VoC + VoE = The Winning Equation
Employees are the ones who build trusted relationships with customers – who communicate with them every day, pick up on unspoken cues, receive immediate feedback and notice common issues that arise.
Too often, though, these valuable insights go unnoticed. Many traditional feedback programs treat the customer and employee as separate channels, focussing solely on the voice of the customer and their experience (VoC) or the voice of the employee and their satisfaction levels (VoE).
What’s missing is the informed perspective of employees who are actually with customers as they are experiencing services. This direct relationship is not only rich with insight, but pivotal to shaping an organisation’s culture.
By keeping VoC and VoE in silos, organisations aren’t able to access ‘on the ground’ feedback about the service they provide. They also miss an opportunity to support staff members, and empower them to provide a better customer experience.
The value of VoCE
Organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of both the voice of the customer and employee, with VoC and VoE programs becoming far more integrated than ever before.
A new perspective – the voice of the customer through the employee (VoCE) – is emerging: a practical method that seeks feedback from frontline employees regarding key elements of the customer experience.
We’re already seeing that combining VoC and VoE into a new program has two clear benefits for many organisations.
Benefit #1: better customer insight
Employees offer a view into customer experience that organisations may not be able to get from feedback forms alone. By asking team members what they think will make customers happier, organisations gain knowledge about how people really feel about their overall service offering.
Employees are also able to recognise patterns in customer experience, such as issues that continually arise over time, certain themes that emerge from feedback, and whether there are common pain points in service provision.
This can help organisations understand which underlying processes are failing, and act to resolve issues faster.
Benefit #2: more engaged staff
Studies reveal organisations that actively engaged employees lead to 233 percent higher customer loyalty rates. Furthermore, employees that feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work.
The connection is clear: motivated and engaged team members are in a better position to provide a service that customers are happy with.
A strong VoCE program is a powerful way to show employees that you’re listening to them and supporting them. If they are involved in the implementation of better customer service, they will feel like they hold the power to drive real change and build a better more customer centric culture.
In summary
By combining VoE and VoC in one program, you can gain valuable insight through the perspective of your employees. Then as a second step, analyse the data provided to drive continuous improvement and deliver better outcomes.
Done right, this can help you refine practice, create aspirational change and hone both your employee and customer culture for the long-term.
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