This document provides 7 tips for getting the most value from a Voice of Customer (VoC) program. The tips are: 1) keep it simple and clear; 2) provide recognition and feedback; 3) incorporate help, advice and entertainment; 4) balance ease of use and challenge to maintain engagement; 5) make the VoC program enjoyable; 6) represent your brand values and innovation; 7) focus on customer engagement rather than just research. The overall message is to design the VoC program to strengthen customer relationships and drive business value through engagement.

1. 7 tips on getting the most from your Voice of Customer programme,
no matter what technology you use.
Richard Sedley

2. Richard Sedley
Commercial Director
Foviance

4. Question 1
How many companies have a
Voice of Customer programme?
50%+

5. Focus groups
Online surveys
Social media monitoring
Offline questionnaires
User testing
Out of boxing
Call-centre monitoring
Customer communities
1-2-1 interviews

6. Question 2
What’s the biggest problem
with VoC programmes?
Lack of business value

7. Disconnect between CX and business
results delivered by VoC Programmes
VoC programme’s value in improving customers’ experience VoC programme’s value in delivering financial results
43%
Extremely valuable
12%
33%
Very valuable
27%
15%
Neutral
30%
8%
Somewhat valuable
28%
0%
Not at all valuable 3%
Base: Customer experience professionals who work at organisations with VoC programmes currently in place
Source: Forrester Global CX Peer Research Panel Survey

8. Not measuring the right things Not doing the right things to
to show business value drive business value

9. CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
is the best measure of current and future
performance; an engaged relationship is
probably the only guarantee for a future
return on your organisation’s objectives.
1st Annual Customer Engagement Report. Published 2006

10. Definition
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
Repeated interactions that strengthen
the emotional, psychological and physical
investment a customer has in a brand
(product or service)

11. Question 3
How do we focus on the
right things to drive
customer engagement?

13. ONE
SIX

14. 1.
Clarity &
Simplicity

17. Would you recommend us Yes
to your Grandmother? X No
or
Thinking about your experience today. Select
an option
On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is negative
and 10 is positive, how likely would you be
to recommend us to your Grandmother?

18. Tip 1.
Don’t make me think.
With apologies to Steve Krug

19. 2.
Recognition
& Reaction

20. Reward
Enabling
Appreciating
Remembering
Understanding
Listening
Recognition
chain

21. Recognition
chain

24. Screen 1
Would you recommend us Yes
to your Grandmother? X No
Screen 2
1,450 people have answered this question in the last 30 days
950 We’re sorry you’re Grandmother won’t be hearing about us.
We promise we’ll try harder in the future.
550
At the moment we have 33 projects running to improve our
website. Find out more
Yes No

25. Tip 2.
Recognition is the basis of any engaged
relationship.
Always provide feedback on the feedback.

26. 3.
Integrity &
Service

30. Screen 1
Would you recommend us Yes
to your Grandmother? X No
Screen 2
Oh no.
Previous customers that haven’t • How to sign up
• Changing contract
wanted to recommend us have
• How to top-up
found these useful
If you can tell us a bit about why
you wouldn’t recommend us we’ll
try and improve.
Send your comments to us

31. Tip 3.
Approaching VoC as purely an insight
programme is a wasted opportunity.
Incorporate help, advice and potentially
entertainment into your programme.

32. 4.
Glide & Flow

34. Flow
high
A psychological Arousal
state where a
person is fully Anxiety
Flow
immersed and
focused on an
activity or task.
Challenge
Mihály Worry Control
Csíkszentmihályi
Apathy Relaxation
Boredom
low
low Skill level high

35. Would you recommend us
to your Grandmother?
Flip for YES / NO

36. Variable reinforcement
high
Create outcomes,
small or large, without
being able to predict Variable intervals
what action is going to Variable rewards
be able lead to that
outcome.
Engagement
Fixed interval
Regular reward
low
short Time long

37. Tip 4.
Sometimes engagement is about tunnelling
for ease of use, sometimes it’s about
challenge.
Don’t be scared to treat customers
differently and reward them randomly.

38. 5.
Seduction
& Delight

39. INCREASING
MOTIVATION
Psychology
REMOVING
FRICTION
Usability
Joshua porter

43. Would your Granny love a big kiss from us?
No, she’s gone shoppin’ Sure thang, pucker up

44. Tip 5.
Sometimes people find things they enjoy
easy.
Make your VoC programme the best thing
about your company?

45. 6.
Ambition &
Innovation

48. Would you like us to super X Yes
charge your Granny? No

49. Tip 6.
Customers want to know they are engaging
with a best of breed company.
Use your VoCP to represent your company’s
brand values and express aspiration – yours
and your customers’.

50. Clarity & Simplicity
Recognition Integrity
& Reaction & Service
Glide Seduction
& Flow & Delight
Ambition & Innovation

51. Tip 7.
Make your Voice of Customer Programme
less about ‘research’ and more about
‘engagement’.
Create a customer-centric VoCP in order
to maximise business value

52. Richard Sedley
richard.sedley@foviance.com
@richardsedley