By: DaveAgius

February 12, 2012

The real image of your performance is like a panoramic photograph. One angle doesn’t capture the entire picture.

In today’s .com world, , move at the speed of light world, customers have many choices when it comes to spending their money.     If you want to earn repeat business, you’ve got to be sure that customers are experiencing your best side each and every time they interact with your team.   It doesn’t matter if they are at your store, on the phone or visiting you r website, if you want to earn their long-term business,   you have to be sure that you are meeting or exceeding their expectations.

Like any other construction project, building customer loyalty takes a   careful and well thought out measurement   strategy.   There are two elements that go into painting a complete picture of your team’s performance.     One aspect is subjective feedback or Voice of the Customer (VOC) data. Voice of the Customer will help you determine how well your team is meeting your customer’s expectations.   Typically, this information is captured through comment cards or web/telephone surveys.

The second component measures performance against your own standards.   We call this factor Voice of the Process (VOP).   VOP data will help you quantify, measure and track how well your team is delivering on the policies, philosophies and guidelines that make your brand unique.       Our mystery shopping programs are the primary method we use to gather VOP data.

Which is more important? That’s easy: Both.   The two elements complement each other and their value is greater when they are used together rather than separately.

Customer feedback is important because it keeps you in touch with the level of service that your customers expect.   This data can also be used to track shifts in consumer attitudes, preferences and behavior.     When viewing customer feedback it is important to remember that your customers wants and needs are not always in line with your business model or philosophy.

Your operating principles, guidelines and philosophies can be quantified   with data   gathered   through the mystery shopping process.   These reports will allow you to quantify and track your team performance as it relates to how you want thing   done.

The marriage of VOC and VOP data creates a powerful tool that will allow to stay in touch with your customer’s wants and needs while tracking your team’s performance against