….And How to Go About It
Congratulations! Your organization has established a disciplined Voice of Customer (VoC) program and is committed to creating customer experiences that set you apart from the competition. Your C-Level executives are setting customer-centric goals and priorities; listening posts have been established to gather critical feedback; a cross-functional team of champions is dedicated to closing the loop with customers and ensuring they are successful; and key drivers of customer loyalty are being emphasized as crucial components to your company’s long-term growth. What’s missing?
How about a powerful name? A VoC program that drives results is undoubtedly a competitive advantage. For maximum impact, your VoC program needs to be marketed internally and externally with a branding strategy that’s as thoughtful as the one for your products and services. Why? Referring to your program as simply a Net Promoter Survey (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction program does little to excite people, which means it could fail to engender passion and inspire results. Brand promises say something. What does your VoC program name say to your customers? Does it communicate any value to employees or customers? Does it inspire results or merely reference data gathering?
Getting Started
A results-driven VoC effort doesn’t begin and end with a survey, or any other form of feedback or metric. It is a continuous process that embodies your organization’s culture, aligns with your company’s guiding principles, and supports desired outcomes. A compelling name for your VoC program should convey what you stand for. Here are three questions to consider when getting started:
- What are your business objectives? Before you set upon a VoC branding strategy, your business objectives must already be clearly defined. If not, then pause and consider exactly what your organization wants to achieve. What are you striving for? Increased retention? Greater loyalty? An effective VoC program should ensure that everyone in the organization is focused on clearly-defined objectives. Thus, the name of the program should focus on these objectives as well.
- What are your cultural objectives? In addition to your business objectives, consider the cultural impact you are looking to affect. The name of your VoC program should convey everyone’s inherent marching orders in their day-to-day activities – regardless of their individual role or department function. It needs to speak to everyone – and everyone should be in a position to embody and further the spirit of the message.
- What should your VoC branding convey? Consider that the name of your program calls attention to your organization’s stance on customer-centricity. It sets expectations for both employees and customers as to the role of the program. Make sure it sends a simple, yet strong and unambiguous message.
Making the decision to brand your internal VoC program is the easy part. Developing something that is fun, yet also conveys commitment to a serious cause, is the challenging part. Here’s where your employees can make a big impact. Don’t forget to enlist their creative feedback in this process. Ask for their suggestions in developing a name, a tagline, or logo. You’ll not only receive some great ideas, but it will also serve to increase employee enthusiasm and commitment to your VoC principles.
Promoting Your VoC Program
Once you have crafted a memorable brand name for your VoC program, and one that aligns with the goals of the business, it’s time to promote it! Take what you’ve created and socialize it extensively throughout the organization using a variety of venues, including:
– training manuals
– social media
– intranets
– presentations
– signage monitors
– corporate swag
Keep in mind that anything your team will see and interact with on a daily basis presents an opportunity to reinforce a shared commitment to the company’s VoC efforts.
Remember, if executed properly and promoted as carefully as your products and services, a disciplined VoC program is a distinct and powerful competitive advantage. So give it a name that’s worthy of all your hard efforts.
Contact us to learn how we can help your organization brand its VoC efforts.