|
5. Voice of the Customer Research Brings Customer Insight and Concerns to Life. Your customers own words—their authenticity and earnestness—make their situation real and gets their points across in ways that a bar chart or a satisfaction index from a quantitative study just can’t by itself. From the power of what customers have to say, you can have more confidence in what direction to take, what you need to fix. And customers appreciate being listened to:
Scroll down for a sampling of what customers have told us over the years taken from five different Voice of the Customer research studies. We’ve disguised them to protect confidentiality. Our clients got these near verbatim transcripts along with an analysis of the situation, made more insightful by taking the time to ask customers WHY.
Customer A from a Major Company: We are so vested in working with them. It’s a good step to have had this interview. If they need additional refinement, please talk to us. (This company considered them a business partner and is very unhappy, but wants to make it work. They would not recommend right now.) Customer B from a Small Company: I think is important to continue to have a working relationship with them. Good to know they are not just there to drop off the product. It is very encouraging to see them go out of their way to ensure our happiness even after the bills are paid. (This company considered them a business partner and is really happy with them. When recommending, they would say that they had good after-sales support, but be prepared for long delays on accessories ordered later.) Customer C from a Small Company: Response time is a problem…if someone called me, I’d get it done or call and say I couldn’t. With them, you call them and wait. If you need budget number, you don’t want it in five days! (This company considered them a business partner and is happy with them. When recommending, they would say that they love the equipment, but it takes a while for them to get back to you.) Customer D from a Small Company: Anytime we have to order something from them, our people cringe. (This company didn’t consider them a business partner and is happy with them now. They had had problems earlier. When recommending, they would say how the product works is good, but the software has problems.) Customer E from a Major Company: We spend thousands of dollars with them. I needed 8 set screws, but they had to sell us 150 of them at $5 apiece. Other vendors just say, don’t worry, we’ll just send you what you need. (This company considered them a business partner and is happy with them, although there are a few details to iron out. When recommending, they would say the product is of high quality and easily modified and that they can get a hold of people.) Customer F from a Major Company: It is a pain in the butt to get parts and to get somebody on the phone. They haven’t done what I want, but nobody has…Getting in touch with the rep is fairly easy. If it’s something stupid like a part, it’s a waste of his and my time. This ought to be resolved in a day. (This company considered them a business partner and is happy with them. When recommending, they would say that they depend on them and that they are the cornerstone of our development.)
Client A from an Investment Firm: They are truly a partner in the business. I can call them and say, “Here’s the deal, here’s the yield.” They’ll structure it so we can close a transaction that will work for the investor and give us flexibility as well. Everybody we do business with becomes kind of a partner. So it’s got to be win/win. They take that desire and make it work. Everything is first rate. This extends to when a deal is closing. In that last 24 hours the paper flies fast. It is not unusual to be revising documents at 3:30 am. They are like a well-drilled team from the attorneys to the paralegals and secretaries who assemble the paperwork. Quite often they are ahead of schedule. I have had extremely good experience. I vote with my checkbook. Client B with a Personal Case: When they took over our case and connected with our adversaries, everything changed. They were respected. They have clout. In a nut shell, it became a very different confrontation with them representing us. We won the case. It was a great deal of money even after we paid them. And they were able to settle it so quickly that they reduced their fee. It empowered us and turned our world around. I think by starting the environmental foundation we have used it in a way they would feel proud. Client C from a Major University: We like people who are ethical and above board in their dealings. We are a public institution and that matters to us. They are very professional and very direct and honest, not just with us the client, but with the opposing counsel. We rate that highly. They set and adhere to a high standard. Client D from a Real Estate Firm: They’re smart lawyers who are well versed in general business. They’ll ask what we’re trying to accomplish with our new venture and work with us to put the right structure in place. They’ve been known to say, “That sound nice in legal language, but it will be impossible to implement. Let’s find a better way.” They are very practical, but protective without over drafting. They have some brilliant people on staff, but they don’t get lost in their own hyperbole. Client E from a High-Tech Start Up: They have helped us keep our nose clean legally and tax wise. In retrospect I am very glad we followed the advice we were given. We had all the documents in place and just the right stuff for the sale to the new owner—who did extensive due diligence. We were able to assign the equipment and the IP very cleanly. All the hoops were the right ones.
