Perhaps a simple weekly goal for any member in the C-Suite would be to talk with 10 actual customers a week. 10! That is all.

They would be randomly chosen representing a wide variety of value to the customer. The script would be minimal with a few open ended questions. A weekly summary would be shared with all members of the executive team. Some portion of a monthly agenda would be devoted to what we are hearing and doing something about it.

Now, that would be a powerful voice of the customer program.

We, human beings, are masters of self-deception. We are told that being effective with customers starts with customer insight. We are told that being effective involves listening to the voice of the customer. We are told that being effective requires ‘walking in the shoes’ of the customer. What do we do? We get busy with technology centred services that keep Tops and Middles as distant, as insulated, from customers as usual. But now with the illusion of being in contact with the customer!

via What Does It Take To Access And Hear The Richness Of The Voice Of The Customer? | CustomerThink.