The voice of the customer is not enough
Voice of the Customer (VOC) or Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) systems may be popular but they’re not enough if you’re serious about the customer experience.
I’ve nothing against VOC. I’ve used them with previous clients and recommend them as part of an effective customer experience programme. They’re a powerful tool if used correctly. They are not however a substitute for a CX programme.
For those of you not involved in CX you’ll doubtless have experienced EFM systems when you’ve had an interaction with your bank, telco, retailer or just about any other B2C organisation. It’s the software that sits behind the call-back or text you receive asking for your feedback. It’s clever stuff and no doubt integrates AI with tarot cards or chicken entrails to make it even better than it was in your grandmother’s day.
What it does brilliantly is to cost-effectively measure performance across locations, operators, channels, times, occasions and much else. It’s easy to see that Nigel in Swindon isn’t up to scratch and that your call centre isn’t dealing with questions arising from this week’s software upgrade. This makes EFM systems highly actionable and ensures consistency across your operations.
But that’s not enough.
If you purchased an EFM system as part of your CX programme, then pat yourself on the back.
If you thought the EFM system was your CX programme, then I’ve some good news. You’ve a great opportunity to improve the customer experience even more.
What are the limitations of VOC?
- It takes a very narrow view of the customer experience. VOC predominantly concerns itself with the point of the interaction. That’s great for managing operational performance, it’s not good for building strategy.
- EFM systems ignore the human element. Just because I’m angry with the operator who refused me a refund it doesn’t mean that I’m angry with the company. Or maybe it does. There’s a difference between in-the-moment and a later considered view. Some experiences change one’s views but in many cases after a period of decay we return to (or close to) our familiar position.
- Whilst some EFM systems allow customer feedback to be linked to later outcomes (e.g. did I churn?) the reality is that in most cases a bad interaction will be taken in context. That means it’s difficult to spot cause-and-effect (I know, a figure of speech) relationships between a bad call and later churn. A thousand other interactions with the brand probably also contributed to my decision to leave. Ultimately VOC is too atomic to be effective at this.
- In fact, VOC is poor at understanding the real issues faced by customers. It can fail to account for the magnitude of a problem and its potential implications. For instance, it may be that I had to wait more than five minutes but that to me I didn’t see this as a problem. Making me prove my identity twice on the same call however was unforgivable.
- Perceptions are largely ignored. Sure, you did everything you said you would. The insurance agent handled my call in a textbook manner. But it was without a shred of empathy. She was totally and utterly functional. Never mind I’d just come home to a break-in and was still in shock. She got 10/10 and I knew from that point on I’d never trust you again.
- In many ways, EFM systems appear to be a functional approach to a strategic problem substituting numbers for difficult thinking.
VOC appears to be great at driving desired behaviours amongst your staff but there’s a risk they’re not the behaviours that matter most. They’re just the ones that are most obvious or functionally easiest to measure. There’s a risk you become perfect at the wrong things.
Why does this happen? I suspect there are several reasons:
- To some extent VOC covers a lot of CX measurement. Maybe the 80:20 rule comes into play and organisations feel they’re doing ‘enough’ already?
- Many EFM developers are technology companies, not CX experts. It’s perhaps the classic case of applying a technology without fully understanding the underlying problem. I’d be inclined to trust market researchers and CX consultants with the job of sourcing and supporting the right EFM software, not the IT department.
- Daniel Kahneman discusses how our brains sometimes substitute a simply question that we can solve for a difficult question that we cannot solve. It may be that EFM technology is an example of this.
Is VOC all bad? No, certainly not. VOC plays an important role in CX but it should not operate in a silo. If I could make two recommendations when considering a VOC programme:
- Speak to an agency with a strong background in CX research and consultancy. Work with them to design, source and implement an EFM solution. Don’t be swayed by flashy software from techies.
- Make VOC an integral part of your suite of CX tools, not a standalone solution (or the only solution).
