What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
Voice of the Customer (VoC) provides a structured way to move from guessing to knowing. A VoC program gathers, analyzes, and operationalizes customer feedback across multiple channels. It gives Customer Success a clear view of sentiment, friction, and opportunity, which improves retention and product direction.
“Being able to see how many customers want that certain feature or how many people are talking about this has been really, really helpful.”
Kelly Poydence
Director, Customer Success
Basis Technologies
Voice of the Customer (VoC) provides a structured way to move from guessing to knowing. A VoC program gathers, analyzes, and operationalizes customer feedback across multiple channels. It gives Customer Success a clear view of sentiment, friction, and opportunity, which improves retention and product direction.
“Being able to see how many customers want that certain feature or how many people are talking about this has been really, really helpful.”
Kelly Poydence
Director, Customer Success
Basis Technologies
Voice of the Customer (VoC) provides a structured way to move from guessing to knowing. A VoC program gathers, analyzes, and operationalizes customer feedback across multiple channels. It gives Customer Success a clear view of sentiment, friction, and opportunity, which improves retention and product direction.
“Being able to see how many customers want that certain feature or how many people are talking about this has been really, really helpful.”
Kelly Poydence
Director, Customer Success
Basis Technologies
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
Defining Voice of the Customer (VoC)
Voice of the Customer is the formal program of collecting, analyzing, and acting on everything customers express about their experience. This includes direct feedback, indirect signals, and inferred insights from behavior. VoC provides structured visibility into how customers think and feel, which gives Customer Success the context needed to support value delivery.
VoC vs. Customer Feedback: What’s the Difference?
Customer feedback is a single data point, such as one NPS score or a CSAT rating after a Support ticket.
Voice of the Customer is a structured program that collects, categorizes, and operationalizes feedback from every source to influence product, operations, and engagement workflows.
VoC turns individual comments into actionable insights.
Why VoC Is the “Secret Weapon” for Customer Success?
Product usage shows what customers do. VoC explains why they do it.
This context provides the earliest signals for both risk and expansion.
For Customer Success teams, VoC is a primary source of leading indicators. These signals often appear long before changes in adoption or renewal intent. They give CSMs and CS Ops the visibility needed to respond proactively.
The Business Benefits of a VoC Program
A well-run VoC program creates measurable outcomes for the business:
Proactively reduce churn by identifying at-risk customer segments before activity declines.
Increase customer retention by reinforcing what creates loyalty and value.
Drive product innovation with insights that reveal customer needs and friction points.
Boost expansion and advocacy by identifying promoters who are ready to champion the product.
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
Defining Voice of the Customer (VoC)
Voice of the Customer is the formal program of collecting, analyzing, and acting on everything customers express about their experience. This includes direct feedback, indirect signals, and inferred insights from behavior. VoC provides structured visibility into how customers think and feel, which gives Customer Success the context needed to support value delivery.
VoC vs. Customer Feedback: What’s the Difference?
Customer feedback is a single data point, such as one NPS score or a CSAT rating after a Support ticket.
Voice of the Customer is a structured program that collects, categorizes, and operationalizes feedback from every source to influence product, operations, and engagement workflows.
VoC turns individual comments into actionable insights.
Why VoC Is the “Secret Weapon” for Customer Success?
Product usage shows what customers do. VoC explains why they do it.
This context provides the earliest signals for both risk and expansion.
For Customer Success teams, VoC is a primary source of leading indicators. These signals often appear long before changes in adoption or renewal intent. They give CSMs and CS Ops the visibility needed to respond proactively.
The Business Benefits of a VoC Program
A well-run VoC program creates measurable outcomes for the business:
Proactively reduce churn by identifying at-risk customer segments before activity declines.
Increase customer retention by reinforcing what creates loyalty and value.
Drive product innovation with insights that reveal customer needs and friction points.
Boost expansion and advocacy by identifying promoters who are ready to champion the product.
What Is Voice of the Customer (VoC)?
