Listening to the customer’s voice and managing feedback have received significant attention in recent years, as evidenced by increased business investments and the emergence of new data management tools.
The advancement of feedback management technologies has been driven by the need to gather customer feedback from an expanding number of domains, interactions and touchpoints, combined with the now widespread awareness of Emotions in Customer Experience.
The surge in online and social reviews has fuelled interest in knowing “what is being said about us online.” Simultaneously, CRM platforms are capturing more information and tracking various customer behaviours in great detail, generating important “derived” data and insights.
On the other hand, customer service platforms, which are becoming increasingly multi-channel, gather thousands of feedback on the service and insights for improvement on a daily basis.
NOISE OR VOICE
In short, the Voice of the Customer is in danger of becoming noise, and deciphering which information truly matters, both in the short and long term, has become a real challenge.
A data-driven company requires high-performance technology to collect and analyse customer data, but it also needs a strategic vision to gather and interpret data and feedback.
Only strategic design work ensures that data is transformed into relevant business information.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY KNOW
What information do we possess about our customers? How do we use it, and, most importantly, which of this information holds genuine value for the company?
- Gender, age, location, and contact information are examples of customer master data. They are often the first layer upon which to build knowledge and must be easily accessible and consistently updated.
Though it might seem obvious, it is not always the case. The number of incorrect emails stored in databases or the absence of privacy consent to use data for commercial purposes is evidence of how much work still needs to be done.
- Interaction data pertains to purchasing activities, customer service interactions, after-sales activation, changes in sales conditions, and complaints. We are in the realm of CRM data, which holds immense strategic value and is essential to obtain.
- Sentiment data, derived from social media reviews, comments, likes and other forms of content browsing, serves as the foundation for re-targeting and programmatic solutions.
- Data related to the Experience, to motivations for choosing a specific product, expectations and interests, combined with timely opinions and coherent suggestions, often brimming with ideas. We are in the realm of feedback management, which is based on tools such as surveys, comments requested by customer service platforms, and co-creation workshop programs.
VALUABLE INFORMATION
The final point encompasses the “true” feedback collected through a well-organised process. It holds immense added value as it pertains to profiled customers and explores their journey in a systematic manner.
THE INSIGHTS DERIVED FROM THIS DATASET ENABLE DEVELOPING NEW SERVICES AND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, GAINING AN UNDERSTANDING OF COMPETITIVE POSITIONING AND ENHANCING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFERED.
Ultimately, this attentive and detailed listening work helps plan for the future, as it opens the sites of change and builds the foundations of loyalty.
However, this data alone may not suffice. The dataset generated by integrating feedback and CRM is crucial for creating value with the Voice of the Customer.
Indeed, a good Customer Experience requires a flow of reliable, continuous, and, most importantly, “profiled” Experience Data.
