What do you want from your VoC platform?

I am often asked ‘what is the best Voice of the Customer (VoC) platform?’ or ‘do you recommend platform X?’. My answer is always the same – it depends on your needs.

I am keen that CX Practitioners see themselves as customers when buying and using a VoC platform. Most of all I would like you to understand your needs and engage with the right vendors.

I review VoC platforms so I can help my clients choose one that meets their needs. And like any designer of a service, I need to keep up with your needs. So last year I asked CX Practitioners and Consultants what they need from a VoC platform. Almost as an afterthought I also asked if their current platform delivered.

I was surprised to learn that many CX Practitioners are not satisfied with their platforms. Consultants are also looking for greater functionality though were more cautious with their criticisms. Today I will attempt to answer the pressing question – why are so many CX Practitioners unhappy with their VoC platform?

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The survey results

The chart gives a feature-by-feature analysis. To generate these data, I asked CX Practitioners to rate 28 activities. These activities describe the VoC process of Gather, Analise, Share, Act and the support required to use platforms successfully. For each activity, I asked whether it is:

• provided by the platform
• good enough
• and if provided but not used, whether the respondent could anticipate a future use
• or missing

Respondents consistently considered only three activities good enough:

• Gather - multiple sources of feedback.
• Gather - import historical data.
• Analyse - determine sentiment (i.e., positive, neutral, negative) from feedback.

To be honest I don’t believe these activities deliver the best value of the Voice of the Customer.

The survey was small, but the response was unambiguous. At a platform level fewer than half of respondents felt provided features were good enough and a quarter felt features are missing. In fact only one platform was given an overall positive rating.

Six features drove those low scores as they scored very poorly – being missing or universally considered not good enough.

• Analyse - analyses speech and video.
• Share - specific topic reports, e.g., moments of truth.
• Act - support A/B testing.
• Act - demonstrate the impact of change.
• Support - the design and implementation of processes and roles.
• Support - change management.

The poor performance in the last five activities is particularly disappointing. It serves to remind us that text analytics alone are not a solution. We need to share and use insights to deliver and demonstrate value.

I am happy to share the full report with eglobis readers. Today let’s explore how businesses spend millions (collectively) on software that does not meet their needs.

Why are VoC platforms failing to delight?

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Of course, there is no single reason. While one respondent (a consultant) suggested the absence of a ‘cohesive Voice of the Customer strategy’, leads to ineffective platform usage I wanted to find out what colleagues think before making up my mind.

So I asked around, speaking with many people, some who completed the survey and others whose viewpoints always give me something to think about. Everyone I spoke with offered different insights into these findings, suggesting numerous reasons why the platforms fall short:

1. Perpetuating the fallacy that one number can tell a story and seeking to impress decision makers, platforms prioritise data presentation over actionable insights, to create ‘simple reporting’.
2. Looking for quick wins platforms often focus on the Inner Loop (resolving immediate client issues and engaging with detractors) rather than the Outer Loop (making systemic changes to prevent reoccurring issues). And not only is this quicker to results, it can be managed with cool integrations and upsells.
3. Exporting data to Business Intelligence tools often creates flat data that don’t reveal much. Is this a by product of attempting to keep clients within the app? Whatever the reason it makes deep analysis and storytelling difficult.
4. Platforms are not intuitive, relying on complex functionalities (often upsold) to deliver the value professionals need.
5. Few platforms create reports that guide non-specialists through the data and insights effectively enough to advocate for change. This is despite claims of data democratization, as stakeholders' needs and data literacy are not adequately addressed.

But is it simpler than this?

All images are generated using DALL-E and are the property of ECXO.org.

I have seen these observations in action. But I believe the primary cause of dissatisfaction is that businesses often purchased their VoC platform poorly.

To illustrate my point, I’d like to use an example of good practice highlighted by one survey respondent. She and her team manage Voice of the Customer manually. They are seeking to understand their company’s needs better.

In your personal life when you make a significant purchase like a house or car, you probably take a similar approach. You explore and list your needs. You ask others for potential pitfalls and advice. And you research the market. Yet, many VoC investment decisions lack this rigor. A consultant who emphasised the lack of a VoC strategy and the professional managing VoC manually highlight this issue.

During my research for this article a salesperson outside this industry said, “If someone offers to buy my product, I don’t talk them out of it. I know they might be happier if I did, but we are both pressured to make a quick sale and implementation. The regrets come later.”

For me, the survey results reveal buyer’s remorse.

How can you avoid buyer’s remorse?

All images are generated using DALL-E and are the property of ECXO.org.

The answer is simple. Act like a customer.

Understand your needs. Use the process ‘gather, analyse, share, act’ to structure your research and requirements.

Test whether a platform meets your needs. Ask to see a demo with your data, be careful to understand what behind the scenes work went on to train a data model. Ask someone who is expected to act on VoC Insights to the demo and ask if they get what they need from the platform.

Be really strong on those requirements. Salespeople are like politicians, they will give a plausible answer even if it is to a different question. Check your understanding. Can you play back an answer to your question? If not ask again, or eliminate a vendor from your shortlist.

Michelle is an independent consultant who delivers amazing business results. Since 1992, she has used customer feedback to influence products, services and touchpoints. She now reviews VoC platforms and helps clients develop and implement plans for the successful use of customer feedback. As a qualified mentor and hands on practitioner, Michelle helps CX Practitioners meet their personal and professional goals.