The full version of this article appeared in Quirk’s Marketing Research Review; to download a PDF of the original, click here.
Having written an article last year about how not to conduct voice-of-the-customer (VOC) research, I’ve often been asked for the flip side: What are the right things to do when designing an effective program? A list of things not to do is scarcely much of a blueprint.
So far I have begged off (that is, practiced laziness) and advised doing the opposite of the seven deadly sins. After all, that is how the seven heavenly virtues originally were defined – as the converse of the seven deadly sins. I have always known, however, that positively specifying the to-dos to design an effective VOC research program requires more than simply passively avoiding the don’t-dos.
Absolution complete, here are the seven heavenly virtues of VOC research and why they are essential to the effective design, implementation and follow-through on any customer loyalty or customer experience research program.
Commitment: Your VOC program must be committed to meeting clearly-defined business objectives that direct the research and implementation.
Tenacity: Tenaciously maintain the focus on business objectives and customize the design and solution to best meet those objectives, given the situation, opportunity and practical constraints.
Steadfastness: Be steadfast in your focus on capturing the voice of the customer and what matters to customers.
Understanding: Understand and control the who, what, when and how to satisfy the why.
Equitable: Set fair and meaningful goals based on the data and the objectives.
Meaningful: Link to your financials and customer databases to quantify findings, drive change and improve.
Resolute: Be resolute in implementation: lead, communicate, action-plan, fund initiatives and remeasure.
To read more about the seven virtues – and learn what it takes to infuse VOC thinking into your company – download the full article.