Importance of Customer Feedback for Cx Improvement

I can't begin to tell you how often I get a call during which the person I'm speaking with says something to the extent of, "I've been running our Voice of the Customer surveys for years and nothing's getting better in those customer relationships." This, of course always results in me asking how they've worked toward changing their people, process and technologies to meet their customers at or above their expectations based on what they learned in that feedback? Surprisingly, the answer is almost always the same, "what do you mean?" Too many CX teams have been lead down the primrose path of overcommitting technology solutions as the magic silver bullet cure-all for all issues with their customers and do not put anywhere enough emphasis on the need to adapt and change, and to meet their customers, where they are, in their respective journeys at those defining moments of service. Indeed, I tell them that an overreliance on tech as that silver bullet is very much the same as an overweight person blaming their bathroom scale for their unhealthy condition. It's not the scale's fault they may overeat and perhaps get too little exercise, and until this changes, the scale won't report anything more optimistic. The moral of this short story is obvious. CX improvement may be powered by the customer's voice, but it is always a change management function. If we do not prepare to change our ways and continue to evolve our organization and how we do what it is we do, we risk not meeting our customers when and where they are looking for us and will indeed continue to disappoint. Ignoring the most basic need for adaptive change is akin to the famous Albert Einstein quote about his definition of insanity: doing the same things the same ways you always have but looking for a different (and presumably better) outcome. The odds, my friends, are against. We need to be willing to change, and in many ways, burn the boats from our past and free ourselves to find new and innovative ways to serve our customers when, where and how it matters to them. Until we do this and fully commit to transformative changes to practically every aspect of our business, we are truly only paying lip service to our customer focus and the experiences we create. It's a gigantic, missed opportunity for so many. Knowing how to change and using state of the art technology as a change enabler will prove to be key in this process. Having the right priorities, focus areas, and direction will have a positive, orchestrative effect and conversely the lack of the right analytics to guide this decision process will leave you sub-optimized or worse, functionally crippled. If I leave you with nothing more here, please consider customer experience as a change management job more so than simply a measurement one. We all need data to make our decisions, true point, but don't assume that just because you have invested in a state of the art NPS program, that this alone will be enough to make an impact.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿? It’s broken. Not because customers stopped speaking, but because brands stopped listening like it mattered. Surveys. Scores. Dashboards. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. That’s forced interaction. The modern customer isn’t waiting to be surveyed. They’re 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 - in chats, returns, reviews, support tickets, SMS threads, order cancellations, product reconfigurations, social media, dark social (Reddit, Discord, etc) But most “VoC programs” are still stuck chasing NPS trends while the business burns. Modern Voice of Customer = 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 It’s not about asking questions. It’s about 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 that 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘭, connects it to business outcomes, and triggers action. What You Should Be Measuring Instead: ✅ % 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 - How much of your incoming feedback actually maps to a real friction point, journey stage, or operational failure? ✅ % 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 - How many of those signals correlate with churn, CLV drop, conversion loss, or increased cost-to-serve? ✅ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲) - Not “61% negative.” But: “61% 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺.” “78% 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵.” That tells a story. That’s signal intelligence. ✅ 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 - What’s emerging fast? What’s fading out? Velocity = your 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘳. ✅ 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 How often is the same friction mentioned with no resolution? High friction fatigue = 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. Your brand becomes a broken record and customers stop playing. CX isn't a function of feedback. It’s a function of 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. You don’t need another dashboard. You need a listening architecture that fuels performance. That’s Experience Signal Intelligence. #UnfckYourCX #ExperiencePerformanceSystem  #ExperienceDesign #SignalIntelligence #CLV #VoC #NPS #surveys

Customers are speaking to you through data every day. Just as employees, we should show up to work as our whole selves each day; your customer should too. Beyond the periodic surveys that have long been our comfort zone. Every digital touchpoint, transaction log, and customer interaction offers insights that continuously shapes the CX landscape. The signals are clear, so relying solely on surveys leaves a significant portion of customer insights untapped. As CX leaders, it's imperative to integrate data from multiple channels to uncover the full customer experience. Traditional feedback tools provide a snapshot, but the real story is written in the everyday behaviors and interactions across digital and physical platforms. Analytics is the new way forward. Harnessing real-time data from operational systems, transactional records, and behavioral metrics empowers your company to understand, meet, and anticipate evolving customer needs. Organizations that are blending diverse data streams enjoy a competitive edge. This holistic view is essential for proactive decision-making. And adopting a multi-source data strategy enables you to pivot more swiftly in today’s dynamic market environment. Look beyond the survey; tap into the rich, complex dialogue your customers are engaging you in daily. These insights are critical for designing experiences that drive sustainable growth. PS: The percentages are based on my own observation and are not meant to be accurate. I am also sure I've left off categories. So if you turn this into a debate about either %'s or titles, you've missed the point.

