The average consumer now spends most of their time on mobile devices. As a result, more companies are shifting their focus to mobile apps. Being part of the mobile ecosystem brings you closer to your customers than ever before. However, it also means you are at the mercy of the trends and innovations in the mobile space. 
This shift has redefined how companies communicate with their customers. It requires a different approach compared to online, in person, or on the phone.
The expectations, needs, and wants of your customers can quickly change based on other innovations in the mobile space. That’s why understanding the Voice of the Customer (VOC) is so important. VOC can change quickly, even if you’ve done nothing to change the experience of your app. As a result you need to start being proactive in getting to know your customers.
What is Voice of the Customer (VOC)?
Voice of the Customer (VoC) has become a standard business term. It describes the process of collecting data on customer expectations, preferences, and dislikes. We typically conduct VoC market research studies when releasing new products, services, features, or designs. These studies help gauge customer sentiment regarding the new or changed items.
The key to a truly effective VoC program is continuous data collection from your customers. It’s important not to rely solely on feedback gathered during a release or update.
When customers share their feedback in real-time, they expect you to listen and act on it. It’s crucial to respond to them promptly to meet these expectations. Responding helps build relationships and encourages your customers to talk to you again in the future.
The Voice of the Customer includes answers to questions like:
- What do your customers like?
- What do your customers not like?
- What do your customers want?
- How do your customers feel about the customer experience?
- Why do unhappy customers feel the way they do?
- How do specific cohorts of customers feel in comparison to each other? (i.e. loyalty program members versus non-loyalty members)
- Why do certain customers churn?
Why does the Voice of the Customer matter?
Retention is one of the largest problems for mobile apps. Customers can easily switch apps if they’re frustrated or encounter problems. By the time they’ve left a review in the app store to provide you with feedback, it’s already too late.
By being in tune with the Voice of your Customers, you can take several steps to boost satisfaction and loyalty. This helps ensure that your app remains their preferred choice, even if issues arise. A thorough understanding of the Voice of the Customer enables companies to boost revenue by reducing churn, fostering customer loyalty, and enhancing overall customer experiences. Let’s dive into each of those:
Reduce churn
Listening to your customers lets you identify those at risk of leaving before they do. By maintaining a keen awareness of the voice of the customer, you can anticipate behaviors and intervene before it’s too late. Utilizing the right tools to monitor sentiment shifts can reveal when satisfied customers suddenly become dissatisfied or when unhappy customers remain disengaged. This insight lets you focus on these groups and implement targeted strategies to re-engage them before they depart for good.
Enhance loyalty
Loyal customers are invaluable; they not only contribute to your revenue but also help drive customer acquisition through positive reviews and referrals to your mobile platform. But do you know what drives loyalty among certain customers? Can you identify why some join your loyalty program while others do not? If you have answers to these questions, that’s excellent—you’re equipped to make informed product and marketing decisions. However, if these questions remain unanswered, it’s essential to start gathering VoC data now.
Guide product decisions
In-app mobile feedback provides crucial insights for product managers and leaders, highlighting areas of the user experience that need attention. Collecting this data in real-time allows you to identify and address errors or bugs before they escalate into bigger issues. It also helps prioritize your product roadmap, ensuring that the most critical areas are addressed first.
Voice of the Customer template
The following matrix will help you make sense of the Voice of the Customer and the qualitative direct feedback you’ve gathered through mobile surveys, ratings and reviews, and social media.
Direct feedback: Outline the direct, verbatim feedback you received from your customers here.
Request: Distill the feedback down to the bare bones of what the customer is asking for or needs.
Solution: Outline the way in which your team can address the request whether it’s a new feature or something smaller.
Priority: Identify if this request makes sense to incorporate into your product roadmap or perhaps pass along to your mobile marketing team. Make note of that here.
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 |
| Direct Feedback | Request | Solution | Priority |
| I can’t log into the app after the latest update. I’ve reset my password and it still doesn’t work! | Cannot log in despite login reset | Identify login bug and fix | High |
| There’s nowhere for me to easily track my order. | Want to track order directly in-app | Add feature for tracking orders directly in-app | Medium |
| The buttons on the menu are too small for my fingers, so I can’t use this. | Make menu buttons larger | Redesign menu buttons to be more easily-accessible | Low |
| Prices are too high! | Want lower prices | Reduce price of items available in-app | N/A |
What does a strong VoC program look like?
A Voice of the Customer program is a defined process of capturing, analyzing, and acting on data about customer expectations, preferences, likes, and dislikes.
A strong Voice of the Customer (VoC) program encompasses much more than just periodic NPS surveys. An effective VoC strategy incorporates various feedback methods and includes these four key steps:
- Capture and Collect VoC Data
- Analyze Feedback: Identify trends and assess sentiment.
- Take Action: Utilize VoC insights to meet customer needs and desires.
- Close the Feedback Loop: Communicate with customers to inform them that their feedback has been acknowledged and addressed.
1. Capture feedback
The first step involves gathering a wide range of customer feedback through various channels. This may include mobile surveys, ratings and reviews, and other feedback channels. By employing diverse methods, companies can capture a more holistic view of customer sentiment. The goal is to create multiple touchpoints where customers feel comfortable sharing their opinions, ensuring that feedback is not only abundant but also representative of the customer base.
2. Analyze feedback
Once the in-app data is collected, it needs to be analyzed to extract actionable insights. This involves identifying patterns in the feedback, such as recurring suggestions for feature improvements or common complaints about usability. Additionally, assessing sentiment—whether it is positive, negative, or neutral—provides deeper context to the feedback. Utilizing text analysis and sentiment analysis tools can help process user comments efficiently, allowing teams to pinpoint specific areas within the app that require enhancement or adjustment.
3. Take action
The next step is to translate the insights gained from in-app feedback analysis into tangible actions. This could involve refining user interfaces, adding new features, or improving existing functionalities based on what users have expressed they want. By prioritizing changes that directly address user concerns or desires, companies can significantly enhance user satisfaction and engagement. It’s crucial to align these actions with overall app development goals to ensure that improvements resonate with users and enhance their overall experience.
4. Close the feedback loop
The final step in a successful in-app VoC program is to close the feedback loop by informing users that their feedback has been heard and acted upon. This communication can take various forms, such as in-app messages, release notes highlighting changes, or updates on upcoming features that stem from user suggestions. Closing the feedback loop not only reinforces the value of user input but also fosters a sense of community and engagement within the app. When users see that their opinions lead to real improvements, they are more likely to remain loyal and continue providing valuable feedback in the future.
By following these four steps, companies can create a robust VoC program that not only enhances user understanding but also drives meaningful improvements in the overall app experience and business outcomes.
Are you ready to build your VoC program?
Now is the time to be proactive and invest in the tools to give your company a direct line to your customers. A Voice of the Customer program will look different for every organization. What matters most is that you have a system and process in place to capture, analyze, and act on the wants, preferences, and needs of your customers.
Your customers want to be heard, so why not listen!
Alchemer is here to help you in your VoC journey, and we have all the tools necessary to help you collect, analyze, and act on VoC feedback.
If you are ready to create or improve your own Voice of the Customer program, and want to see how Alchemer can help, request a demo today.
Not quite ready for a demo? That’s ok too, we’ve got some more resources for you to checkout!
- Customer Stories – See how our customers have used Alchemer to elevate their VoC programs.
- Alchemer Digital – Learn how we help organizations engage with their customers and collect feedback via mobile apps and websites.
- Alchemer Pulse – Learn how our AI text analytics solution uncovers hidden customer insights and transforms those insights into business impact.
