Why VOC programs form an essential component of the CX toolkit

Voice of the Customer programs offer a range of tools and techniques for successfully collecting customer feedback and insights, linking what customers demand to organizational needs.

At CX Network’s All Access Voice of the Customer, held in February 2023, speakers from the financial services, publishing and travel industries came together to share their experiences of VOC solutions and the impact VOC programs have had on customer experience. Each session offered actionable insights including when VOC data is most useful and why change management should be considered the most difficult challenges CX professionals face.

In this article, CX Network has hand-picked three of the event’s top takeaways by speakers from Cambridge University Press, TSB Bank and National Express.

VOC programs do not have to be ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Vanessa Milan (pictured left), VOC manager at Cambridge University Press and Assessment, who has been operating a “one-woman, VOC show” opened All Access Voice of the Customer with a session that explored how she has built a VOC program from scratch.

Milan kicked off the digital event with a presentation dedicated to anyone at the beginning of their B2B VOC journey, offering practical advice about where to start and tips on how to develop VOC initiatives.

Milan revealed that internal communication has been key to her VOC successes and provided a step-by-step walkthrough on how she has gathered customer feedback and actioned her findings. In a nod to the recent multi-Academy-Award-winning film, Milan noted that VOC programs do not have to be “everything, everywhere, all at once”.

VOC works best when augmented with VOE, VOP and VOT

The final session of 2023's All Access: Voice of the Customer saw TSB Bank's strategic customer insights manager Muss Haq (pictured right), place emphasis on the importance of taking a 360-degree approach to a CX strategy.

Muss stressed that while VOC data has proven valuable, it has been most useful when looked at as part of a wider voice dataset incorporating Voice of the Employee (VOE), Voice of the Process (VOP) and Voice of the Technology (VOT).

In an accompanying article published on CX Network ahead of the digital event, Muss remarked: “If what you offer your customers as a business is not beneficial to them, then you are failing in being customer centric. Hence, it is imperative to invest in your intentional CX in order to succeed.”

Change management is the biggest challenge for today’s CX professionals

During his session on the event’s second day, Vinay Parmar (pictured left), chief CX officer at UK coach service National Express, declared change management to be the toughest challenge facing CX executives today.

Parmar said that defining what optimal CX looks like would be critical in the early stages of strategizing and that it was important to consider the contribution each department throughout an organization has made toward the eventual strategy. Convincing people to change their processes and prioritize CX, however, presented what Parmar described as “a whole other challenge”.

Parmar told delegates that getting upper management on board and taking a top-down approach were the best ways to approach a VOC strategy – a message echoed by Muss Haq and Vanessa Milan.