Stop Faking CX: Build VoC Programs That Drive Real Customer-Centric Action

CX shouldn’t be about the scores you collect. This guide challenges outdated Voice of Customer (VoC) strategies and introduces a new framework to capture deeper insights, design better questions, and drive meaningful business change.

Many organisations ask customers what they think. They let the CX metric dictate the question. Digestible numbers become the goal. Genuine understanding often suffers. This approach creates poor behaviours. It gives a false sense of security. This stems from average scores. Some design questions thoughtfully. Many others do not. Redesign Voice of Customer (VoC) based on needs.

Consider a medical test scenario. The experience aims to be quick and hygienic. After the test, a survey asks: “How did you find the test?”. Options range from ‘very poor’ to ‘excellent’. This question is flawed. It prompts a comparison. No basis exists for the individual. Feedback becomes meaningless. Actionable insights are missing. Even though a “pretty dashboard” is created.

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Such questions miss emotional and functional needs. These needs link to the “job-to-be-done” (JTBD). The customer needs a quick test. They also want hygienic care and rapid results. A truly effective question delves into these needs. For example: “How confident are you that you completed the test correctly?”.

Instead many treat every interaction like a restaurant, even when interactions are complicated and unique.

Critical Flaws in Conventional VoC Design

The example shows pervasive issues. These impact how VoC is structured.

• Misguided Comparators: Relying on comparative questions is flawed. Customers have no basis for comparison. This yields simple numbers for executives. Yet, these numbers lack actionable insights. They may give false security. You cannot know customer comparisons. You also do not know what matters to them.
• Ignoring JTBD and Emotional Needs: Customer experience is about perception. This perception drives loyalty and advocacy. How customers feel influences perceptions. Effective CX management starts with customer needs.
• Neglecting Qualitative Data Power: Data-driven decisions are vital. Ignoring qualitative “words” misses true drivers. Qualitative data identifies risks and opportunities. It brings customer stories to life. It provides context and emotion. Numbers alone cannot do this.
• “One Metric Fits All” Fallacy: Using the same metric across annual, transaction and end-of-journey surveys creates false equivalences. A customer might recommend the company. But not a specific, unpleasant service. New and long-term customers differ in needs and perceptions. Combining their feedback tells nothing useful.
• Over-reliance on the Inner Loop: Many VoC programmes focus too much here. The Inner Loop resolves immediate issues. It helps individual customers. But it does not solve root problems. This leads to recurring issues. True improvement needs an “Outer Loop”. This analyses feedback from all sources. It identifies themes and supports prioritisation. It demonstrates impact. Beyond this is the “Innovation Loop”. It mines feedback for what is truly important. It drives strategic improvements. This includes products, services, and touchpoints.
• Hiding Complexity with a Single Number: Customer perceptions are complex. We do not control their entire journey. External variables influence perceptions. Individual differences play a role. Evolving needs also influence them. A single summary number cannot capture this.

Structuring Your VoC for Strategic Impact

Rethink your VoC process. Use the “Gather, Analyse, Share, Act” framework. Before investing in a VoC platform, understand this process. Ensure it fits your organisation and build the right requirements.

1. Gather the Authentic Voice:

• • Define Your Audience: Identify target customers first. Develop detailed personas.
  • Map Needs to Journeys: Explore diverse needs. Map them against journey touchpoints.
  • Diverse Feedback Sources: Surveys offer quantifiable data. Expand beyond them. Integrate online feedback channels. Include customer support interactions. Use info from customer-facing teams. Observe customer behaviours. These are critical VoC elements. Start with one source and build.

2. Analyse for Deeper Value:

• • • Beyond the Inner Loop: The Inner Loop is essential. But leverage feedback for the Outer Loop. Find systemic issues and drivers. Use it for the Innovation Loop. Uncover unmet needs and opportunities.
    • Qualitative Insights First: Use text analytics. Human review of qualitative data helps. Identify risks and opportunities. Bring customer stories to life. This shows key drivers of feelings. It reveals perceptions.

3. Share Insights That Drive Action:

• • • • Engage Stakeholders: Identify key stakeholders. Actively engage them across the organisation. Ensure they are ready to act.
      • Human-Readable Reports: Transform complex data. Create clear, compelling reports. Embrace multiple viewpoints. Show complexity. A customer quote is effective. It can open stakeholder eyes.
      • Tell Stories, Create Curiosity: Use quantitative metrics. Use qualitative narratives. Tell powerful stories. Create curiosity and inspire change.

4. Act for Continuous Improvement:

• • • • • Accountability: Establish clear accountability. Unblock roadblocks. Prioritise activities. Allocate necessary resources.
        • Choose Impactful Metrics: Select questions and metrics carefully. They must truly understand needs. They must show perceptions. Right metrics inspire change. They do not just report numbers.
        • Deliver Value Quickly: Actions must deliver tangible value. Value goes to customers and organisations. This drives continuous CX improvement.

What Questions Should You Ask? The NEED Framework

The NEED Framework helps design research. It prompts for Text Analytics.

• N – Name the job: What functional task is the customer doing?
• E – Explore emotions: What does success feel like? What does failure cost them?
• E – Examine context: What else is happening in their world?
• D – Detect obstacles: What barriers slow them down?

This framework works across touchpoints. It focuses on customer goals. It avoids blanket CX metrics. It leads to specific questions.

• “What brought you here today?” – This reveals the functional JTBD. It shows context you might miss.
• “What would success look like for you?” – This uncovers emotional needs. It reveals success criteria.
• “What almost stopped you from continuing?” – This identifies friction points.

Survey strategically. Ask new customers about learning. Determine breaking points for churners. Identify success patterns of loyal customers. Everything in the NEED Framework applies to all feedback sources. This includes chat transcripts and review sites.

The Last Word

Customer satisfaction is not customer understanding. Measure what customers accomplish and how they feel. Not simply how they rate you. You gain insights that improve business outcomes. Examples include higher completion rates. Fewer support tickets can result. Stronger retention is possible. Your customers have jobs to do. Stop asking them to grade your performance. Ask what success looks like from their view.

A well-executed VoC process empowers CX practitioners. It delivers rapid value. It enriches journey maps. It adds depth and richness. It fosters empathy among stakeholders. Customer perspectives become tangible. They are also relatable. Embrace complexity of perceptions. Measure how well you meet customer needs. Leverage multiple feedback sources to mitigate flaws in questions and samples. You illuminate your emotional impact. Demonstrate how perceptions drive business success. This is how VoC transforms CX management.

Your Monday Morning Action Plan

Consider this phased approach.

• Week 1: Start with one interaction. Ask one better question. See what customers tell you. Learn much more.
• Week 2: Pick your highest-volume interaction. Replace the rating question. Ask: “What brought you here today?”. Run both versions. Compare response quality.
• Week 3: Analyse one month of support tickets. Use the NEED framework. What jobs are customers trying to complete?
• Week 4: Map one customer journey. Use emotional state, not satisfaction score. Where do customers feel uncertain?
• Week 5: Test one new survey question. Focus on job completion. Avoid experience rating.

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