I'd like to discuss using Customer Feedback for more focused product iteration. One of the most direct ways to understand customers needs and desires is through feedback. Leveraging tools like surveys, user testing, and even social media can offer invaluable insights. But don't underestimate the power of simple direct communication – be it through emails, chats, or interviews. However, while gathering feedback is essential, ensuring its quality is even more crucial. Start by setting clear feedback objectives and favor open-ended questions that allow for comprehensive answers. It's also pivotal to ensure a diversity in your feedback sources to avoid any inherent biases. But here's a caveat – not all feedback will be relevant to every customer. That's why it's essential to segment the feedback, identify common themes, and use statistical methods to validate its wider applicability. Once you've sorted and prioritised the feedback, the next step is actioning it. This involves cross-functional collaboration, translating feedback into product requirements, and setting milestones for implementation. Lastly, once changes are implemented, the cycle doesn't end. Use methods like A/B testing to gauge the direct impact of the changes. And always, always return to your customers for follow-up feedback to ensure you're on the right track. In the bustling world of tech startups, startups that listen, iterate, and refine based on customer feedback truly thrive. #startups #entrepreneurship #customer #pmf #product

Think about the best customer service experience you’ve ever had. The issue was resolved quickly, your input mattered, and you left with more trust in the organization. Now, imagine if government services worked the same way… This doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention. That’s what Closed-Loop Feedback (CLF) brings— it is an intentional operational customer experience framework based on industry best practice that ensures real-time responsiveness and long-term accountability to the people the organization serves. This has been the journey of customer experience team efforts that started under the first Trump administration— and there are great examples of agencies putting these practices in place and improving service delivery efficiency, billions in cost avoidance, reducing cost to serve, and greater impact to the public as a result. But so much more can be done, we have only scratched the surface… so much more can be done building on the foundations of goodness with this intentional approach… The Closed-Loop Feedback Model is an operational accountability framework that creates a continuous cycle of improvement, where real-time data drives decisions, inefficiencies are identified and addressed, and trust is rebuilt through transparency. 🔄 Micro Loop – Addresses feedback in real-time, ensuring that individual concerns are heard and resolved quickly. This prevents small issues from becoming systemic failures. 🚀 Macro Loop – Uses insights from frontline interactions to drive broader policy improvements, operational efficiencies, and service innovations. This ensures agencies evolve based on actual citizen needs, not just assumptions. By implementing Closed-Loop Feedback as part of its service delivery, government will: - Improve efficiency and effectiveness by streamlining services based on real user input. - Increase productivity by focusing resources on what matters most. - Enhance service quality through continuous iteration and innovation. - Strengthen public trust by demonstrating transparency and responsiveness. This approach modernizes government service delivery, ensuring agencies act on citizen needs. It is how we move from a reactive system to one that is responsive and proactively delivers better experiences, stronger infrastructure, and real impact for the people we serve. The future of government is citizen driven. Closing the loop builds trust and ensures the efficient and effective service delivery that citizens deserve. Thank you to all the dedicated government employees that have been part of this movement. #Leadership #Management #CustomerExperience #CX #ServiceDelivery #Accountability #Efficiency #Innovation #Modernization #Government

More CX programs are being cut, and the reason is painfully clear. Proving the impact of customer experience is easy when you look across industries. Studies from Watermark Consulting, Forrester, the Qualtrics XM Institute, and others consistently show that CX drives business growth. But here’s the catch: Your executives don’t care about cross-industry stats. They care about YOUR company, YOUR customers, and how CX impacts YOUR bottom line. The good news? It’s absolutely possible to connect the dots—and we’ve done it for our clients. The key lies in uncovering how changes in customer behavior—like growing their business with you—tie back to your CX data. Take an insurance company and its agents as an example. There’s always variation: some agents are growing their business with you, while others are shrinking. The question is: why? Here’s where CX data becomes invaluable. Don’t just rely on high-level metrics like NPS or overall satisfaction. Dig deeper into your driver questions and text analytics to uncover what sets the growing customers apart from those who are stagnant or leaving. For instance, we helped one insurance company discover that agents who reported issues with the commission process (not the amount, but the process) were far more likely to shrink their business or leave altogether. In a manufacturing company, we identified that customers with unresolved complaints placed significantly fewer future orders. The truth is that CX is directly linked to business value, but it’s up to us to prove it. This requires more than survey data. You need to integrate financial, behavioral, and operational data to reveal the full picture. Once you do, you can demonstrate the impact of CX and take meaningful action to drive growth. CX isn’t optional. It’s the difference between companies that thrive and those that stagnate. Let’s make sure your organization understands that. #CX #customerexperience #ROI #CXROI

