5 Keys to Successfully Transform CX Data into Actionable Insights

Most loyalty marketers have more data than they know what do with, but officials from Verint offered five keys to successfully transform CX data into actionable insights during a Loyalty360 webinar on Tuesday.

Titled, “5 Keys to Successfully Transform CX Data into Actionable Insights,” which was presented by Verint and hosted by Loyalty360 – The Association for Customer Loyalty, the webinar offered specific tips for loyalty marketers to leverage to make the most of their CX data.

Brian Koma, Vice President and CX Practice Leader, Verint; and Sean Mahoney, Director of CX Solutions Consulting, Verint, told attendees that CX data must be relevant and actionable−with an emphasis on actionable.

The First Key:
Define Why You’re Gathering Data & How It Will be Used

  •  
  • -Be crystal clear on why you’re gathering CX data
  • -For every survey, ask “What will we learn from this data that we don’t already know?”
  • -Ask key stakeholders how they are using the data
  • -Determine what, if any, actions are taken based on survey results
  • -Evaluate if your CX program is a victim of The Walking Dead Syndrome

“What are we going to learn by posing this (survey) question that we don’t already know or can’t get from our existing sources,” Mahoney said. “It’s imp to get back to your why and focus there.”

What’s the Walking Dead Syndrome? It is defined by the following:

-Make customers angry by repeated requests for data and have no follow-up on issues
-Surveys that relentlessly move forward with no direction
-No clear understanding as to why the data is being collected

Define Why You’re Gathering Data & How It Will be Used
  •  
  • -Understand from key stakeholders what they’re doing with the data today
  • -Determine specifically how stakeholders are consuming the data
    • -Individualized reports
    • -Dashboards
    • -Summaries
  • -Most importantly, determine what decisions are being driven with the data that’s gathered
  •  
  • Understand the visibility that the data has within the organization
  • If there is no clear consensus on what’s being done with the data, it’s time to re-imagine your CX program

The Second Key:
Align On Touchpoints, Data Sources, and Metrics
  •  
  • -Based on the data required to make business decisions, make sure you’re instrumenting the right touchpoints -with data collection efforts
  • -Touchpoints are your brand's points of customer contact, from start to finish
    • -Telephone
    • -Web
    • -Email
    • -Chat
  • -Identifying touchpoints can be made easier by creating a customer journey map and determine the critical -“Moments of Truth” in customer relationships that can give you unique insights into customer attitudes
  •  
  • Define the data sources for your CX program that will drive decisions:
    • -Transactional surveys/Relationship surveys
    • -Ad hoc surveys
    • -E-mail interactions
    • -Chat sessions
    • -Agent notes
    • -Recorded calls
    • -Web site visits
 
  • Define and agree on the metrics that will be used
    • -Net Promoter Score
    • -Customer Effort Score
    • -Customer Satisfaction
    • -Proprietary Metrics
  • -Remember that while metrics are important, they are NOT the end result
  • -Just reporting on a score doesn’t change customer’s attitudes – only action does
  • -You must focus on taking ACTION on based on the metrics you measure

Koma stressed the following point: “The metrics are not the end result. It’s so easy to get fixated on a number. It’s this opportunity to focus on taking action to show customers you’re listening to them, and you’re doing something to resolve issues they have identified. It is about action.”

The Third Key:
Define Closed-Loop Processes (internally and externally).

-
Make the data truly actionable. What thresholds need to be examined and do they align with key moments of truth.
  • -Determine the thresholds that define when a customer has an issue based on Moments of Truth
  • -Create triggers to notify key individuals that issues have occurred in customer relationships
  • -Get buy-in from key stakeholders on the processes they will put in place to follow-up on customer issues
  • -Monitor the processes to ensure that follow-up is occurring in a timely manner
  • -Analyze the issues that are being identified to determine root cause and use this to move from break/fix to changing underlying processes that reduce issues
  •  
  • Use Case Management to create, track and follow-up on issues
    • -Case Management can make data actionable and engage your stakeholders in real customer issues – not just viewing charts & graphs
  • -Work with stakeholders to monitor case follow-up and examine results of action steps
  • -Showcase wins from closed-loop activities to show the impact CX programs have on customer loyalty and advocacy
  • -Get stakeholders to discuss & validate wins in staff meetings & executive forums
 
The Fourth Key:
Develop Compelling, Actionable Reports
  •  
  • -Proliferation of channels & data sources creates massive amounts of data
  • -Expectation that more data will reveal “The Answer”
  • -Lack of time and resources reduces the amount of deep analysis against survey data
  • -Too often, survey data is exported in raw form into hundreds of charts, graphs and other visualizations
  • -Key stakeholders don’t have time to go through the results in detail and don’t know what’s important

Most Common Reporting Issues
 
  • -Data presentation follows order of survey questions
  • -Data not presented in compelling fashion
  • -Hundreds of charts and graphs, but no insights
  • -Key stakeholders are too busy to review the data in detail

Develop Compelling, Actionable Reports
  •  
  • -Analyze the data, don’t just export it
  • -Use the data to tell a story
  • -Make it readable and compelling
  •  
  • Write in the present tense
  • -Make the data dynamic
    • -Use customer quotes to illustrate key points
    • -Showcase ACTIONS taken based on data
    • -Use callouts, sidebars, and highlights to point report consumers to the most important information
  • -Look at the data, get ideas for examination and use it to tell a story
  • -Don’t report on the data only based on where the questions appeared in the survey
    •  
    • Pick out the most important data no matter where it was collected in the survey and show it first
  •  
  • -Pick out the 3-5 most important findings and build your report around them
  • -Use Executive Summaries, Key Findings and Detailed Findings sections to segment data for every level

Koma said people want someone to tell them what to focus on.

“Most people want to be told what’s important,” he said. “And that’s an area where CX professionals have a great opportunity. They’ll do a survey or data collection exercises and present the data in the order of the survey questions, and not presented in a compelling fashion. Lots of charts and graphs, but no key insights. We very much encourage people to winnow down the type of data presented to stakeholders, and not just report it. People want to know what’s the story behind the information. Use the information to tell a story. People respond to stories. Make it real and compelling.”
 
The Fifth Key:
Provide Insights, Not Just Data
  • -Become a trusted adviser to your stakeholders to help them interpret the data and develop action plans on key trends
  • -Your perspective is important: too often, stakeholders can be too close to the situation to see the larger picture
  • -Consult with them on findings and use their inside knowledge to determine whether the data is complete or requires augmentation
  • -Trends that appear in surveys, text analytics reports or speech analytics categories can point to additional data collection efforts that must be conducted

Transactional surveys are very good at identifying that issues have occurred at a point in time, but typically don’t provide enough data to understand the root cause of issues. Use more in-depth data collection to validate/invalidate findings form transactional approaches and identify root cause issues. After collecting additional data and validating/invalidating results, then use this to jointly create action plans with stakeholders. Conduct follow-up data collection and analysis to determine if you’ve truly addressed the root cause of dissatisfaction/disloyalty so you can drive the right types of organizational behaviors.

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