Defining Voice of the Customer (VoC)
Voice of the Customer is the formal program of collecting, analyzing, and acting on everything customers express about their experience. This includes direct feedback, indirect signals, and inferred insights from behavior. VoC provides structured visibility into how customers think and feel, which gives Customer Success the context needed to support value delivery.
VoC vs. Customer Feedback: What’s the Difference?
Customer feedback is a single data point, such as one NPS score or a CSAT rating after a Support ticket.
Voice of the Customer is a structured program that collects, categorizes, and operationalizes feedback from every source to influence product, operations, and engagement workflows.
VoC turns individual comments into actionable insights.
Why VoC Is the “Secret Weapon” for Customer Success?
Product usage shows what customers do. VoC explains why they do it.
This context provides the earliest signals for both risk and expansion.
For Customer Success teams, VoC is a primary source of leading indicators. These signals often appear long before changes in adoption or renewal intent. They give CSMs and CS Ops the visibility needed to respond proactively.
The Business Benefits of a VoC Program
A well-run VoC program creates measurable outcomes for the business:
Proactively reduce churn by identifying at-risk customer segments before activity declines.
Increase customer retention by reinforcing what creates loyalty and value.
Drive product innovation with insights that reveal customer needs and friction points.
Boost expansion and advocacy by identifying promoters who are ready to champion the product.
The 3 Pillars of a Successful VoC Program
A strong VoC program operates as a continuous cycle. Teams listen across multiple channels, analyze the signals, and act on the insights. Each pillar is essential.
Pillar 1: How to “Listen”
Listening requires breadth. A single survey cannot capture the full customer sentiment. Mature programs combine direct, indirect, and inferred signals to build a more accurate customer picture.
Direct Feedback (Solicited)
Direct feedback is collected when the company initiates the request.
Examples:
NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys
structured customer interviews
CSM-led conversations during QBRs or onboarding
Customer Advisory Boards
These inputs provide context that complements product usage patterns.
Indirect Feedback (Unsolicited)
Indirect feedback is shared without being specifically requested.
Examples:
Support ticket trends and sentiment
patterns in product usage
public reviews or social feedback
This feedback highlights friction points that may not be stated in a survey.
The “Big 3” VoC Surveys Explained
These surveys form the foundation of most VoC listening strategies.
Metric | What it Measures | When to Measure |
NPS | Overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend | Periodically during stable adoption |
CSAT | Satisfaction with a specific interaction | After Support or onboarding touchpoints |
CES | Effort required to complete a task | After workflows that may cause friction |
Pillar 2: How to “Analyze”
Collecting data is simple. Turning it into insight is not. Many VoC programs fail because data sits unprocessed or is reviewed only as individual scores.
Moving Beyond a Single Score to Trend Analysis
A single NPS result or CSAT rating does not tell the full story. Analysis becomes more powerful when teams examine patterns over time, categorize themes in comments, and correlate sentiment with lifecycle stages.
For example:
Comments about onboarding can signal process friction.
Repeated mention of a feature gap can guide product prioritization.
Shifts in sentiment can reinforce changes in adoption.
Using AI for Sentiment and Text Analysis
Modern platforms can analyze thousands of comments quickly. AI can tag themes, extract sentiment by topic, and identify patterns that are difficult to see manually. This makes analysis scalable and consistent across segments.
Pillar 3: How to “Act”
Action is the most important step. If customers do not see evidence of action, they begin to ignore surveys and reduce participation.
Closing the Loop
Individual loop closure involves direct follow-up after a customer submits negative feedback. This may include a quick call, a Support review, or a follow-up message to address their concern.
Timely responses prevent sentiment from declining further and often restore confidence.
Closing the Loop
Strategic loop closure analyzes trends across accounts. For example:
If a significant percentage of detractors mention billing complexity, the business may evaluate billing workflows.
If onboarding friction appears repeatedly, enablement or product documentation may need refinement.
This turns feedback into structural improvements.
The 3 Pillars of a Successful VoC Program
A strong VoC program operates as a continuous cycle. Teams listen across multiple channels, analyze the signals, and act on the insights. Each pillar is essential.
