CustomerNeedsAssessment3.VoiceOfTheCustomerInterviewsOnthejourneytobecomingacustomer-drivenorganization,manycompaniesconductcustomersurveysand,indeed,surveysareanindispensablepartofanycompletecustomersatisfactionprogram.However,traditionalsurveytechniquesarebasically"numbers-driven"intheirapproachandintheconclusionstheyreach.Asaresult,customersbecomefacelessconsumersandresultsaresupportedbytheresearcher'scredo,"Youcan’targuewiththenumbers!"Unfortunately,youcan'tmotivateyourself,oranybodyelse,withthesestatisticallygeneratedentities.Thedetailandrobustnessthatcomesfromindepthunderstandingoftheopinionsofafewcustomerswhouse,sell,andbuythecompany’sproductsmaybelost.Forinstance,asurveymayindicatethatmanyofyourcustomerssaythatyoursalespeoplearenotresponsive.Whenquestionedina“VoiceoftheCustomer”program,youmayfindanindividualsalesrepresentativeisverygoodaboutreturningtelephonecalls,butayearagofailedtoacknowledgeorrespondtoanRFP.Thistypeofdetailismuchmoredifficulttouncoverinaquantitativesurvey.3.1AdvantagesofVoiceoftheCustomerInterviewsWhenthesituationcallsforin-depthinformationfromoneorafewcustomers,“VoiceoftheCustomer”interviewscancollectthisinformation.Therearesignificantbenefitsofthisapproach:·Customerdialogprovidesavehicleforexploringwantsandneedsthatcanbeobscuredintraditionalfixed-formatsurveysthatdon’taffordtheopportunityforfollow-upquestions.·Theemotional"feel"forthecustomer'srequirementsandthecompany’sperformancearecaptured,andhelpmotivatetheagentsofchangewithinthecompany.·Interviewresultscanblendwithtraditionalquantitativetechniquestofurtherenhanceresearchresultsandrecommendations.In“VoiceoftheCustomer”interviews,thethoughtsandopinionsofyourcustomersarenotonlyheard,theyareamplifiedthrougheffectivequestioningtechniques.Hereweofferanapproachtoconductinganeffectiveinterviewprogram.©1995ArthurAndersen&Co.S.C.,Allrightsreserved.3-1CustomerNeedsAssessment"Themostworthwhileintelligenceoftencomesfromthemorehuman,interactive,processofdiscovery-andthatmeanstalkingtocustomers!"3.2VoiceOfTheCustomerProcessThe“VoiceoftheCustomer”processoftenincludesemployeesinthemarketing,sales,orcustomerservicesfunctionsasinterviewers.Bycarefullyrecording,thenfullyutilizingthelanguage,experienceandstoriesofspecificcustomers,the“VoiceoftheCustomer”reportretainstheemotional“feel”forthecustomer’srequirements.Ratherthanlookingatapageofsanitizednumbers,a“VoiceoftheCustomer”reportpaintsavividandcolorfulpictureofhowyourcompanyperformsfromtheperspectiveofthecustomers.Afive-stepprocessisemployedinthe“VoiceoftheCustomer”approach.FiveStepVoiceOfTheCustomerInterviewApproachStep1:SelectingCustomersSelectkeycustomers&decisionmakerstobeinterviewed.Step2:InterviewingInterviewfromthegeneraltothespecific.Step3:TranscribingResultsTranscribewhileretainingthecustomer'swords.Step4:AnalyzingResultsGroupresultsintothemes&maptocompanyoperations.Step5:ImplementingChangesSharethefindingswiththecompany’sagentsofchange.Step1:SelectingCustomersThefirststepistoseekoutkeycustomersinthecompany’stargetmarkets.Inmostcases,©1995ArthurAndersen&Co.S.C.,Allrightsreserved.3-2CustomerNeedsAssessmentcompanieshavedifferenttypesof“customers.”Amanufacturerofcomputerchipsmayhaveascustomersbothoriginalequipmentmanufacturers(OEM’s)whousethechipsinassemblingcomputers,distributors,retailers,andenduserswhousethecompute...
