Voice of the Customer

As the writer Christopher Morley once said, 'There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen.'

Obtaining customer feedback can give you vital insights into what your customers think of your company, product or service. But it goes beyond that. If your customers feel that they're part of the conversation, and that you value their opinions, they will be more engaged and far more receptive to your message.

So, whether you're planning a marketing campaign, looking to improve your customer service, launching a new product or looking to update an old one, the first thing you need to do is open your ears wide and listen to what your customers have to say.

We wrote an article all about Voice of the Customer. You can read it by clicking here.

What is Voice of the Customer (VoC) or Patient Voice?

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is a well-established customer feedback methodology. A good VoC initiative will help you read, hear or see how your customers really feel about your business, your products or your services, giving you insights that can help you fine-tune or even transform the customer experience. Patient Voice uses the same principles within clinical trials (where patient interviews and feedback can be anonymous) or healthcare.

Download the brochure here

VoC can help you to:

Improve your customer/patient experience.
Serve your customers/patients better.
Uncover/solve current/potential problems.
Improve your product.
Improve your service.
Improve efficiency.
Improve training.
Enhance your brand.
Differentiate yourself.
Create powerful messaging for marketing and sales.
Be more competitive.
Increase customer retention.
Increase sales.

How is VoC information gleaned?

Information can be gathered from various sources, including:

Live customer interviews.*
Focus groups.*
Customer surveys (online and in person).
Emails.
Feedback Forms.
Social media.

Word Ferret can help you with all the above by carrying out interviews* and producing the necessary written copy, email sequences, transcripts, articles, questionnaires, etc., to make your VoC campaign successful.

* See The Word Ferret 'Voice' interview/focus package below.

The Word Ferret 'Voice'
interview/focus group package

The customer interview is one of the most vital methods for gaining insight into what is important to those who use your service/product. A good interview will provide you with a solid understanding of how your customer feels about your business, products, services and support. It will provide feedback that highlights potential areas for improvement or development, flags any potential issues and may even provide ideas for new products or services.

Typically these interviews are performed with one customer/patient, but they can also be carried out with multiple stakeholders in the form of a focus group.

The process we follow is shown below.

Our four-step process

1. Briefing

To begin with, we will:

Introduce you to the Word Ferret process.
Discuss your requirements, goals and expectations.
Agree on the best customers to contact.
Agree on actions and timelines.

2. Preparation

At the next stage, we will:

Agree questions for your customer(s).
Conduct an initial kick-off call.
Acquire customer consent.
Schedule the VoC call date and time.
Send pre-agreed questions to your customer.

3. VoC session

We will then carry out:

A final pre-session call (if required).
The VoC video call.
Any post-session communications.
Where possible, we will collect customer metrics, such as ROI data, etc., further empowering you and your business.

4. Delivery

You will receive:

A debriefing call to discuss the completed VoC session
An original transcript or an edited version, or both.
A copy of the video
A biography and photo (if provided by the interviewee)
Delivery of selected documents (see below for examples)