Here’s part of the interview with the customer most open to their plans: I wouldn’t hire a geotech firm to manage an asbestos project. They may have a qualified person, but he won’t have anyone to talk to. Asbestos projects are nice projects. They are deep ones that go on forever. The firm can get entrenched in the building. There are plenty of buildings out there. You can just sit down in (his city) and click off a number of buildings. These are large multi-year projects for somebody. From my perspective with a 200 million-square-foot portfolio I need to be really deep with a half dozen vendors. I have it with four and they are one of them. They need to decide whether they can make the money they need being the premier industrial hygiene firm in (his city) or not. We have IAQ, radon, industrial issues, lead paint. There are only a few who play in that arena. In USTs there are 200 plus the major companies. However, the data management idea can get your foot in the door. I have been bitching at everyone that I can’t get a vendor to write me a decent program. The software out there is directed at the manufacturing process or facilities management. It tells you to remember to resubmit the permit. Or it’s for the guy with one building, not how to manage a portfolio of buildings and somehow acquire and maintain all the information you need. Our portfolio has become large enough that it is a problem to keep track of and it is going to get worse. It would be a problem for anyone with 50 buildings. If the portfolio grows to 300, no way! We have a decent database manager, but typically there is no system in place in the buildings we acquire. I’d love to talk to them and see if there is a way to cross link with what we have online. I wouldn’t mind partnering with them.
Client A: Living with a disabled person wouldn’t make a difference to me. The older a person gets, we all have something or the other going on. Client B: I took care of my son who was a semi-invalid even when I was in a chair myself until he died. Now I have someone living with me and she has a dog. A real darling. My life has changed. When you have somebody to live with you, you don’t shut yourself up. You can have home health aides, but that’s different. I’m a fat old lady. I’m not so likely to stuff myself with food when I have somebody here. You keep a better mental attitude when you have another person around. Client C: I’d hate more than anything to lose my independence. I like sharing my home because I can do this on my own. I don’t have to have others do it for me. It feels good to do for myself. Prospective Client D: I think I would like to have a disabled person here. People are people. It would not matter. My mother always told me that you may not be able to do something for the people who help you, but do for someone else. Having someone to pay rent would help me a lot. My husband (who is disabled) would be okay if I go first. He gets enough money. But I would need help if anything happens to him. My daughter talks about selling or renting our house. (Interviewer note: She was very interested in this. She perked up like she had just been thrown a lifeline.) Client E: This young man is very quiet. He says I feel like a father to him and that there are a lot of things he’s learning from me. He respects my household “does and don’ts.” He has not had a lot of male input. We went to dinner together on Saturday. I didn’t expect that.
The firm had known it had a problem in marketing, but they were really surprised when their customers volunteered the sales and marketing expertise of the firm as an issue that affected them. The customers suggested various ways the firm could be stronger marketers. Their customers didn’t want to lose the services that our client was providing, but they were concerned that our client was about to lose the marketing game. It turns out their customers were right. Within a couple of years the company was purchased for its customer list and the modeling expertise they and their customers so appreciated was lost. Sad. Customer A from a Fortune 500 Insurance Company: Being slick would turn me off, but being more so than they are could make them more effective at getting business. They are so incredibly competent, but they don’t come across that way. They are too low key. I warn others when I refer them that they know what they are doing—and that they won’t try to sell you a used car! Customer B from a Fortune 100 Pharmaceutical Company: They might be a little bit more proactive in terms of anticipating my needs. They could have had an unhappy client if it had not been me because of the lack of hand holding. They put a lot on me to determine that the model is correct. They should say that we need X to be sure it is correct. More and more clients will be wanting more turnkey work. Their software could be more friendly. The new version coming out will help. Tell them I said I should get mine updated for free! It’s okay to share what I’ve said with them. I’ve been honest. My problem with them right now is a minor glitch. I recommend them to other people—especially those I have interfaced with. If I needed their service, I would use them again. Customer C from a Fortune 100 High Tech Company: The market model improvement and staying up to speed on methods would help. They may be doing that, but I don’t know it. On the market model, I hope you (he meant our client) darn well are able to generate graphics easily and that you use a graphics tool that is