In this piece, we walk you through the most effective voice of the customer research methods used by experts, as well as tips to get the most from all your research.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Let\u2019s get on with it.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What are the most effective voice of the customer research methods?\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Of the 90+ experts we talked to, the majority use customer surveys<\/strong> and<\/strong> feedback forms<\/strong> to learn about their customer\u2019s voice.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Other popular methods include online reviews (76% use them), social media listening (68% read comments, posts, etc.), and gathering comments from sales and customer support communication (54% do that).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Email check-ins and phone interviews are next, followed by exploring forums, in-person interviews, video call interviews, and in-person comments trailing at the end.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But how effective are these methods?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The most widely used customer research method, customer surveys and feedback forms, are also rated as the most effective method (29%). Video call interviews are the second most effective method for voice of the customer research (26%).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A handful of experts noted that online reviews (14%) and in-person interviews (11%) are also effective. Only 2% thought email check-ins are most effective.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n For more about what types of customer surveys to send, check out our articles on Net Promoter Score (NPS) questions<\/a> and other customer satisfaction surveys<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div><\/div>\r\n For research to be effective, however, we know it’s not enough to just do it once. Customers change.<\/p>\r\n So how often do other marketers conduct voice of the customer research?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The majority 33% conduct research monthly, while 27% make it a weekly task. Another 26% prefer conducting research quarterly, with 10% researching only once every six months.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now, on to the meaty bits: What are actionable ways you can best leverage a voice of the customer program? We gathered 18 tips from top experts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Researching your customers\u2019 thoughts should always be two-way, with you on the other end, prodding them to share more details. To this end, a mix of surveys (one-way communication) and live chat with interview calls (two-way communication) is ideal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mikkel Andreassen from Dixa<\/a> is a fan of the latter. Andreassen shares, \u201cMy best tip is to use live chat, or any form of two-way communication, when reaching out for VoC information.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The reason? \u201cYou want to allow customers to describe their experience in detail, with a live agent on the other side. This way the experience isn\u2019t stagnant, such as a routine email survey, and more interactive for the customer in every way. Conversational data analytics can then turn these conversations into accessible digital data that you can analyze.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n While templates help you save time, these can also clog your conversation \u2013 preventing it from taking a natural course. Not to mention, template-based questions can make the entire conversation feel robotic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ditch template-based questions, as LeapVista<\/a>\u2019s Steve Tan suggests. Instead, \u201ccraft questions that fit your VoC research objective.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIf you\u2019re using survey forms<\/a>, for example, don\u2019t simply reuse the same form over and over again. Create a specific goal every time, and ensure the questions you\u2019re asking \u2013 ideally a blend of checkbox and open-ended questions \u2013 are relevant to that goal behind the survey.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For every round of research, go through your objective and jot down fresh questions that help you meet this objective. But remember: The goal is to use those questions as an outline or guide to help direct the conversation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWhile you\u2019re conducting primary research and attempting to better understand the market, one of the worst mistakes you can make is relying on \u2018Yes\u2019\/\u2019No\u2019 style questions,\u201d observes Anil Ramsey from ChairsFX<\/a>. These closed questions \u201ccripple your qualitative data and give you a lot less to work with.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To gain the most customer insight, ask open-ended user testing questions<\/a> that put your customer into deep thought and prompt them to share details.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You can also see them as \u2018how\u2019 or \u2018what\u2019 style questions, as Ramsey points out.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Dan Barba<\/a> echoes the same. \u201cTo make the most out of your customer voice research, you need to give your audience a chance to elaborate on their thoughts fully and in detail. Avoid \u2018Yes\u2019 or \u2018No\u2019 questions as much as you can; they\u2019ll only take you so far.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ronnie Teja of SoftwareKeep<\/a> advises you to first set the mode of the conversation, and then slowly taking the tempo up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWhen asking questions, start broad,\u201d says Teja. \u201cDon\u2019t start by being too specific. You might be surprised if for once you thought customers are more concerned about your customer service, yet their main concern is about the packaging.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n ScrapingBee\u2019s<\/a> Kevin Sahin has another type of question format you can easily work into your VoC strategy.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It looks like this: \u201cAsk your customers how they\u2019d describe your company in three words.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThis sentiment is very telling of how well you\u2019re servicing your audience. You can average the results and come out with the most frequently used three words to structure your audience matrix.\u201d says Sahin. \u201cOf course, sentiments can change month by month \u2013 that\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to keep on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Using a three-word method, you can also identify the words that your customers use to describe your business. Then, use those words to write your website and landing page copy. This way, you\u2019ll be accurately describing your business in the way your customers do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n According to AJ Brown from LeadsRX<\/a>, rushing customer interviews can make them feel nervous or uncomfortable.