How well do you know your customers? If your answer is not good enough, you should go the extra mile to get familiar with their behavior, preferences, and struggles.
Voice of the customer (VoC) methodology is a method of research used by businesses to estimate the sentiment of consumers and take advantage of market opportunities. VoC research can be performed with multiple methods, such as customer interviews, online surveys, live chat, recorded call data, social media, net promoter score, etc.
Learn more about each methodology in detail.
Customer interviews
Interviews with consumers are among the most traditional techniques for collecting VoC (voice of the customer) data. Even though this methodology is one of the most time-consuming, it provides the most personal feedback. Businesses can use this technique to better understand the point of view of a particular consumer regarding some issues with a product or service.
Companies can conduct interviews with a specific customer or a group of consumers in person, over the phone, or via email. Irrespective of the method you choose, interviewers are able to analyze the responses of customers and get additional insights.
Let’s assume a client has had an issue with your product. In such a scenario, the interviewer can find out specific details about the issue, and your company can come up with a way to fix it. Customer interviews are an excellent voice of the customer method for getting answers to specific questions. Most consumers consider this form of engagement as very personal, which might lead to nurturing relationships with individual consumers.
As far as costs as concerned, in-person interviews are unquestionably the costliest when compared to email or phone interviews. Nevertheless, these are the most effective for building trust, as clients view face-to-face interaction as more engaging.
Online surveys
Another effective VoC (voice of the customer) methodology is conducting online surveys. It’s a flexible and scalable data collection method, as the questionnaire can be used for surveying as many consumers as you wish. The design of surveys differs in accordance with the needs of businesses. These questionnaires may consist of no more than three questions that appear on the screens of individuals following signup. Conversely, they might include a hundred questions sent to the most loyal consumers.
The only way to receive reliable answers is by asking the right questions, meaning survey creators need to invest plenty of effort into designing them. Companies can choose from various survey types, such as open-ended, multiple-choice, drop-down, etc. There are numerous online platforms, which companies can use for the creation of surveys to facilitate the process.
Live chat
Another VoC methodology worth trying is live chat. According to most studies, almost fifty percent of prospects use this option to get in touch with a particular company. Having a live chat feature on your site is essential for gathering real-time feedback. Also, there will be a lower risk for customers to feel unsatisfied with the service.
Furthermore, live chat isn’t just limited to addressing customer complaints but also to collect the voice of the customer data. For example, companies can schedule follow-up surveys of all consumers who have established communication with them through a live chat. Find out whether your website should have a live chat option.
Recorded call data
Listening to recorded calls with consumers is another voice of the customer method that should be considered by businesses. These calls can be demos, sales calls, customer support calls, etc. All types of calls that companies have established with clients and prospects are a great contribution to VoC data.
Consumers who get in touch with companies on the phone are either very happy or unhappy with your company. Another alternative is for prospects to be very interested in your products. In all three scenarios, reviewing recorded conversations is beneficial for collecting micro and macro information. These calls enable businesses to identify trends across customer objections and complaints.
Social media
Social media has become an indispensable VoC methodology, as it offers real-time, two-way communication with consumers. Social media conversations are more informal when compared to phone calls and emails. This method enables businesses to practice social listening by monitoring the opinions of customers about their products and brand.
Since consumers won’t be communicating directly with you, you will receive more honest feedback. Most importantly, social listening isn’t restricted to the most prominent social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Valuable feedback can also be found on online communities and forums. The following URL, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_measurement, explains the concept of social media measurement, known as social listening.
Net promoter score
Another methodology used for VoC data collection is measuring the Net Promoter Score (NPS). This metric is used for measuring the loyalty of consumers by asking them whether they would recommend your products or brand to someone. The Net Promoter Score works in a very simple way by asking consumers to respond to question on a scale from zero to ten. The number zero stands for not likely, whereas the number ten stands for very likely.
Individuals responding with a number lower than six are considered detractors. Consumers responding with seven or eight are named passives, while those choosing nine or ten are considered promotors. The data collected through NPS surveys help in identifying individuals who are likelier to be open to more detailed feedback requests.
Final word
Each of these methods is valuable when regarding valuable data collection.
VoC research is worth the investment!
