Temkin Group Finds That Social Media And Mobile Phones Are Emerging Channels To The Voice Of The Customer

Online, October 19, 2010 (Newswire.com) - In a new research report called "The State Of Voice Of The Customer Programs," Temkin Group examines data from 119 organizations with annual revenues of at least $500 million that have formalized voice of the customer (VoC) programs. The research examines all aspects of those VoC programs, from executive involvement to customer feedback channels to plans for 2011. While many VoC programs are still in early stages, 79% of firms already report positive results and many plan to spend more on these efforts in 2011.

"Voice of the customer programs are becoming a staple in the diet of customer-centric organizations" stated Bruce Temkin, Customer Experience Transformist and Managing Partner of Temkin Group.

The research found that nearly 80% of companies currently use email for collecting customer feedback, but only 22% use social media sites and 3% use iPhone applications. While the use of these channels is low today, the research also showed that they are likely to experience significant growth. When it comes to channels that companies are actively considering, 35% of firms are looking at social media and 21% are looking at mobile applications.

Using the Temkin Group's Voice Of The Customer Maturity Assessment, the study also identified that only 1% of companies with at least 2,000 employees and 9% of smaller companies attained the highest level of maturity, a stage that Temkin Group calls "Transformers." The vast majority of the companies wound up in the earliest stages of maturity.

According to Temkin: "Voice of the customer programs are undergoing rapid change, but they can create value even in their earliest stages. The key to success is focusing on actionable insights."

This report can be accessed from the Temkin Group website at http://www.temkingroup.com or from the blog, Customer Experience Matters, at http://experiencematters.wordpress.com.

For more information about Temkin Group, visit http://www.temkingroup.com.