Preview: Voice of the customer

Mind the gap.

Six critical gaps affecting the “voice of the customer” system.

Here is a sneak preview of our session notes from today's Unit 2.03: Voice of the Customer (IQI Academy).

Key Takeaways

• Six critical gaps exist in VOC systems, affecting customer satisfaction and organizational effectiveness

• Understanding and addressing these gaps is crucial for aligning organizational processes with customer needs

• Practical examples demonstrate how these gaps manifest in various industries and impact customer experience

• Participants engaged in an exercise to identify and locate these gaps within a system diagram

What are the six gaps?

• Gap 1: Not knowing the "job-to-be-done".

  This occurs when organizations don't understand customers' core needs.

  Here is a general example followed by a real-world case study of when a company got it right.

  Example: Hotels allowing early check-in to address customers' desire for immediate room access

  Case Study: Toyota Prius design recognizing customers' desire to showcase environmental commitment

• Gap 2: Measuring the wrong "thing"

  Misalignment between organizational metrics and customer priorities.
  

  Here is a general example followed by a real-world case study of when a company got it wrong.

  Example: Call centers measuring call volume instead of problem resolution

  Case study: EDS/GM network speed metrics vs. actual user experience

• Gap 3: Misinterpreting the Customer's Voice

  Misunderstanding between actual customer needs and organizational interpretation
  

  Here is a general example followed by a real-world case study of when a company got it wrong.

  Example: Thinking customers want a drill when they actually want to hang a picture

  Case study: Amazon donating computers to schools vs. families needing internet connectivity

• Gap 4: Miscommunicating Customer Requirements

  Degradation of customer needs as they're translated through organizational layers
  

  Here is a general example followed by a real-world case study of when a company got it wrong.

  Example: Differing interpretations of "on-time" between customers and internal departments

  Case study: AT&T project completion metrics vs. customer expectations

• Gap 5: Misaligned Intentions

  Misaligned Quality Intentions and Processes.

  When there is a disconnect between organizational intentions and actual service delivery.

  This is often caused by uncoordinated departmental targets.
  

  Example: Car rental process complexities misaligned with customer needs

• Gap 6: Customer Satisfaction

  Customer satisfaction versus process gap. This is the difference between reported customer satisfaction and real progress in jobs-to-be-done

  • Danger of relying solely on survey responses for satisfaction data

  • Importance of observing customer workarounds and integrating various feedback sources