Pillar 1: How to “Listen”
Listening requires breadth. A single survey cannot capture the full customer sentiment. Mature programs combine direct, indirect, and inferred signals to build a more accurate customer picture.
Direct Feedback (Solicited)
Direct feedback is collected when the company initiates the request.
Examples:
NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys
structured customer interviews
CSM-led conversations during QBRs or onboarding
Customer Advisory Boards
These inputs provide context that complements product usage patterns.
Indirect Feedback (Unsolicited)
Indirect feedback is shared without being specifically requested.
Examples:
Support ticket trends and sentiment
patterns in product usage
public reviews or social feedback
This feedback highlights friction points that may not be stated in a survey.
The “Big 3” VoC Surveys Explained
These surveys form the foundation of most VoC listening strategies.
Metric | What it Measures | When to Measure |
NPS | Overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend | Periodically during stable adoption |
CSAT | Satisfaction with a specific interaction | After Support or onboarding touchpoints |
CES | Effort required to complete a task | After workflows that may cause friction |
Pillar 2: How to “Analyze”
Collecting data is simple. Turning it into insight is not. Many VoC programs fail because data sits unprocessed or is reviewed only as individual scores.
Moving Beyond a Single Score to Trend Analysis
A single NPS result or CSAT rating does not tell the full story. Analysis becomes more powerful when teams examine patterns over time, categorize themes in comments, and correlate sentiment with lifecycle stages.
For example:
Comments about onboarding can signal process friction.
Repeated mention of a feature gap can guide product prioritization.
Shifts in sentiment can reinforce changes in adoption.
Using AI for Sentiment and Text Analysis
Modern platforms can analyze thousands of comments quickly. AI can tag themes, extract sentiment by topic, and identify patterns that are difficult to see manually. This makes analysis scalable and consistent across segments.
Pillar 3: How to “Act”
Action is the most important step. If customers do not see evidence of action, they begin to ignore surveys and reduce participation.
Closing the Loop
Individual loop closure involves direct follow-up after a customer submits negative feedback. This may include a quick call, a Support review, or a follow-up message to address their concern.
Timely responses prevent sentiment from declining further and often restore confidence.
Closing the Loop
Strategic loop closure analyzes trends across accounts. For example:
If a significant percentage of detractors mention billing complexity, the business may evaluate billing workflows.
If onboarding friction appears repeatedly, enablement or product documentation may need refinement.
This turns feedback into structural improvements.
The 3 Pillars of a Successful VoC Program
A strong VoC program operates as a continuous cycle. Teams listen across multiple channels, analyze the signals, and act on the insights. Each pillar is essential.
Pillar 1: How to “Listen”
Listening requires breadth. A single survey cannot capture the full customer sentiment. Mature programs combine direct, indirect, and inferred signals to build a more accurate customer picture.
Direct Feedback (Solicited)
Direct feedback is collected when the company initiates the request.
Examples:
NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys
structured customer interviews
CSM-led conversations during QBRs or onboarding
Customer Advisory Boards
These inputs provide context that complements product usage patterns.
Indirect Feedback (Unsolicited)
Indirect feedback is shared without being specifically requested.
Examples:
Support ticket trends and sentiment
patterns in product usage
public reviews or social feedback
This feedback highlights friction points that may not be stated in a survey.
The “Big 3” VoC Surveys Explained
These surveys form the foundation of most VoC listening strategies.
Metric | What it Measures | When to Measure |
NPS | Overall loyalty and likelihood to recommend | Periodically during stable adoption |
CSAT | Satisfaction with a specific interaction | After Support or onboarding touchpoints |
CES | Effort required to complete a task | After workflows that may cause friction |
Pillar 2: How to “Analyze”
Collecting data is simple. Turning it into insight is not. Many VoC programs fail because data sits unprocessed or is reviewed only as individual scores.
Moving Beyond a Single Score to Trend Analysis
A single NPS result or CSAT rating does not tell the full story. Analysis becomes more powerful when teams examine patterns over time, categorize themes in comments, and correlate sentiment with lifecycle stages.
For example:
Comments about onboarding can signal process friction.
