Strategic Value from VOC Platform

VoSi platforms have strategic power in three key dimensions: business management, data collation, and data analytics. In business management, VoSi can be used to convince stakeholders to invest in infrastructure upgrades by showing the impact on revenue. It can also align teams by providing a single source of truth. Defensively, VoSi can act as an early warning system by tracking competitor sentiment and helping companies stay ahead. It can also build CX influence by empowering teams with real-time customer feedback. In data collation, VoSi goes beyond surveys to gather data from social media, online reviews, customer service interactions, and call center notes. Data analytics is important to turn raw data into actionable insights, and a strong CX director is crucial for success. Sharing insights with different departments and regularly demonstrating the impact of VoSi can help build a customer-centric culture. Data collation involves identifying potential sources of feedback and ensur All right, so today we're diving deep into VoSi platforms. But not just like the basics, we're talking about how to unlock their strategic power. Right. You know, you really went all in on the source material for this one. Yeah. So I can tell you're serious about making VoSi a real heavy hitter in your business. It's like you've got, you know, a garage full of these high-performance vehicles, but you're ready to move beyond just admiring them. You want to get them out on the open road. I love that analogy. So the source material lays out three key dimensions where VoSi can deliver real strategic value. Yeah. And those are business management, data collation, and data analytics. Right. This isn't just theoretical, right? You've seen this play out in the real world. Absolutely, yeah. Like this framework is super useful because it shows you just how multi-faceted the impact of a really well-executed VoSi program can be. It's not just about, like, you know, collecting feedback. It's about using it to make things happen. Okay. So give me an example. Where have you seen business management through VoSi really move the needle? One that comes to mind is this mobile operator I worked with. They were really struggling with customer churn. Okay. They had a hunch. It was because of their network coverage, you know, his body in some areas. Yeah. But the board, they were hesitant to invest in upgrading the infrastructure. Classic show me the money situation. Exactly. But this is where their VoSi platform became key. They were able to use it to pull together all the customer feedback related to network quality, zero in on the problem areas, and then show how those problems were directly impacting revenue. So it's not just about having the data. It's about knowing how to use it. Exactly. You've got to speak the C-suite's language. Yeah. And that's ROI. You got it. Okay. So they went to the board with a very data-driven presentation. Exactly. A clear case. That showed them, look, this is going to cost you more in the long run if you don't do this. The cost of inaction was way worse. And it worked. They got the funding. Why? Upgraded the network. Churn went down significantly. That's business management through Voki. That's a perfect example of how persuasive data can be when it's used the right way. It takes the guesswork out of it. Yeah. Data-driven decisions. Okay. So that's one piece of business management. Right. But there's more to it, right? Yeah. Like what about getting everyone on the same page? Yes. Aligning teams around a single source of truth. That's where silos start to come down. Exactly. Okay. Give me a story. I worked with this company and their marketing team. They were convinced this recent campaign was a huge success. Okay. Meanwhile, customer service is drowning in complaints about the product they were promoting. Oh no. A total disconnect. A total nightmare. But they brought in a Voki platform. Smart. And it bridged the gap. Both teams could see the same real-time customer feedback. No more arguing. They could see the disconnect with their own eyes. The Voki platform was the neutral ground. Exactly. A single source of truth everyone could agree on. Which is crucial. Absolutely. If you want to get everyone working together towards the same goal. Happy customers. Couldn't have said it better myself. This is fascinating stuff. Right. But I feel like we've just scratched the surface of business management here. We've got more. I want to hear about how Vosa can be used defensively. Yes. You know, against competitors. And how it builds influence for the CX team within the organization. Let's do it. So in today's business world, it's like everyone's trying to poach your customers. Right. You've got to be on guard. So how can Vosa be used defensively? It's an early warning system. Okay. I'm thinking of this company. They were tracking social media sentiment and they noticed this pattern. Their competitor, this new company was getting a lot of praise for a specific feature. Ah, I see where this is going. And it just so happened to be something this company already had on their roadmap. But they hadn't gotten to it yet. Right. They hadn't prioritized it. But the Vosa data was clear. This was a weak spot. Because your customers are already asking for it. Exactly. And the competitor was already delivering. So they were able to get ahead of it. They fast track development. It's got that feature out there. And they made sure to communicate directly with their customer base. Love that. Transparency. So the competitor, they kind of lost their momentum. Because you turned a weakness into a strength. Precisely. Wow. It makes you wonder what other opportunities are hidden in those customer conversations. That's the thing about a well-designed Vosa program. It offers all sorts of things. Okay. So that's defense. Right. What about building CX influence within the company? So that's the other piece of business management. Because it's not enough to just have the insights. You've got to be able to act on them. And to do that, you need to empower your teams. Give me an example of that. So let's say you give your sales team access to real-time customer feedback. Okay. They're about to do a pitch. They can see what people are saying about the product. What the objections are. Going unprepared. Exactly. It's almost unfair. Right. To have that level of