Voice of the customer
Businesses conduct surveys under the guise of communicating with their customers. They want to know what you think—what you want. This research is supposed to guide their decisions about how to serve you better.
In many cases, they respond with better products or faster service. But in others, the survey is just an excuse to do something they were going to do anyway.
It happens internally within big businesses too. For example, the champion for a multi-million-dollar software system builds a case for adopting the system. She conducts a “needs assessment” and disregards any results that don’t support her cause…highlighting whatever data justifies making the purchase. She, of course, will oversee its installation, publicize it among the employees, and manage the system when it’s adopted.
This can take two or three years. Decisions based on this kind of data manipulation seldom succeed, but by the time they fail, the champion has moved on to another project. It’s called a solution in search of a problem. In huge companies, some people remain employed for years by doing this over and over.
I once worked for a small company that hired a PR firm to enhance its image. The PR group conducted a customer survey (“What is most important to you?”) and announced that a new set of company goals would be the result. Customers said our products were unreliable, costly, and inferior to competitors’ products. But when the products failed, we gave quick turnaround on repairs.
The only thing we did well was fix things that shouldn’t have broken in the first place.
The new-image campaign resulting from this survey went something like this: Great news! Customers love our repair service! It’s what they like most, and it’s our new #1 goal! The company did nothing to improve the quality of its products and reduce the need for repair returns. Hard to believe, I know, but they went out of business. The only people who made money from the survey were the PR folks.
The Voice of the Customer is worth listening to, but too often the survey is just an excuse to twist the responses and justify a predefined outcome. This phenomenon is not limited to business. I’ve seen it at work in politics—I think politicians invented the technique—social groups, communities, and even churches.
Example: Small church, limited budget. Chairman of the church board surveys the congregation on their priorities for allocating the church money. Typical suggestions include roof repairs and better salaries for the clergy. But one elderly parishioner, who refuses to use his hearing aids, complains that he cannot hear the sermons.
So the board chairman announces the survey results: the people want a new sound system. And that’s how the money is spent. Can you guess what business the chairman is in? That’s right—sound systems.
I don’t wish him any harm, but if he were struck by lightning, I’d like to think it was divine intervention.
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