Listening to customers is one of the leading executive mandates for 2007. Various tools and methods are being used - Net Promoter initiatives, Customer Experience Management implementations, etc. The power of these programs is to give transparency to customer insight so any group, team or individual understands the pulse of the customer at any given time. While this holistic view of the customer is certainly a key benefit of VoC practice, the unification of sales, marketing and other business units is equally important and can be a significant accomplishment!

The collection of customer insight brings an organization together to address leading issues as a team – and respond to them with a single voice back to the customer. Critical for success is executive sponsorship and involvement across the organization that spends time listening and responding to the good…and the bad. The power of voice of customer programs not only gives invaluable insight into customer perception, but can also pull an organization closer together to make powerful, informed business decisions.

Kathleen McBride, Senior Consultant kathleen.mcbride@phelongroup.com