Repeated mention of a feature gap can guide product prioritization.
Shifts in sentiment can reinforce changes in adoption.
Using AI for Sentiment and Text Analysis
Modern platforms can analyze thousands of comments quickly. AI can tag themes, extract sentiment by topic, and identify patterns that are difficult to see manually. This makes analysis scalable and consistent across segments.
Pillar 3: How to “Act”
Action is the most important step. If customers do not see evidence of action, they begin to ignore surveys and reduce participation.
Closing the Loop
Individual loop closure involves direct follow-up after a customer submits negative feedback. This may include a quick call, a Support review, or a follow-up message to address their concern.
Timely responses prevent sentiment from declining further and often restore confidence.
Closing the Loop
Strategic loop closure analyzes trends across accounts. For example:
If a significant percentage of detractors mention billing complexity, the business may evaluate billing workflows.
If onboarding friction appears repeatedly, enablement or product documentation may need refinement.
This turns feedback into structural improvements.
How to Build a Voice of the Customer Program (A 5-Step Guide)
This practical guide outlines how teams can build or improve a VoC program.
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Get Buy-In
Start with a clear business objective. Examples include reducing churn by a measurable amount or improving onboarding satisfaction. Executives and cross-functional teams must agree on the purpose before execution begins.
Step 2: Choose Your Listening Posts
Start with a manageable set of channels. Many programs begin with NPS and Support ticket data because both are simple to collect and provide meaningful insight. Additional channels can be added as the program matures.
Step 3: Centralize Your Data
VoC programs fail when data is scattered across systems. Centralization is critical. CSMs, Support, Product, and Leadership need access to a shared source of truth.
Step 4: Create Your “Act” Playbooks
Define what happens when feedback comes in. Examples include:
the follow-up process for detractors
notification rules for sentiment changes
cross-team workflows for recurring themes
Clear playbooks make responses consistent and timely.
Step 5: Share Insights and Report on ROI
VoC insights support teams beyond Customer Success. Product teams need visibility into feature gaps. Marketing teams benefit from promoter sentiment. Leadership needs trend reports that show how VoC insights influence retention or NRR.
How to Build a Voice of the Customer Program (A 5-Step Guide)
This practical guide outlines how teams can build or improve a VoC program.
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Get Buy-In
Start with a clear business objective. Examples include reducing churn by a measurable amount or improving onboarding satisfaction. Executives and cross-functional teams must agree on the purpose before execution begins.
Step 2: Choose Your Listening Posts
Start with a manageable set of channels. Many programs begin with NPS and Support ticket data because both are simple to collect and provide meaningful insight. Additional channels can be added as the program matures.
Step 3: Centralize Your Data
VoC programs fail when data is scattered across systems. Centralization is critical. CSMs, Support, Product, and Leadership need access to a shared source of truth.
Step 4: Create Your “Act” Playbooks
Define what happens when feedback comes in. Examples include:
the follow-up process for detractors
notification rules for sentiment changes
cross-team workflows for recurring themes
Clear playbooks make responses consistent and timely.
Step 5: Share Insights and Report on ROI
VoC insights support teams beyond Customer Success. Product teams need visibility into feature gaps. Marketing teams benefit from promoter sentiment. Leadership needs trend reports that show how VoC insights influence retention or NRR.
How to Build a Voice of the Customer Program (A 5-Step Guide)
This practical guide outlines how teams can build or improve a VoC program.
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Get Buy-In
Start with a clear business objective. Examples include reducing churn by a measurable amount or improving onboarding satisfaction. Executives and cross-functional teams must agree on the purpose before execution begins.
Step 2: Choose Your Listening Posts
Start with a manageable set of channels. Many programs begin with NPS and Support ticket data because both are simple to collect and provide meaningful insight. Additional channels can be added as the program matures.
Step 3: Centralize Your Data
VoC programs fail when data is scattered across systems. Centralization is critical. CSMs, Support, Product, and Leadership need access to a shared source of truth.
