🎧 Stop #2: Your Customers Are Talking. Are You Listening?

"We filled out three feedback forms and nothing changed. Why should we bother telling them anymore?"

I overheard this comment during a customer interview, and honestly, it felt like watching someone toss hundred-dollar bills into a paper shredder. If customers don't believe you're listening, they don't just stop giving feedback - they stop being customers.

💡 Listening, Decoding, and Acting: The Real Role of Voice of Customer

Voice of Customer (VoC) strategies have transformed how brands capture feedback, but here's the thing: true impact lies not in the listening itself, but in decoding the meaning behind feedback and developing action plans that solve problems at the root.

This ties back to our last stop, "Nice is Fine but Kindness Drives Results": Kindness in business means more than being pleasant, it's about taking meaningful action to show customers they are heard and valued. It's the difference between nodding sympathetically when someone tells you they're lost versus actually walking them to their destination.

My First Experience with VoC: The Trendsetters at Avon

Before VoC was even a thing (or had its own fancy acronym), I got my first taste of it at Avon through a group we called "Trendsetters." Think of them as our secret weapon - representatives who provided early feedback on products before they were introduced in an official campaign.

The Trendsetters weren't just offering opinions; they were giving us a glimpse into what worked and what didn't before the wider launch. This early feedback loop taught me that VoC isn't just about hearing what customers think, it's about understanding their needs before they even realize them.

I remember one particular fragrance launch where the Trendsetters gave us mixed feedback on the scent profile. Now, we could have just tweaked the fragrance and called it a day (the obvious fix, right?). Instead, we dug deeper and discovered the real issue: our marketing was creating expectations that the product wasn't delivering.

We ended up completely repositioning the product with new messaging that matched what customers were actually experiencing. That fragrance? It became one of our best sellers, but it would have been a flop if we had just "listened" without really hearing.

🙋 Am I Doing This Right? A Quick VoC Self-Check

Before we dive in further, let's do a quick reality check (because who doesn't love a good self-assessment?). Ask yourself these five questions:

1️⃣ Do you gather feedback across multiple touchpoints (not just those automated "rate your experience" emails)?

2️⃣ Can you trace feedback to specific operational issues in your business?

3️⃣ Does feedback directly inform product improvements, or does it just sit in a dashboard looking pretty?

4️⃣ Do you actually close the loop with customers who provide feedback?

5️⃣ Is VoC data regularly reviewed by leadership across departments (not just customer service)?

If you answered "no" to more than two questions, your VoC program likely has room for growth. Don't worry - most companies are in the same boat, rowing with just one oar and wondering why they're going in circles.

Listening Beyond the Surface

VoC is more than collecting reviews, social chatter or running surveys. The real value lies in identifying hidden signals:

Returns data can reveal dissatisfaction customers may not express in surveys. That's right — sometimes what customers do speaks louder than what they say.

Customer care tickets uncover recurring issues like confusing instructions. If your support team is repeatedly explaining the same feature, that's not just a support issue - it's a design problem.

Even evergreen products can experience a dip in performance - analyzing trends in recent reviews highlights emerging issues. That 4.5-star product might actually be a 3-star experience for your most recent customers.

These insights help brands dig deeper into the "why" of feedback, uncovering root causes behind the frustration.

"The most valuable customer feedback often comes from where you're not explicitly looking."

🚘 The Honda Civic of Metrics

Remember our Honda Civic discussion from the first article? Let's apply that thinking to VoC metrics. Some metrics are reliable workhorses that get you where you need to go, while others are just flashy status symbols (think overall star rating or NPS) that don't actually improve your journey:

Focus on metrics that reveal actionable insights rather than those that just look impressive in a PowerPoint deck. The best metric in the world is useless if you can't tie it to a specific action.

🌟 When Listening Actually Changed Something

Let me share a quick story about a company that got it right (names changed to protect the innovative):

The Setting: A household electronics brand was experiencing a higher-than-normal return rate on a new product line, despite strong initial sales.

The VoC Discovery: By analyzing customer care calls, they found that 73% of product returns weren't due to defects but to setup confusion in the first 48 hours of ownership.

The Root Cause: The quick-start guide used technical jargon and buried a critical setup step on page 4. The product worked perfectly — if you could get it set up correctly.

The Cross-Functional Solution: The product design team simplified initial setup requirements; marketing created video tutorials; the packaging team added a QR code linking to setup assistance right on the front of the box.

The Result: 56% reduction in returns within 90 days and an 18% increase in positive reviews mentioning "easy setup."

This wasn't just about fixing instructions; it was about understanding that the customer's journey doesn't end at checkout - it's just beginning. Which is exactly what our Afterbuy Experience philosophy is all about.

🙋 The "Buy-In Before Homework" Trap

I see a lot of articles that start with "Step 1: Get leadership buy-in and assign an owner." Let me be blunt: that's backwards. Trying to get leadership buy-in before you've done the diagnostic work is like asking someone to fund your surgery before you've had any medical tests.

Here's the reality: executives don't invest in vague concepts like "improving VoC." They invest in specific, evidence-based solutions to quantifiable problems. The conversation goes something like this:

What won't work: "We need to improve our Voice of Customer program. Can you assign an owner and allocate budget?"

What will work: "We've identified that 65% of our returns are due to setup confusion, costing us approximately $1.2M annually. Our analysis shows that by redesigning our onboarding process, we can reduce returns by 40% within 90 days. Here's our implementation plan and how we'll measure success."