<\/p>\r\n In contrast, your primary goal is to make a customer feel comfortable as you can. It\u2019s only then that they\u2019ll open up to you and share their honest thoughts (in detail) with you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cGive it time,\u201d Brown shares. \u201cRushing through a phone interview will make the human on the other end feel uncomfortable. This will undermine the basic trust required to answer questions honestly, fully, and with full consideration. No valuable insights are ever gained from ten questions run down in five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There\u2019s a lot you can learn simply by digging into what your customers are saying about you on social media. In fact, 96% of dissatisfied customers<\/a> are less likely to complain to you and more likely to share their experience with 15 others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Veronica Miller from VPNoverview<\/a> observes that social listening gets you an \u201chonest, unfiltered view of your customers\u2019 feedback by monitoring how they feel about your brand and product when they aren\u2019t speaking directly to you.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What\u2019s more, \u201csocial listening, like survey questions, will help you recognize consumers with whom you\u2019d like to perform a more in-depth voice of customer study.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Timmy Yanchun of LTHR Shaving<\/a> notes, social is an excellent channel \u201cnot only to discover how your customers feel about their purchases, but to engage with them and learn even more.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Social listening allows you to keep tabs on what customers are saying. Then, connecting with them allows you to have a more casual and real-time interaction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You\u2019ll also find invaluable insight into the customers’ experience in online reviews.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In fact, Rochelle Burnside from Best Company<\/a> goes on to say \u201cthe most authentic customer sentiment comes through reviews, and that\u2019s why you should be organizing your reviews by complaint and compliment, and compiling data on feedback trends. This data can be what sells a new direction for your product research<\/a> or reinforces your value proposition.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Everlasting Comfort<\/a>\u2019s Travis Killian agrees. \u201cPay special attention to online reviews, as that\u2019s what consumers are doing before they make a final purchase,\u201d Killian attests. About nine out of ten consumers read reviews<\/a> before they make a purchase, which highlights the need to pay attention to them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Not to mention, \u201cthis is research you can easily find with a click. By replying to online reviews, you can discover even more about how your customers feel about their purchases.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In addition to social media and online reviews, there\u2019s a third platform that\u2019s useful for getting a complete picture of your customers\u2019 sentiment \u2013 online forums.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n WinIt<\/a>\u2019s Ouriel Lemmel recommends to \u201cget active on forums and communities where your customers gather and congregate. As a business owner or marketing team, you should have a firm grasp on the type of customer you\u2019re catering to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cFor example, our business focuses on helping people dispute parking and traffic tickets, so we know our buyers are drivers and car owners, typically living in urban areas. It\u2019s important to answer this question for your own business first and foremost: Who is your ideal customer? What kinds of people would your product or service appeal to?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Once you\u2019ve got the answers to these questions, go on to take the next step: \u201cVisit forums and communities where your ideal customers gather and talk to each other. This could be Facebook groups or forums on sites like Reddit.com that are similar to your industry or niche.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But be careful. Your goal here isn\u2019t to sell your business. It\u2019s to \u201cengage in conversations and pick up on how customers talk. Learn about different vocabulary and lingo they use. This will help you develop an understanding of your ideal consumer’s voice, and you can use your own web copy and advertising materials to replicate that voice,\u201d says Lemmel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Brian Turner from Convert Binary<\/a> applauds visiting forums too. Particularly, Reddit. Sharing his experience, Turner writes, \u201cOne of the greatest methods I have for understanding what my customers are thinking is to trawl through forums to see their conversations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “A lot of the time the copy that we use comes directly from the customer\u2019s mouth, which is indescribably valuable. It ensures that we are talking to our target audience in their voice.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s also crucial you don\u2019t limit the number of market research tests you run. On that note, you should \u201chave a balance between in-person interviews and wider surveys,\u201d observes Jill Canes from Face Forward Medical Aesthetics<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cData collection from in-person interviews may not be representative of the wider base of customers. Surveys and social media are important to understand how representative the views of individual customers can be for the wider audience.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Carol Tompkins from AccountsPortal<\/a> is on the same page. \u201cLeverage multiple sources of customer data in order to get comprehensive insights about your customers\u2019 expectations and needs, and what they are saying about your product and brand.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Caravan Digital<\/a>\u2019s Chris Ostergaard adds to this by pointing out, \u201cWhen conducting surveys, customers will not always respond naturally or truthfully to questions about your brand. So while surveys are extremely valuable, you should also collect data when customers are unaware they are test subjects.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ostergaard lays out the process: \u201cOnce you\u2019ve gone through your internet reviews and social comments, you should be starting to get a sense of your voice of the customer. Now comes the issue of getting it just right.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “A strategy that has always proved to work is A\/B testing. Some of the tests we routinely run involve testing using comedic versus serious language, and active versus passive language.