Step 4: Create Your “Act” Playbooks
Define what happens when feedback comes in. Examples include:
the follow-up process for detractors
notification rules for sentiment changes
cross-team workflows for recurring themes
Clear playbooks make responses consistent and timely.
Step 5: Share Insights and Report on ROI
VoC insights support teams beyond Customer Success. Product teams need visibility into feature gaps. Marketing teams benefit from promoter sentiment. Leadership needs trend reports that show how VoC insights influence retention or NRR.
Common VoC Program Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
Many VoC programs underperform due to predictable issues.
Pitfall 1: Collecting Without Acting
Customers stop responding when they see no evidence of change. Closing the loop is essential both at the individual and strategic levels.
Pitfall 2: Keeping Data in Silos
When CSMs cannot see NPS trends or Product cannot see ticket sentiment, the organization cannot act on insights. Centralization prevents this issue.
Pitfall 3: Over-Surveying and Survey Fatigue
Feedback should be collected at meaningful moments in the journey. Excessive or poorly timed surveys reduce participation and distort results.
Pitfall 4: Chasing Vanity Metrics
High NPS scores are positive, but the comments and trends provide the real insight. Teams should focus on the reasons behind the score, not just the number.
Common VoC Program Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
Many VoC programs underperform due to predictable issues.
Pitfall 1: Collecting Without Acting
Customers stop responding when they see no evidence of change. Closing the loop is essential both at the individual and strategic levels.
Pitfall 2: Keeping Data in Silos
When CSMs cannot see NPS trends or Product cannot see ticket sentiment, the organization cannot act on insights. Centralization prevents this issue.
Pitfall 3: Over-Surveying and Survey Fatigue
Feedback should be collected at meaningful moments in the journey. Excessive or poorly timed surveys reduce participation and distort results.
Pitfall 4: Chasing Vanity Metrics
High NPS scores are positive, but the comments and trends provide the real insight. Teams should focus on the reasons behind the score, not just the number.
Common VoC Program Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
Many VoC programs underperform due to predictable issues.
Pitfall 1: Collecting Without Acting
Customers stop responding when they see no evidence of change. Closing the loop is essential both at the individual and strategic levels.
Pitfall 2: Keeping Data in Silos
When CSMs cannot see NPS trends or Product cannot see ticket sentiment, the organization cannot act on insights. Centralization prevents this issue.
Pitfall 3: Over-Surveying and Survey Fatigue
Feedback should be collected at meaningful moments in the journey. Excessive or poorly timed surveys reduce participation and distort results.
Pitfall 4: Chasing Vanity Metrics
High NPS scores are positive, but the comments and trends provide the real insight. Teams should focus on the reasons behind the score, not just the number.
How Planhat Operationalizes Your VoC Program
This section connects the VoC strategy to the platform capabilities that enable it.
The Problem: VoC Data Is Siloed and “Dead”
When survey responses, Support data, product usage, and CSM notes live in different tools, teams cannot form a complete view. Insights remain unused.
The Planhat Solution: A Single, 360-Degree View
Planhat aggregates VoC signals into a unified customer profile. This includes:
surveys
Support data
usage patterns
CSM notes
revenue and lifecycle context
This consolidated view supports more accurate health scoring and lifecycle execution.
Turning VoC Data into a Proactive Health Score
Planhat combines sentiment, behavior, and lifecycle inputs into a predictive Customer Health Score. A declining NPS score paired with reduced usage becomes a clear risk signal.
Triggering Automated Playbooks from VoC Feedback
VoC signals activate automated workflows in Planhat. For example:
When a customer submits a detractor NPS score, Planhat triggers a detractor playbook, creates a follow-up task, and surfaces the recommended sequence of actions.
When sentiment improves, Planhat can notify the CSM and log the change for future analysis.
How Planhat Operationalizes Your VoC Program
This section connects the VoC strategy to the platform capabilities that enable it.
The Problem: VoC Data Is Siloed and “Dead”
When survey responses, Support data, product usage, and CSM notes live in different tools, teams cannot form a complete view. Insights remain unused.
