Your ability to understand how to meet customer expectations has a significant impact on business strategy and overall success. A voice of the customer program provides you with insights that help deliver a superior customer experience. So, who owns the Voice of Customer? Think of the customer experience as a car. Voice of the Customer data is the fuel that allows that car to move. If you own the car you sure own the gasoline in its tank. Therefore, whoever owns the customer experience owns the voice of customer.
And, the million-dollar question is “who owns the customer experience”?
A very common misconception is that the marketing department owns the customer experience. Another view is that the sales department owns the customer experience. But, maybe instead of asking who owns the customer experience you should ask whether your company is actually prioritizing the customer experience. And, that is a leadership responsibility. Even though, successful voice of customer programs require an all hands on deck approach, the executive level is responsible for encrusting the customer experience into the company’s DNA. After that, the successful implementation of a voice of the customer program is a matter of execution.
Capturing the voice of the customer is a process that requires cross-company integration of insights. The customer-centric organization demands interconnected metrics, processes and people. In this context, everything starts at the top and company leaders must ensure that voice of customer is measured in relation to revenue and other organization-wide customer experience metrics to determine ROI.
What is everybody else’s role?
Successful Voice of Customer programs have the power to transform the customer experience. Every company representative has a role in making a difference based on whatever insights the VoC findings reveal. As a result, you need to make sure that the entire team is engaged and committed. This way you can expect action and accountability from everyone. Systematic training, workshops and other routines will make it easier for people to share in a common vision and adopt behaviors that guarantee the impeccable execution of the improved customer experience.
VoC initiatives are a lost cause unless they start at the top
All this leads to the conclusion that a single VP of customer experience responsible for executing the VoC program is not enough. Voice of Customer programs offer a better understanding of the experience you are offering today to your customers. If you plan to improve the experience, in order to gain a competitive advantage, you need to change organizational processes. A single VP does not hold the power to apply those changes. Top level executives, on the other hand, are in charge of doing exactly that: make the necessary changes that will lead to growth and success.