more compatible with ours. (Gave the name of their tool.) On the marketing side, a menu to help me talk about you that talks from a sales point of view. I would like lots of different short capsules of what you do so I could show them to a group of planners and other executives. Your customers’ experiences with what you do in an hour, not two days. I’d love to schedule that for you to really give my customers/clients an idea of what you do. You should have a menu that says if this is the problem, then this is the solution with our methods. Customer D from a Fortune 100 Manufacturer: I’m really stumped. The last two modeling exercises really impacted the management of the group. But there is still a stumbling block with spending $200,000 upfront instead of using the money another way, say on a $15-20,000 market research survey. Why is the higher cost one more effective? The other objection is that it takes the decision making away from people. I see that one expressed at all levels. They are afraid that the model is going to take over and make decisions for them. They don’t realize that it is a tool to provide a basis to think about what is going on. I could use some help with this—sales tools or help in explaining. If there were some way to help people like me sell it internally—maybe more examples of models or examples of other customers in a brochure or simplistic demo. Customer E from a Fortune 100 Manufacturer: A couple of things set them apart from other firms. They are extremely conscientious. I have never seen anything like it. They write everything down, call you back, document, and follow through. They are very, very well educated and bright. That’s why they charge so much. They are different from a market research firm. It is an unfair comparison. The caliber of the people they have working for them is truly amazing. I have worked with (named three major consulting firms). There is no comparison in terms of the caliber of their people, their integrity, and how they stay involved. It is okay to share all I’ve said with them. I’m extremely happy with them, their brain power, their integrity. I see so much garbage. It is refreshing to work with them. They are good business people. They know their stuff. I don’t know that I have given them that many compliments before, so I’m glad to do so now. Customer F Who Wanted to Remain Anonymous: I am satisfied, but if I wanted to go to somebody for real creative things—say I had a pile of worms and needed to sort it out—I wouldn’t necessarily go to them. I know that they know how to clear up a fog when things are ambiguous, but what I mean is more of a marketing consultative kind of role. Say we have some ideas about products and want to know how do to get a reaction from customers. We wouldn’t think of them for that. Not to ask, what do we do with this thing here; should we kill it or create a new _________. We have been kicking around the idea of getting some strategic help. We haven’t asked them because we don’t think of them that way. However, we’re open. (Interviewer note: I had mentioned that you are considering an alliance with a strategy firm and that stimulated the being open comment.) They know their software is a little unfriendly and I think they are spending time on it. I don’t know if they have made a decision on an East Coast office or not. At some point they have to realize that we don’t want to have to schedule a trip or pay them to come see us. It puts them at a disadvantage. Customer G at a Government Research Lab: It’s okay to share what I’ve said. I just think they are a very professional organization and in my opinion they are doing everything right. If I’d say anything, it is that they don’t push for themselves hard enough. They won’t get into a good fight like I will, even when they are right. They should speak up a little louder. Some absurd things can come up in meetings and they don’t take it on. They are too laid back in this respect. A lot of games are played in science. I think you go to the literature and that’s how you argue. I would be very surprised if anyone else you talk with has anything negative to say about them. Customer H at a Government Department: It’s not as simple as saying what we need. We need good comprehensive system methods, fairly complex models. There are not easy answers to hard problems. But people want sound bite solutions. On welfare, abortion. There aren’t any easy answers to big problems. It is sometimes a difficult sell to ask people to fund formal analysis. The answers seem so complicated. People lose patience if it is not easy to explain. This is a problem with decision analysis in general. They do as rigorous a job as possible and as mathematically elegant as the budget allows. To illustrate what I mean, here’s a story about my Dad. He was a furniture builder. If you asked Dad to put up a picture, it became a major production, in measuring it this way and that. That’s why when I have decision analysis done, I have a greater tolerance for the complexity than others. Customer I at a Non-Profit, Industry-Funded Research Lab: They don’t do much marketing. There’s opportunity here if they would spend more time with their clients. I’ve got a bunch of money, but I won’t search them out. They may be at the size and amount of work they need and that’s why I don’t hear form them. I could probably use them more. Most of my projects are not RFP, but are sole source. If they want the opportunity, they have to be more in contact. |
|
