you ask for. VoC reports do not speak the language of managers. They do not translate survey averages and percentages into dollars represented by the customers with varying sentiments. When they do, it's about revenue boost by adjusting customer-facing elements. That's not about driving changes to the business. Instead, present sentiment in terms of customer lifetime value, or at least as a percentage of current revenue or profit.
You get what you aim for. Customer experience maturity models place organizational adoption and accountability for driving business change per VoC at the tail-end of the customer experience management effort. This reflects the unfortunate current reality, but it does not guide managers to set themselves up for success. Most customer experience technology providers, and many consultants, do not have personal career experience in driving business change -- and their self-interest is elsewhere -- so this critical success factor gets glossed over rather than placed at the outset. Instead, it's essential to figure out how you want to drive business change before investing in VoC.
You get what you empower. VoC managers admit that they aren't equipped to drive changes to the business. Their charter is to solicit and report feedback from customers. VoC technologies are designed to drive quick fixes for individual customers -- not to drive changes to the business. Skills, authority, bandwidth of VoC managers -- and company mindset -- are not set up to make changes to the business based on VoC insights. Instead, set up VoC as a determinant of corporate strategy and a shaper and refiner of all business strategies, processes, policies, structures, and rewards.
*63% say their VoC program is "somewhat successful"; the remaining 22% are relatively indecisive about their VoC program's success.
Image purchased under license from Shutterstock.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn and is the first in a series about "Solving the VoC Immaturity Conundrum"
Solving the Voice of Customer Immaturity Conundrum
Fast-Track to Customer Experience Transformation
Next article will be posted 2/14/17: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnhunsaker/recent-activity/posts/
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