For all its promise, and all its hype, big data has always had one inherent problem. You see, big data is... well, big. And when you're facing something big, you may find it overwhelming. And when you find something overwhelming, you may find yourself in the fetal position.
But let’s get you off that cold linoleum floor and discuss how to best use customer feedback. Here are three best practices to help you turn big data into action.
1. Base your customer experience improvement on your ideal outcome.
Improving the customer experience starts with collecting customer feedback. Depending on a variety of factors, you may tackle that collection with a homegrown feedback solution or a professional Voice of the Customer system.
But customer feedback turns into a lot of data quickly. If you imagine every piece of feedback as a brick, it’ll be a short time before you have quite the mess to sort through.
Standing over that pile of bricks, you might not only see a tremendous amount of data points, but also endless potential responses. For example, you could count the number of colors, shapes, or sizes in your brick pile, or even isolate specific pieces for analysis.
But let's not forget they’re bricks! Their inherent purpose is to serve as small pieces in a bigger structure.
To improve the customer experience, first start with a target, a finish line, a goal. That will serve as a lens for viewing your new pile-o’-bricks effectively. In other words, what are you trying to build? If you know the structure you want, you'll be able to figure out which pieces of feedback to act on, when to act on them, and how they fit into the end result.
2. Work with customer experience partners who find actionable insights and drive change.
If you find yourself curling up in a ball again, consider getting help from a customer engagement company.
[Cough. Elbow nudge. Wink.]
You see, companies like ours are built to help organizations manage this sort of data. We have industry knowledge, benchmarks, and smart people focused on making the most of your customer feedback.
Customer engagement companies can turn your big data into a clear plan. We can find actionable insights that can help your employees drive improvement in the areas that matter most. In other words, we can create the instruction manual for your ideal customer experience.
And that means you can skip the paralysis and get to work.
3. Remember to focus small in your day-to-day customer experience strategy.
Here’s a fact: your customer experience won’t manifest itself from a pile of customer feedback. It takes time, energy, and commitment to turn feedback into something unique and attractive to current and future customers.
As with anything worthwhile, the key is focusing on small, meaningful actions and understanding their significance in the big picture. Focus on handling each brick carefully, and putting it in its rightful place. Sooner or later, the work will be apparent.
With each action, remember to appreciate the journey, as well as your people working to deliver a quality customer experience. And if you’d like a partner to help you find actionable insights, and make the journey enjoyable—well, you know how to contact us.
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