Although you will find a more detailed answer to these questions in our Online Master in Digital Marketing in Madrid , we have prepared this article to convey the basic ideas such as, for example, what is the voice of the customer, when companies resort to this process and how to implement one successfully, and what are its advantages .
What is the voice of the customer?
Voice of the customer (VOC) is a strategic approach based on constant listening to consumers. This process is carried out by some companies to collect and analyse the overseas chinese in usa data opinions, needs, desires and expectations of customers regarding their products or services. The goal: to optimise their actions and adapt their offer to better satisfy the brand's users.
When is voice of customer used?
Typically, companies use the Voice of the Customer process in different situations such as:
Developing new products and services: Before designing a product or service, it is important to understand what customers want. To do this, there are research techniques that help gather user opinions and needs, and thanks to this, brands can develop products that meet these requests.
Continuous improvement: By collecting customer feedback, companies can identify areas of existing products and services that need improvement and make appropriate adjustments.
Quality and customer satisfaction: some brands use the voice of the customer to evaluate the quality of a product or service according to the perception of users and, in doing so, measure their level of satisfaction.
Strategic decision-making: the voice of the customer is a tool that can help define marketing, product development or even market expansion strategies, among many others.
Crisis management and problem resolution: In crisis situations or when problems arise with a product or service, companies turn to the voice of the customer to understand the magnitude of the conflict and take appropriate action.
Designing more effective customer experiences : this would include all those points in the customer journey map that involve an interaction between customers and the brand, such as, for example, the way in which the service is offered to the user, navigation on the website or the design of applications.
Phases of a Voice of the Customer Program
A good voice of customer program can help a company know exactly what current and potential customers think about its products or services, ensure that these are aligned with their needs or requirements and, consequently, achieve success in today's competitive market.
Therefore, it is important to create a voice of the customer program that works. While there may be variations, this process often consists of the following phases:
Planning and defining objectives
In this stage, the objectives of the Voice of the Customer program (benchmarking, continuous improvement, user retention, etc.) are clearly defined and the metrics that will be used to measure the success of the program are identified .
Data collection
During this phase, the tools and techniques that will be used to obtain customer feedback are determined . Some of the most common ones are :
Online, telephone or printed satisfaction surveys.
Comments on websites, blogs, social networks and other media.
Reviews on customer review platforms.
Individual or group interviews.
Call logs, emails and chat customer service.
Mystery shopping programs .
Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Data analysis
This is where brands stop to analyse and process all the information they have collected to identify patterns, trends and common problems . This allows them to organise users into segments with similar characteristics and create detailed customer profiles . This is very useful when designing specific strategies.
Prioritization of actions
Once the data analysis is done, it is time to develop an action plan to address priority areas for improvement , provide solutions to problems and improve the customer experience.
Dissemination of results
The next step is to talk to the teams involved in the project and share with them what has been discovered with the voice of the customer program so that they can act accordingly. But not before checking whether the results are aligned with the objectives and business strategy .
Implementation of changes
It is time to implement the agreed strategies to solve the problems detected. If all goes well, these actions should contribute to improving the customer experience.
Monitoring and continuous improvement
It is important to continue measuring and monitoring metrics to assess whether the actions that have been implemented are truly effective or, if not, whether further adjustments to the strategy would be necessary to meet customer requests.
The advantages of the voice of the customer
Implementing a voice of customer program offers several advantages for companies, helping them to:
Keeping up to date with customer satisfaction.
Reduce user churn and encourage loyalty , resulting in more stable revenue over time.
Increase the customer base thanks to recommendations made by users who are happy with the brand.
Identify problems early , before they become worse or negatively affect a large number of customers.
Take action based on data instead of guesswork.
Develop a competitive advantage in the market by offering products and services that meet customer desires.
Measure the impact of the actions taken .
Develop innovative products and services that are also subject to market demands.
Reduce costs. By designing and producing products and/or services that meet consumer needs, we avoid wasting large amounts of resources.
Would you like to learn more about the voice of the customer process? Do you want to learn about this and other topics related to the world of marketing? Check out our academic offering. At Universidad Europea we have numerous master's degrees in Communication and Marketing and Communication and Marketing courses , which are taught both remotely and in person at our locations in Madrid, Valencia, Alicante and the Canary Islands. Find the program that best suits your profile.
