Are you expecting too much from your VOC software?

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Software is critical to the success of a VOC program, but strategically thinking, there’s more to it than that.

We’re noticing a disturbing trend: industry reports are pointing out that most VOC programs are struggling to prove value. Some reports say that as little as 15% of today’s organizations feel their programs are successful. What’s behind that?

Software seems to be getting the blame for the lack of VOC success, but it’s not always the software that’s the problem.

Many companies have the wrong expectation of what software is meant to do in a VOC program. And to make it worse, companies rarely wrap their software investment in the right CX strategy – one that guides action and cultural adoption.

What should VOC software do?

VOC success starts with setting proper expectations on what software can do for your CX program strategically. The role of software falls into three simple categories:

    Power CX processes. First, VOC software can facilitate processes that are core to CX success. For example, closing the loop with customers to manage brand reputation, coaching and managing employee performance, facilitating CX improvement initiatives, and so on.
    Drive efficiency. Next, software must create efficiency for your business — and lots of it! It should make the process of collecting, sharing and acting on customer feedback faster, easier and less expensive. For example, software gives companies better ways to engage with customers for feedback, reducing dependency on manual approaches and taking advantage of digital innovations.
    Engage employees. The third role of software is to deeply engage your employees in CX. Regular use of software shrinks the ‘distance’ between your customers and your employees, making employees better equipped to empathize with customers and create value through better experiences. The data proves this. We’ve seen that employees who access VOC software features every week improve their CX performance at a rate of 2X compared to those who use it less often.

So where’s the disconnect?

Software does indeed play a very important role in the success or failure of VOC programs. The disconnect our industry is facing is that many companies think software should do things it can’t possibly do alone.

The truth is that VOC software by itself can’t, and doesn’t, produce results. By itself, it can’t drive financial outcomes, produce ongoing CX improvements or reduce customer effort. VOC software must be combined with CX strategy, process and user activity to produce successful outcomes – and when it does, the results are measurable and significant.

Look for my next blog post for tips and perspectives on getting the most out of your VOC software investment and your program as a whole – and check out our eBook, The Action Gap to learn how to create the right environment for a successful VOC program.

Image source: Getty Images

Vicki Reinhard
Vicki Reinhard is Director, Analytics Technology at Concentrix. She and her team are responsible for the design, development and management of ConcentrixCX Voice of the Customer software, which helps clients share and act upon customer feedback across all levels of their organizations. Vicki has over 15 years’ experience in Analytics technology.

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