insight. It can really give you an edge. Okay. So we've covered business management. We have. There's still data collation and data analytics. Two big ones. Let's move on to data collation. Because without the right data, we're kind of sunk. It all starts with casting a wide net. I like that. Be a detective. Gather evidence. Okay. You don't want to rely on just one source. So we're talking about going beyond surveys. Surveys are good. Don't get me wrong. But they're just one piece of the puzzle. Right. A snapshot. Exactly. You need the full picture. So what else are we looking at? Social media. Online reviews. No. Customer service interactions. Those can be a goldmine. Even those notes your call center agents jot down. Really? Those scribbled notes? They can be surprisingly insightful. Give me an example. Remember when we talked about Erickson and Fultz? Yeah. They were sitting on this mountain of call center notes. Didn't even realize it was valuable. What did they do? They used text analytics to sift through it all. And what they found was amazing. Tell me. There was this one issue with their onboarding process. Yeah. Customers kept calling with the same questions. Because the instructions weren't clear? Exactly. It was a simple fix once they knew about it. And that reduced churn, I'm guessing? Oh, yeah. Wow. So data collation is about finding those hidden gems. It's about embracing the messiness of customer interaction. I like it. And once you have all that data. Then what? That's where the fun begins. Data analytics. That's where you turn raw data into something you can actually use. It's like you've got this shiny new VoC platform. You're gathering data. But then what? Right. It can't just be a fancy data graveyard. Exactly. You need to make sure it's actually being used. So what's the key to avoiding that? Having a strong CX director. Okay. And we're not just talking about someone who oversees the platform, right? No. They need to be a real advocate for the customer. Within the organization, yeah. They're the ones keeping the C-suite engaged. Making sure everyone understands the value of VoC. They're like a conductor. I like that. Making sure everyone is playing in tune. And just like a conductor needs their orchestra. A CX director needs a good governance structure. So that's things like clear roles, processes, communication channels. Exactly. You need that foundation. Otherwise it all falls apart. And that leads to another best practice. Making it easy to share the data. Because it's no good if it's just sitting there in a silo. Right. Insights are only valuable if they're shared and acted upon. So you don't want to just give everyone free reign. Right. You need that balance, accessibility, and control. Like maybe role-based dashboards. Exactly. So marketing sees what's relevant to them. Product sees their stuff. And so on. Love it. And then there's building CX influence. So that's where you really start to change the company culture. Exactly. Making customer experience everyone's responsibility. Give me some practical tips on how to do that. One thing is to regularly share those customer insights with different departments. Okay. So not just, hey, we have a Volci program, but look at what we're learning and how it's making a difference. Exactly. Show them the impact. I love it. Proof that it's working. And the more you do that, the more buy-in you'll get. Okay. So that's business management best practices. Right. What about data collation? So we talked about casting a wide net. Finding all those hidden gems of customer feedback. Right. So start by identifying all your potential sources. And don't forget about those less obvious ones. Exactly. Call center notes, customer service, emails. Social media, all that good stuff. It's like piecing together a puzzle. I like that analogy. The more pieces you have, the clearer the picture. Makes sense. And then data quality. Right. Because garbage in, garbage out. Exactly. You need accurate, consistent data. So how do you make sure of that? Data governance. Clear guidelines for how you collect, store, and manage everything. Especially when it comes to customer privacy, right? Absolutely. That's non-negotiable. Okay. So we've got our data. It's clean. Now what? You need a place to put it all. A data lake. We touched on this earlier, but give me the deep dive. Think of it like a giant repository. Right. You can store all kinds of data in there. Structured, unstructured, everything. Exactly. It's different from a traditional data warehouse. How so? It's more flexible. Okay. You can store data in its raw format and then decide how you want to analyze it later. So it's like having all the ingredients laid out before you even start cooking. I like that analogy. Okay. So we've got our data lake. Now what? Now it's time for the real magic. Data analytics. I have to admit, this is the part that intimidates me a little. I get it. It can seem daunting. Like I need a degree in data science. You don't need a degree, but you do need to ask the right questions. Okay. So start with the business questions you're trying to answer. Exactly. What are you trying to learn? Because otherwise you're just lost in a sea of data. Precisely. It's like having a map before you start a journey. Love that. And you need the right tools for the job. So some data literacy is helpful. It definitely helps. Okay. What else? Don't be afraid to experiment, try different approaches, see what works best for you. So be curious, be creative. Exactly. And remember, it's an iterative process. You're constantly learning and refining. Precisely. It's not a one-time thing. It's about creating that culture of data-driven decision-making. I'm going to set it better myself. This has been incredible. It's a big topic. We've covered so much, but I feel like we've just scratched the surface. There's always more to learn. That's the truth. But the most important thing- Yes. For us to see, it's not just about the technology. It's a mindset. Exactly. You're putting the customer at the center of everything. Using their feedback to make better decisions. And when you do that, amazing things can happen. I love that. That's a great place to end it. I agree. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us today. My pleasure. To our listeners, thank you for joining us on this deep dive into the world of Voci. Until next time, keep those customer insights flowing.