FOR THE VOC ... IS ABOUT LISTENING I . E ., UNDERSTAND- ING THE MESSAGES THAT THEY [ THE CUSTOMERS ] ARE COMMUNICATING .
LISTENING TO THE CUSTOMERS
For the VoC is not about hearing what customers are saying . Instead , it is about listening i . e ., understanding the messages that they are communicating .
1 . COLLECTING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
• Collect customer feedback using surveys , customer service interactions , and other methods .
• Gather input from various customers , including demographics ( age and income ) and segments ( internal and external customers ).
DESIGN THINKING PRINCIPLES
Recently , I had the opportunity to use design thinking principles , which I believe is another way of listening and creating solutions that help improve processes .
This is how I used design thinking to develop an application to generate notes based on the agent ' s input .
1 . Empathize . I began by immersing myself in the world of agents and customers , seeking to comprehend their pain points and needs . Conversations with agents and call center leadership unveiled the recurring issue of incomplete notes during insurance policy updates , leading to return calls and misdirected ticket transfers .
2 . Define . Armed with insights from the empathy phase , I honed in on the problem . Namely , agents often overlooked collecting essential information during customer calls for insurance updates , resulting in incorrect ticket routing and urgency levels .
3 . Ideate . The ideation phase ushered in a range of potential solutions . I explored three options - MS Excel , Adobe Acrobat , and MS PowerApps - as applications to assist agents in capturing notes . Each route was considered without judgment .
4 . Prototype . Transitioning to the prototype stage , I realized that Adobe Acrobat was not viable , while MS Excel and PowerApps held promise . Opting for Excel due to its speed and user-friendliness , I meticulously designed a template . It featured essential fields , visible prompts , and two buttons : generate and copy notes to the agent ' s clipboard and reset all fields .
5 . Test . Pilot testing with a small group of four agents revealed issues with the Excel template . Complications arose concerning macros when emailing and downloading . Despite these setbacks , testing provided good insights .
6 . Iterate . With the feedback from testing , I iterated on the solution , shifting to MS PowerApps . After refining and retesting , the application was deployed to the rest of the call center . The result ? A reduction in call-backs and rework , alleviating the noted pain points .
This example of design thinking demonstrates how we can generate meaningful solutions , bringing processes in line with the requirements of agents and customers .
2 . ANALYZING AND ORGANIZING
• Analyze and organize the feedback systematically by categorizing it to identify patterns .
• Utilize sentiment analysis tools to gauge the overall sentiment of the feedback , if possible .
3 . PRIORITIZING AND SEGMENTING
• Prioritize feedback based on its impact on your business goals , frequency , and sentiment .
• Consider creating a matrix or scoring system to rank feedback items in importance .
• Segment your customers based on demographics , behaviors , or purchase history .
• Analyze feedback for each segment to understand customer needs and preferences .
4 . UTILIZING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA
• Integrate quantitative data , like survey ratings and numerical data , with qualitative data , such as customer comments , to better understand .
5 . PLOTTING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
• Understand the customer journey and identify touchpoints where customers enjoy or encounter pain points . ( Also see Infographic ).
FOR THE VOC ... IS ABOUT LISTENING I . E ., UNDERSTAND- ING THE MESSAGES THAT THEY [ THE CUSTOMERS ] ARE COMMUNICATING .
6 . BENCHMARKING AND USING CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS
• Benchmark your customer feedback and satisfaction levels against industry standards to gain insights into your competitive position . • Create a cross-functional team from members of various departments , such as marketing and customer service , to understand what is happening , good or bad .
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