Companies and executives that are serious about customer-centricity — are committed to elevating and activating the Voice of the Customer. How do they do this?
Well, one thing they commit to is … storytelling. Sharing authentic customer stories.
That’s right. From executive-level decisions to day-to-day employee conversations and daily sales conversations — customer stories are omnipresent and shared on a consistent basis.
Think about your company and your culture.
- How often are real customer stories shared?
- Are they present in daily conversations?
- Are they leveraged by leaders to inspire and motivate employees?
- Are they used by your sales team to influence buying decisions?
Or are conversations and decisions internally focused? Operational or product-driven?
This simple gut check will tell you if the executive team is serious about Voice of the Customer and if they understand the impact customer stories have on culture and business performance.
The problem is, when most executives think of customer stories, they think of case studies. But case studies are not stories. They are simply a documented set of facts. Stories are emotional. Stories bring real-world actions and outcomes to life. And most importantly, there is a moral (lesson learned) to every story. That’s why customer stories play a huge role in your culture and customer experience.
According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, “Research shows that end users who benefit from a company’s products and services—are surprisingly effective in motivating employees to work harder, smarter, and more productively.” The fact is, when employees know their behaviors and actions matter and make a difference in the customer experience — they care more.
So, elevate the voice of your customer through authentic stories and watch your culture and bottom line change … for the better.