The Planhat Solution: A Single, 360-Degree View
Planhat aggregates VoC signals into a unified customer profile. This includes:
surveys
Support data
usage patterns
CSM notes
revenue and lifecycle context
This consolidated view supports more accurate health scoring and lifecycle execution.
Turning VoC Data into a Proactive Health Score
Planhat combines sentiment, behavior, and lifecycle inputs into a predictive Customer Health Score. A declining NPS score paired with reduced usage becomes a clear risk signal.
Triggering Automated Playbooks from VoC Feedback
VoC signals activate automated workflows in Planhat. For example:
When a customer submits a detractor NPS score, Planhat triggers a detractor playbook, creates a follow-up task, and surfaces the recommended sequence of actions.
When sentiment improves, Planhat can notify the CSM and log the change for future analysis.
How Planhat Operationalizes Your VoC Program
This section connects the VoC strategy to the platform capabilities that enable it.
The Problem: VoC Data Is Siloed and “Dead”
When survey responses, Support data, product usage, and CSM notes live in different tools, teams cannot form a complete view. Insights remain unused.
The Planhat Solution: A Single, 360-Degree View
Planhat aggregates VoC signals into a unified customer profile. This includes:
surveys
Support data
usage patterns
CSM notes
revenue and lifecycle context
This consolidated view supports more accurate health scoring and lifecycle execution.
Turning VoC Data into a Proactive Health Score
Planhat combines sentiment, behavior, and lifecycle inputs into a predictive Customer Health Score. A declining NPS score paired with reduced usage becomes a clear risk signal.
Triggering Automated Playbooks from VoC Feedback
VoC signals activate automated workflows in Planhat. For example:
When a customer submits a detractor NPS score, Planhat triggers a detractor playbook, creates a follow-up task, and surfaces the recommended sequence of actions.
When sentiment improves, Planhat can notify the CSM and log the change for future analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About VoC
Who owns the Voice of the Customer program?
VoC is cross-functional. CX or Marketing may run the program, but Customer Success is the primary user of the insights and often the team responsible for action.
How does VoC help reduce churn?
VoC provides earlier warning signals than product usage alone. Drops in satisfaction or increases in effort appear before behavior changes.
What is the difference between VoC and Customer Experience (CX)?
VoC is the input. It captures what customers say and feel.
CX is the output. It reflects their overall perception.
A strong VoC program gives teams the data they need to improve CX.
Conclusion: Stop Just Collecting Feedback. Start Acting on It.
Collecting feedback is not enough. Customers need to see evidence of change before sentiment improves. Acting on VoC insights strengthens retention, improves the experience, and aligns teams around what customers value.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About VoC
Who owns the Voice of the Customer program?
VoC is cross-functional. CX or Marketing may run the program, but Customer Success is the primary user of the insights and often the team responsible for action.
How does VoC help reduce churn?
VoC provides earlier warning signals than product usage alone. Drops in satisfaction or increases in effort appear before behavior changes.
What is the difference between VoC and Customer Experience (CX)?
VoC is the input. It captures what customers say and feel.
CX is the output. It reflects their overall perception.
A strong VoC program gives teams the data they need to improve CX.
Conclusion: Stop Just Collecting Feedback. Start Acting on It.
Collecting feedback is not enough. Customers need to see evidence of change before sentiment improves. Acting on VoC insights strengthens retention, improves the experience, and aligns teams around what customers value.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About VoC
Who owns the Voice of the Customer program?
VoC is cross-functional. CX or Marketing may run the program, but Customer Success is the primary user of the insights and often the team responsible for action.
How does VoC help reduce churn?
VoC provides earlier warning signals than product usage alone. Drops in satisfaction or increases in effort appear before behavior changes.
What is the difference between VoC and Customer Experience (CX)?
VoC is the input. It captures what customers say and feel.
CX is the output. It reflects their overall perception.
A strong VoC program gives teams the data they need to improve CX.
Conclusion: Stop Just Collecting Feedback. Start Acting on It.
Collecting feedback is not enough. Customers need to see evidence of change before sentiment improves. Acting on VoC insights strengthens retention, improves the experience, and aligns teams around what customers value.
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