Every piece of customer feedback is an opportunity to build trust or break it. I came across this fantastic article by •Shep Hyken about how companies lose customer trust by ignoring feedback. Shep shares his own recent experience with a company that sent him a satisfaction survey after a less-than-ideal interaction. He provided detailed feedback, offered his contact information for a follow-up, and... heard nothing back. This silence was a trust-breaker. I was shocked to learn that 72% of customers never hear back after filling out a survey, and 71% assume no changes will come from their feedback. The lesson here is clear: Follow-through is key. Even an automated response showing customers their feedback has been received can go a long way in maintaining trust. This a great example of why responding to customer feedback isn’t just good practice—it’s crucial to long-term customer loyalty.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗫 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗘𝘆𝗲-𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 Part 1 of 2 🌟 Customer centricity is more than just a buzzword—it's about focusing on learning and operating around customer needs. I was eager to make a real impact when I joined a financial institution with a "customer-first" mantra. But it wasn't long before I noticed a disconnect between our mission and reality. Curious, I conducted a CX Audit. What did I find? Twelve siloed streams of customer feedback data were underutilized, costing the company €250,000 annually! Despite the rich data we collected, we weren't using it to inform product, process, or journey designs. This was a wake-up call about how important it is to not just collect data but actively integrate it into decision-making. 🔍 Curious to know more? Read my article on this experience. #cutomerexperiencemanagement  #banking  #business #management CX JS Consulting

5 out of 100! That’s how many dissatisfied customers will actually complain about their experience. And that’s across the full range of contact mechanisms: face-to-face, phone, email, chat, social, and beyond. That means that for every complaint you see, there may be 19 OTHER PEOPLE who had the same problem, but chose to say……nothing. And THAT means that unhappy customers? They are actually your MOST IMPORTANT customers, because they are willing to speak up about how your business is disappointing them. Customer complaints are not your biggest problem….ignoring them is. And the technology to turn feedback into actionable insights and customer experience optimization has improved a ton. I did a demo of Chatmeter the other day, and it’s way, way better than what we were using for reputation management even five years ago. Comprehensive organization of unstructured data from social, reviews, other third party data, even your own custom surveys. Proactive flagging of issues and insights. The opportunity to use natural language queries and get super detailed answers (thanks, AI!). For example, you can just ask the platform “hey, do we have any issues with bathroom cleanliness at any of our stores?” and it instantly surfaces all the relevant reviews, social posts, et al and organizes them by location. Reputation is a lot more nuanced and important than it used to be. And that makes it a big and tough beast to wrestle. But Chatmeter and others in the category are doing an amazing job taking a LOT of data and making it easily accessible, sortable, and actionable. If you care about your customers - and if you’ve read this far, you do - let’s use 2025 to listen even harder to the 5% who actually complain. They will give you the map to customer experience improvements. #LocalSEO #LocalSearch #ratingsandreviews #customerfeedback #Chatmeterpartner

There’s a lot of negativity around NPS, but I still believe “feedback in many forms is a gift.” Even if someone gives your brand or performance a negative score, it means they care enough to share insights that can help improve the customer experience and your professional growth. Sure, it may sting, and there are always trolls, but most positive or negative feedback can make an impact. Completely ignoring feedback by not asking for it is a missed opportunity to learn and grow. Here are a few tips for collecting (and leveraging) customer opinions in B2B SaaS and as a professional: 1. Ask up front: During kickoffs, clarify what success looks like at the end of onboarding and a year from now. You’ll establish clear metrics to track. 2. Follow-up post-onboarding: Call the same people back and show them what was accomplished. Ask for their feedback on the process, celebrate wins, and align on the next quarter and year’s goals. 3. Leverage surveys: Not everyone feels comfortable sharing feedback in a group setting, so offer a private survey option. 4. Review internally: Make time as a team to review the feedback, discuss improvements, and support each other in continuous growth. (Not enough teams take this step!) Too often, people see feedback as a personal attack. That’s just your ego getting in the way. Instead, I encourage you to approach feedback with curiosity. It’s the voices of your customers that will ultimately make you and your products better. What’s your take—do you see NPS and other feedback channels as a gift or a burden? #customersuccess #NPS #saas #CX #growthmindset