It’s important to put all of VOC scores and feedback into the broader context – how well do you do stack up against your competitors? I’m talking about benchmarking, which means making comparisons to help you understand the perception of your business relative to the competition in the minds of your customers.

A brand promise is the expectations you set with your customers. It’s a combination of the brand purpose and the reality of what the brand can deliver. It defines the benefits a customer can expect to receive when experiencing your brand – at every touchpoint. Customers will select your brand because they know that, every time they choose your brand, they will have the same experience.

For any VOC initiative, it is just as critical to conduct employee surveys as it is to survey customers. Employee engagement drives customer engagement, and without understanding the hearts and minds of your employees, your VOC initiative will be incomplete.