VOC Data + Conference Call = Engaging and Energizing?
How to Gather Thousands of Employees to Learn about Customer Experience Efforts
By: Jason Kapel, Director of VOC — Insights & Reporting & Aaron Wuollet, Senior Data Analyst for VOC — Insights & Reporting
“I need to learn more about our customers.”
“I just don’t have time to attend lots of meetings.”
“That email is too long to read.”
“This report is overwhelming.”“I feel disconnected to our company’s top objectives.”
Here’s a confounding contradiction: we’re overwhelmed with data, but hunger for more. How do we stay meaningfully engaged and informed about our customers without drowning in a flood of data and noise? As leaders and data evangelists, how do we provide the right message to the right people at the right time in the right way?
Cutting through noise is a perennial challenge, and storytelling is critical for translating amorphous data into actionable insights and communicating it to a broad audience. One way our Voice of the Customer (VOC) team does this is through a quarterly VOC call, launched in early 2021. As usual, we distill key findings from customer feedback. But more than that, we demonstrate how those findings translate into business decisions and actions that add value for our customers.
A compelling narrative is key to the VOC Quarterly Call. What we’re doing isn’t rocket science. But by taking the time to think about and test options for content, format, engagement, speakers, promotion and more, we have created an engaging call that stakeholders across the organization look forward to joining.
The story centers on our business partners and their customers. It isn’t about us on the VOC team or any of the important work we do to gather and analyze customer feedback. Instead, we ask business partners who are using our insights to share their stories of how they’ve improved the customer experience. The VOC team is in the background so that our customers, partners, and learnings are in the limelight.
The lineup varies each quarter. An Executive (usually a business-line President) engages in a kick-off interview and participates in an open Q&A (we provide ample time to answer questions). They share their unique perspective, and it’s great to hear execs talk about the value of CX in their business. Best of all, their participation draws more attendees because people want to hear directly from senior leaders. The rest of the call includes quarterly results and insights into specific businesses or functions. Other business partners share relevant stories and activities, often in a panel-style interview.
Keep it simple was our catchphrase. We found a format that works and are careful not to pack too many topics or too much information into a single call. And we use virtually no slides to ensure that the call’s focus is on the speaker and their story. The growth in participation and volume of positive feedback shows that simplicity works.
The platform we use for the call allows us to take full advantage of online meeting tools to incorporate video, live chat, and spotlight panels for speakers. Like a graceful swan, things look smooth on the surface with a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity propelling things along.
Spreading the word is critical to success, which starts with old-fashioned promotion. To name a few:
· Regular email newsletters
· Posting on the company intranet site
· Mentions at large townhall meetings
· Advertising on scrolling screens in the office
· Encouraging internal “influencers” to spread the word informally
· Incorporating artwork with a sign-up link in VOC team email footers
The engaging and energetic presentation prompts attendees to spread the word on their own after the fact. Most attendees sign up for direct calendar invites (it’s easy just to hit accept). And promotional efforts generate hundreds of new attendees each quarter.
Feedback and follow up are the bread and butter of VOC people. We don’t guess or assume what attendees thought of the meeting. We ask them. Along with structured scores (yes, we ask NPS — we can’t help ourselves), we solicit unstructured feedback. Here’s a sample:
“Very helpful to get these quarterly updates and to understand this additional method of receiving feedback as well as the results. I am involved in several related projects, so the information is pertinent.”
“This was my first time joining and as a member of the Finance community, it was great to hear what other areas are doing to advance Prudential strategic goals and grow the company. Looking forward to joining future sessions and spreading the word amongst the Finance community.”
“Super engaging, fast (but great) pace — and it felt really well orchestrated around data and business objectives. Great energy. Great insights.”
“Love seeing the data and hearing how we’re turning it into actions and results.”
“It was very informative, and I find that sharing this information helps our business practices.”
The results nearly speak for themselves. Call attendance rocketed more than twentyfold over seven quarters to 2000 attendees. Participants include the most senior executives in our Fortune 100 company. Most importantly, employees better understand our customers and the work to improve customer experience across the enterprise.
