Research is a plump and rich topic to go through, and there’s a plethora of articles and books worth reading about that subject matter, including the publications from the Nielsen Norman Group, books such as Erika Hall’s Just Enough Research and Laura Klein’s UX for Lean Startups, to name but a few. On this series of brief considerations on Design Topics, I’ve decided this time around to focus on two very specific aspects and techniques related to research, specifically collaborating and assessing the information and findings stemming from Customer Support Groups and also the power that Focus Groups or Voice of the Customer session holds when it comes to understanding clients/users responses to something they’ve been using. Once more I’ll be leveraging my own experiences with these types of engagements, and hopefully sharing some considerations that will hopefully generate some reflection.

Customer Support Groups and their Data & Insights — I’ve been very fortunate that throughout my career I’ve been able to work with Design teams and groups that were embedded in Organizations that, independently of their maturity level when it came to Design Processes and Philosophy, were entities which championed and privileged client retention and expansion. Now some of you may say “And water is wet — aren’t all Organizations focused on their clients?”. There are distinct aspects between Organizations that view clients as a means to an end, and others who view their clients as an essential part of their journey and as a partner during their process of problem solving (or “solutioning” if you prefer).

Most of my professional experiences have fallen on the latter scenario that was just illustrated, and as a result of that philosophy, I’ve worked with Organizations where their Customer Support Groups are robust both in terms of their numbers, but also in terms of the scope of what they solve and provide assistance for. Typically the most successful endeavors I’ve been a part of, are the ones where Customer Support Representatives are a partner in the ideation process, right from the start. During Incubation/Ideation, or for that matter revisiting the Design Thinking chapters, during the Understand chapter of that journey, which includes the problem definition, and also the personas/characters who are going to be using the potential solution, both those essential variables are clarified and detailed. What Customer Support Groups always bring to the conversation and ideation sessions is a perspective, that not only ties itself with their understanding of what clients and users want, but also and just as importantly, how can they impart their savviness and experience in either solving problems or clarifying any potential aspects of the product journey that are not clear enough. It’s worth noting once more, and as I’ve mentioned in prior articles, the life of a product or feature doesn’t end with its release to market. Quite the opposite. While products and features are hopefully heavily tested, very frequently these testing sessions don’t account for all the scenarios and for behaviors users develop with the solution once it’s out in the market (for starters, remember Testing is at times done in situations that are either artificially crafted, or somewhat removed from the actual context in which the tool and its user will actually interact with it).

One has to remember at all times, that we’re all creatures of habit, and we tend to mold our tools and what surrounds us to our likings and preferences, in order for our perception of complexity and learnability towards tools and products to become simpler and far more intuitive (respectively). Customer Support Representatives have the power of not only sharing insights from their interactions with clients/users, but also provide actual data based on their constant engagements (which can includes topics that they solve issues for with frequency, geographical distribution, demographics of their clients, among many other aspects). They are even, particularly when Designers can’t easily get access to users for testing and insights, the best proxies that can be used in order to father the validation one needs. All this to say: they’re fundamental partners on the journey, and their insight should never be undermined.

Voice of the Customer Initiatives — Usability testing is of course essential for any Product Design journey one embarks on. The validation efforts are crucial in order to truly understand if what has been devised truly pierces through the problem that was identified, while also and hopefully generating a layer of delight and interest that makes users want to engage further and further.

Tech Target and author Sara Amsler defines VOC as “…the component of customer experience that focuses on customer needs, wants, expectations and preferences. In most businesses, the quality of customer experience is a key differentiating factor against competitors. Therefore, deploying a VOC program is important for ensuring that customer input is requested and valued.”

All this to say, VOC is an essential aspect in getting to understand how clients/users relate to the solution being devised, and the overall experience that is crafted around it (including of course Customer Support). However the VOC technique/engagement, should be considered not only when the product/feature is out on the market for everyone to consume, it should in fact be leveraged during the inception/concept phases. Allowing for groups of users/clients to actually respond to early prototypes and subsequent implementation efforts that are part of the get to market journey, are essential staples in order to truly understand if the solution itself is sensical, desirable and even credible (their input also clarifies heuristic analysis parameters when it comes to the products/features, since it allows to identify aspects such as relevancy/clarity/value/friction/distraction, to name but a few). Effective VOC engagements, have the additional power of building a relationship with clients, cementing a sense of ownership on their part of the product/feature that is being crafted (which in turn also promotes their ongoing relationship with it, affiliated with the reflective level of Design as defined by Professor Don Norman, not forgetting of course the fact they also become fiercer proponents of it). However, and as always, this also requires an investment from Designers and their peers on the Design Process journey, to actually build the foundations for those relationships, through engagements that are wanted and never too intrusive or overbearing. Sending out newsletters in a timely manner, providing pertinent and useful information in them, is one of the steps to keep that engagement alive and relatable, so that when these VOC sessions do occur, they feel part of an organic process and not simply an orchestrated, and episodic, event.

Customer Support Teams and VOC engagements combined, unlock knowledge and insights on users/clients and their perspectives on product/feature usage, but also and just as importantly, on their habits. What drives them towards certain solutions, as opposed to others, what they treasure most, their concerns, it’s essentially an unveiling of how they interact with solutions, with others in their professional field, in the process also mining potential aspects that have not been previously addressed or uncovered. These types of engagements are essential for successful and long lasting product solutions, since they essentially bring authenticity of usage to what is otherwise testing experiences in very controlled environments.

Isocrates wrote on the topic of Listening:

“Spend your leisure time in cultivating an ear attentive to discourse, for in this way you will find that you learn with ease what others have found out with difficulty.”