Voice of the Customer (VoC) methodology is generally regarded as the best practice in customer research and our approach to Voice of the Customer research is called Voice of the Customer Analysis (VoCAl). VoCAl:
- Focuses on the identification of problems or issues of importance to the customers. This means identifying areas that have practical significance as opposed to statistical significance. The result is a highly focused set of improvement priorities that can be used to establish an effective product or service change agenda for the organization.
- Provides solid analysis of both numerical and quantitative responses as well as qualitative or written responses. The result here is a broader and deeper understanding of customers and their relationship to you.
- Speaks your language; specifically the language of management. You won’t find t-tests, Z-scores or tests of statistical significance in our research. You will see a heavy emphasis on graphical displays of data along with evidence-based conclusions that serve as a solid foundation for change.
Some Of Our Work
The strong emphasis on solid evidence-based research along with leading analytical techniques to identify areas of practical significance has led to some extraordinary research.
- The City of Red Deer used Converge’s VoCAl approach in a study of residents concerns regarding crime, safety and security. The research combined an analysis of residents perceptions of crime with crime statistics (obtained from RCMP databases) to gain a deeper understanding of how crime actually impacts residents perceptions. Detailed three dimensional maps were used to help analyze these effects. The research was distributed by the RCMP to detachments across Canada and to date, still represents the most advanced research done on crime and perceptions of crime in Canada.
- Telus wanted to know how customers perceived its service and support functions. Specifically, it wanted to know how customers saw various service characteristics and the relative importance placed on each of them. VoCAl provided the answers and led to a significant redesign of Telus service and support delivery.
- Chinook Credit Union uses VoCAL to continuously monitor customer attitudes towards service levels for its branches across Alberta. The monitoring program can be used as an early warning system of potential service area problems and also be used to track customer reactions to new or redesigned programs and services.
- The Municipal District of Wood Buffalo used VoCAl to provide detailed feedback on the state of Human Services being developed by the Municipality. The research provided detailed citizen feedback on priorities for the municipality. Our work here also helped earn recognition from the editors of The International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management. They recognized Converge’s work here as a Global Best Practice.