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “Conduct these tests at different stages and touchpoints of the customer journey. If the customer is more or less familiar with your product or services, they may react differently to different language styles. After every test you run, you\u2019ll be getting a little closer to getting the voice of the customer exactly right.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to run a vast number of tests, as they cut out speculation entirely! You’ll be able to report back exactly what customers prefer at different points.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Besides conducting lots of tests, make sure you\u2019re researching your VoC data and metrics regularly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThis ensures the voice of the customer is ingrained into core business processes and that the business is constantly acting on new customer feedback<\/a> to improve,\u201d reasons DealA<\/a>\u2019s Oleg Segal. \u201cGet feedback regularly and have a process for analyzing customer data and making decisions to improve the customer experience.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now with your data, it\u2019s also essential you understand the criticism your customers share.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This can be hard. But \u201ceven if your brand is your baby and you don\u2019t love hearing criticism about it, it\u2019s important to remember a brand is nothing without an audience,\u201d says Kate MacDonnell<\/a> of Coffee Affection.\u00a0\u201cEven if you don\u2019t love what you\u2019re hearing from a consumer, it’s important to have an open mind about what they\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Jeff Shipwash from Shipwash Properties LLC.<\/a> adds: \u201cTo grow your business, you need to understand the data that is working, and the data that is not working, Expand on the good feedback, and correct the negative feedback you get from your customers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “You need to truly value each conversation you have with your customers. This is one area of business that cannot be \u2018winged.\u2019 If you start to wing it, you will ultimately lose control of your own brand.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It\u2019s also essential you \u201cmake sure your surveys, feedback forms, emails, and other customer support avenues are seamless, simplified, and customer-centric<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0 says Lily Ugbaja from Finding Balance<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cFor example, instead of asking customers if they would do a repeat business, ask about customer satisfaction and if there’s anything more they would have wanted.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n According to Felly Day of Felly Day VA<\/a> , recording all customer calls is essential for learning things from an observational point. In fact, something that didn\u2019t click when you were on the call with the customer might do so later as you watch the recording.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cI might decide something the first time while we\u2019re talking, but when re-watching from an observational point of view, I notice different points that were made (or weren\u2019t made). And that\u2019s when I have the breakthroughs in my copy,\u201d Day elaborates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Always \u201cprove that the customer voice is heard and valued,\u201d says Jennie Lee Montgomery from EPOCH Clemson<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Montgomery shares her company shows its appreciation by \u201cresponding promptly and personally to both positive and negative reviews and social media comments, creating and communicating an action plan based on results of our resident experience surveys, and following up to any email, phone system<\/a>, or in-person feedback with the appropriate measure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThese responses encourage customers to give genuine and frequent feedback because they are assured their feedback matters and is meaningful in creating a positive experience with our product.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Building relationships with your customers is the key to success here. Not only does it get your audience talking, it also drives customer loyalty<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cKeep an open line of communication with the customer so they feel comfortable sharing their feedback. Do so by checking in frequently,” says Golda Criddle from ReviewInc<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIt is also important to have many different ways customers can leave feedback. For example, provide texting, email, and private feedback as channels of communication.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At Bobbie<\/a>, Kathryn Schwab shares how they work on strengthening relationships with their customers. \u201cWe\u2019ve aligned our marketing, sales, and customer success teams to focus on customer relationships. We rely on customer relationship management (CRM) software to keep track of existing customers, improve customer retention, and automate communication.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWe have found HubSpot CRM to be extremely helpful for our business. It has helped us to become more proactive in communicating with our customers and it provides insight to what messages and marketing are the most effective.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Methods](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-05-05_17-42-03.png\" "\\"\\"")
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<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n18 top voice of the customer research tips<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1. Leverage two-way communication<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
2. Get rid of template-based questions<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
3. Ask open-ended questions<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
4. Start broad<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
5. Use the three-word method<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
6. Never rush customer research<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
7. Pay attention to social listening<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
8. Check out online reviews too<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
9. Hang out where your audience does<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
10. Run lots of tests and balance them<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
11. Make customer research a regular thing<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
12. Be open to criticism<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
13. Make everything customer-focused<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
14. Record the calls<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
15. Value your customer\u2019s voice \u2013 and make sure your customer knows it<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
16. Focus on customer relationships<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
17. Hire a third party for the research<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n