The first approach asks for faith; the second provides evidence and a clear return on investment. Do the homework first, then the buy-in follows naturally. This is why root cause analysis isn't just a nice-to-have step - it's what transforms VoC from a feel-good initiative into a business imperative with measurable outcomes.

And here's a secret: when you've done this level of diagnostic work, you often don't need to fight for an owner, people will volunteer because you've created a roadmap to success that they want to be part of.

🔍 Digging Deeper: Addressing the Root Cause

Services that specialize in VoC, such as Revuze (a platform I'm personally partial to, as I sit on their advisory board), are invaluable for gathering and analyzing feedback across diverse channels. They can provide insights into customer sentiment, detect emerging patterns, and most importantly recommend actions based on the data they aggregate.

However, the magic doesn't stop there. VoC data alone cannot solve operational challenges, it takes human oversight and cross-functional collaboration to turn these insights into meaningful change. It's like having an amazing diagnostic tool that can tell you exactly what's wrong with your car, but you still need a mechanic to fix it.

For example:

• A VoC tool might highlight frequent complaints about replacement parts availability, but it won't identify that the root cause is operational - such as parts not being ordered alongside finished goods or inventory systems being out of sync with customer demand.

• Sentiment analysis could reveal dissatisfaction with product durability, but understanding that the issue stems from a supply chain shift in materials requires internal expertise.

This is where brands must step in. To address the root cause, teams need to integrate VoC insights with operational realities like inventory management, process optimization, and customer communication strategies. Tools like Revuze can map out the "what" and "where" of customer frustration, but uncovering the "why" and executing the "how" depends on a broader commitment to action.

🏢 Breaking Down Silos (Without a Sledgehammer)

One of the biggest roadblocks to effective VoC implementation is departmental silos. You know, those invisible walls where teams say, "That's not my problem" and customer insights go to die.

Here's how different departments need to play together in the VoC sandbox:

When these departments collaborate regularly around VoC insights, organizations can move from reactive problem-solving to proactive experience design. Think of it as preventive maintenance instead of emergency roadside assistance.

📝 "Dear Valued Customer, Please Take Our 17th Survey This Month"

In our eagerness to gather feedback, brands risk overwhelming customers with constant surveys and requests. I recently bought a pack of socks and got a feedback request. SOCKS, people. I'm not sure what insight they were hoping for beyond "they cover my feet adequately."

Consider these approaches to collecting meaningful insights without creating survey fatigue:

1. Targeted timing: Request feedback at meaningful moments, not after every interaction

2. Rotation strategy: Alternate which customer segments receive requests

3. Progressive feedback: Start with one simple question, then offer deeper engagement options

4. Passive listening: Analyze support conversations, social mentions, and review sites

5. Show impact: Communicate how previous feedback led to specific improvements

   
   

   "Customers are more likely to provide feedback when they believe it will lead to meaningful change."

   
   

They're not filling out surveys for their health - they're doing it because they hope you'll make their experience better. Don't disappoint them.

🗺️ A Practical Framework: The Voice of Customer Action Plan

Effective VoC strategies combine the strengths of data-driven insights with operational agility. Here's a step-by-step framework that incorporates VoC tools while emphasizing root cause analysis:

By marrying VoC insights with root cause analysis and operational context, brands can develop solutions that are both impactful and sustainable. Or as I like to think of it: stop putting band-aids on bullet wounds.

🔄 Closing the Feedback Loop: The Critical Final Step

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of VoC is closing the feedback loop with customers who took time to provide insights. This step transforms feedback collection from a one-way extraction to a genuine conversation:

• Acknowledge receipt of feedback promptly (and no, an automated "Thanks for your feedback" doesn't count)

• When possible, share how their specific feedback influenced decisions

• Communicate broader changes inspired by collective feedback

• Follow up to confirm improvements addressed their concerns

  
  

When Chewy follows up after a customer mentions a pet's passing with a handwritten condolence note and flowers, they're demonstrating the ultimate form of listening. They're not just collecting data—they're connecting humanly. That's not just nice; it's the kind of kindness that builds lifetime loyalty.

📌 Beyond Metrics, Toward Action

Unlike traditional conversations around VoC, which often center on selling tools or services, this approach is different. It's not about just collecting data; it's about empowering organizations to connect insights with action.

VoC services can illuminate the path, but they won't walk it for you. The true value of VoC lies in its ability to inform decisions and drive change that addresses both the customer's needs and the brand's internal constraints.

By focusing on root causes and building robust action plans, organizations can elevate VoC from a tool for analysis to a framework for transformation.

Remember, even the most sophisticated VoC tool can't fix a broken process or a misaligned strategy, that's where human intelligence and cross-functional collaboration come in.

Just like Springfield appears in multiple states (as I mentioned in our last stop), effective VoC shows up throughout your organization. It's not confined to customer service or relegated to product development, it informs every aspect of your business.

🗣️ Moving Beyond Metrics

VoC isn't a process, it's a commitment to customers. It's listening, decoding, and acting with purpose. By addressing root causes and building robust action plans, brands can transform feedback into loyalty and trust.

Are you still sending surveys and gathering data but not making meaningful changes? Or are you ready to move beyond metrics and start making a difference?

Because kindness isn't just about hearing, it's about understanding, responding, and proving through action that customers matter.

Join me next week as we explore the next stop on our Afterbuy Experience journey: "Know Thy Customer (Even When You Don't)." We'll tackle how brands can deeply understand their customers even without direct relationships.