Establishing a layered VOC approach
Editor’s note: Elaine Pratt is group CMO at Fuld & Company. This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared under the title “Voice of the Customer: How to Uncover Unmet Needs and Drive Innovation.”
In an era of accelerated disruption and demand for differentiated value, innovation is no longer a matter of inspiration – it’s a matter of insight. And increasingly, that insight comes directly from the voice of the customer (VOC).
But while most companies collect customer feedback in some form, few can translate it into meaningful innovation. The disconnect isn’t a lack of data. It’s a lack of depth, structure and strategic intent in how VOC is captured, analyzed and actioned.
Decoding unspoken needs
Take, for example, a global B2B company that was losing ground in a maturing market. Its internal teams were convinced that price sensitivity was driving customer churn. But after conducting a structured VoC engagement, a very different pattern emerged: Customers weren’t leaving because of price – they were leaving because they felt they were buying a commoditized product with no roadmap. The real unmet need was not affordability, but vision. By pivoting its messaging and investing in roadmap visibility, the company reversed a multi-quarter decline in retention and uncovered new whitespace.
What this story reveals is that surface-level sentiment – what’s easy to ask and easy to hear – rarely gets to the crux of the opportunity. True innovation comes from decoding unarticulated needs, latent expectations and usage context that customers themselves may not fully express.
Beyond surveys: A layered approach to VOC
Sophisticated VOC programs use layered, mixed method approaches to go beyond what people say to understand what they mean and do. This often includes:
- Qualitative discovery: In-depth interviews and ethnographic observation to identify patterns of frustration, workarounds or aspiration.
- Quantitative validation: Surveys or structured conjoint analysis to prioritize needs, features or attributes.
- Behavioral data: Usage analytics, customer support logs or CRM histories that reveal gaps between intent and behavior.
Each layer offers a different window into the customer experience, and together they help triangulate on the real unmet needs – the fertile ground for innovation.
VOC as an innovation enabler
VOC is not just a research function – it’s an innovation enabler. But too often, insights remain siloed within research teams, disconnected from product, marketing and strategy functions. Organizations that excel at converting VOC into innovation do three things well:
Translate needs into design principles
They don’t stop at what customers want, they ask, “how should this shape our roadmap, channels and positioning?”
Prioritize by strategic alignment, not just popularity
Just because a feature is desired doesn’t mean it’s viable. High-performing firms weigh VOC insights against business strategy, technical feasibility and market dynamics.
Institutionalize customer learning loops
Rather than treating VOC as a one-off project, they embed it as a recurring process – refreshed quarterly, tied to KPIs and integrated across functions.
Comparing VOC in B2B vs. B2C
In B2B, the stakes for VOC can be even higher. Customer relationships are fewer but more valuable, buying cycles are longer and switching costs are greater. Yet many B2B companies still rely on ad hoc conversations from the sales team or satisfaction scores post-implementation. In contrast, leading innovators in sectors like life sciences, industrials and SaaS build rigorous, forward-looking VOC programs – ones that map not only satisfaction, but emerging needs, category evolution and perceived differentiation.
While volumes of data may be more abundant in B2C, the challenge is often in interpretation. Sentiment analysis, behavioral analytics and social listening can all play a role, but triangulation remains key. Popularity isn’t always a proxy for insight.
Avoiding common pitfalls
While most organizations recognize the value of VOC, many fall into predictable traps:
- Confirmation bias: Asking leading questions or interpreting results through an internal lens.
- Over-indexing on the vocal minority: Letting a few loud customers shape your roadmap.
- Assuming needs don’t change: Treating VOC as a snapshot rather than a dynamic pulse.
Avoiding these requires not just better tools, but better governance. Who owns VOC? Who funds it? And how is it linked to core business decisions?
Where should organizations go from here?
VOC is not a dashboard; it’s a capability. Built and maintained properly, it becomes one of the most powerful inputs for competitive strategy, product development and brand differentiation.
Organizations that treat VOC as a strategic function – not just a research deliverable – are more likely to anticipate shifts in customer expectations, address real pain points and innovate ahead of the curve.