In summary

There are two ways that a corporation can become aware of the voice of the customer: either strategically or tactically. When a corporation listens to the voice of the customer strategically, the corporation listens to the collective voice of the customer. When the corporation listens to the voice of the customer tactically, the corporation listens to the customer at the point of having contact with the individual customer.

Some of the ways the voice of the customer can be used strategically are:

• Setting a benchmark for grading the management of the company
• Determining what is important to the customer
• Looking at changes over time
• Finding a roadmap as to where resources should be used to improve the customer experience

Tactically hearing the voice of the customer can be used in many ways at the point of direct contact with the corporation.