The voice of the customer needs to be heard to determine product and service feasibility .
And finally , what is considered the most ‘ sanguine ’ responsibility of marketing , the Public Relations and Communications arm , under which more often than not events planning and management falls , should be the most keen to listen to the voice of the customer .
Communications is charged with the promotion of products and services to create a hunger that drives customers to procure . The communication materials , marketing campaigns and promotional initiatives , must speak to the customer in a ‘ language ’ that they not only understand , but feel compelled to respond to . Communications also often referred to as the face of the organization , need also to interface with customers in a way that elicits goodwill and brand connectivity .
To create this outcome requires that the communicator is aware of the preferences and to a large extent as well the eccentricities , of the target audience in order to skew the communication appropriately . Customers will indeed advise on their likes and dislikes when their feedback is appropriately solicited vide a VOC .
Marketing communication in itself must for sure be built around content that inspires customer curiosity . To have this then resonate successfully , insights into what works and what doesn ’ t work would form the basis of informed concept to creative output direction . By assessing customer profiles and understanding their needs , desires and orientation , the success of a communication campaign will be less likely to be anchored on unsubstantiated feel , but on customer data that provides direction .
In the same way , the PR machinery of any institution needs to run with ensuring the brand emotional
‘‘ The marketing team leadership must break down corporate strategy ( any strategy worth its salt will have a key strategic pillar on marketing ) into deliverable marketing objectives . The key revenue drivers for any marketing initiatives are market awareness and market uptake . To concretely establish both these elements , requires that the customer ’ s voice is heard , and incorporated to deliver what the customer wants .’’
engagement is at an all-time high through the strategic release of communication to the relevant publics . To create emotionally responsive PR activities that have customers endeared to the brand , requires that the activity and event planners are especially sensitive to customer needs .
Beyond the ‘ hardware ’ of PR communication and event planning logistics – targeted campaigns , e-shot streams , website uploads , above and below the line communication , and outbound lines on the communication side , and the ever challenging multiple supplier management and administrative coordination on the event side – the ‘ software ’ that is responsible for success is to have massive appeal to the customer .
One can only appear to appeal to another , when one is acutely aware of what makes the other person happy or has them draw closer . A carefully designed and executed VOC will definitely deliver these results .
That Voice of the Customer is a more engagement attuned version , or should we dare say effective replacement for the market survey is not in doubt . What will however , be responsible for all round strategic success , where value will be experienced at multiple points in the organization , is that the survey is well designed , executed in a timely fashion , is user friendly and relevant to a welldefined audience .
The ensuing post VOC questions that need to be carefully scanned through ahead of its execution , would need to identify where the results would be deposited post the survey , who the key recipients are and for what purpose the information is important , what sort of consumption would follow the study application , and in what format the outcome would need to be channeled .
The output from the VOC study when it boils down to weight , is actually more important than the VOC itself . To quote Benta Okinyi-Aseto Chief Executive Officer at Celcos Africa Limited “ What matters most is what comes next after the VOC is complete , what change does the organization want to experience after listening to the Voice of the Customer ? Does it resonate with the Customer - in a ‘ We Said , You Did ’ type of format ?” and that , dear marketers , is where the VOC / Market Survey rubber meets the road ….
Carolyne Gathuru is the founder and director of strategy at LifeSkills Consulting . She has several years of experience in customer experience strategy development and training . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail at : CGathuru @ life-skills . co . ke .