Include the Voice of Your Customer in Your 2022 Planning
Three tips for conducting client quality assessments that will best support your 2022 planning.
Your existing clients hold the key to intel that could help you serve them better. But oftentimes that intel isn’t shared unless you ask. Client Quality Assessments (CQAs) are one-on-one interviews that allow your client stakeholders to share insights that will help you strengthen, retain, and grow important client relationships.
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ML conducts our own CQA interviews at key points throughout each client’s lifecycle. This puts us in a strong position to gain actionable intel directly from our client stakeholders. Conducting CQAs at various stages allows us to swiftly respond to the insights we gather and take corrective actions when needed to protect our project goals.
Stephanie Kargel, ML’s Director of Growth, manages our CQA program. Recently, a client expressed to her their appreciation for our reports but requested more prescriptive guidance on how our market conversations could inform their go-to-market strategy. Two weeks later, they asked for slides from our previous reports for use in an upcoming board meeting. Instead of simply repurposing the original slides, our team conducted a deep dive into the insights and developed an entirely new presentation. This customized deck focused on how the identified needs, challenges, pain points, and competitive intelligence could be strategically integrated into their go-to-market roadmap.
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Many of our clients enlist ML’s help to conduct their CQAs so they can focus on their core business responsibilities, but also because a neutral third party often achieves more significant results.
Lara Triozzi is ML’s CEO and Founder. Lara says, “It is possible to run CQA programs inhouse, but sometimes business gets in the way. CQA programs can be thought of as “nice to haves” and pushed aside for higher priorities. By engaging an external resource, CQA programs will proceed and succeed. Plus, a neutral third party can achieve better results. ML averages a 40-60% completion rate vs. the 10-20% average rate most clients see from electronic surveys.
Our clients also leverage CQAs to proactively gain insights into their customers' concerns regarding the services or products they offer. At the same time, they also capture their Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
We conducted CQA interviews on behalf of a global leader in risk analysis, compliance and cyber security over a period of five years. The ML team would interview a segment of their customer base each quarter to gain insight into the services provided as well as the customers’ personal insights and feedback on emerging needs and trends.
This intel was then used to understand how our client could best address the evolving needs of their customer base. This ultimately saved them time, effort, and money by challenging assumptions and adjusting plans based on the feedback received.
We conduct an annual CQA program for a leading fraud detection provider in the banking industry. Over the past four years, this program has expanded significantly as the program provided a competitive edge for our client by enhancing their ability to serve customers and address potential market threats. Initially launched in 2020 with 38 interviews across various customer cohorts, the program has grown to 200 interviews completed in 2024, engaging client stakeholders worldwide in multiple languages. This growth underscores the value the client derives from ML’s interviews, making direct customer feedback increasingly essential as their customer base expands.
C-Suite executives are talking about "relationship sales" as the key to success, but how do you cultivate these relationships in a way that translates to more revenue? CQA programs play a crucial role in fostering these relationships. Not only do they provide valuable insights, but they are also perceived as a positive investment in the relationship itself. For this client, interviewees have expressed how much they appreciate being heard and respect the fact that our client commits to conducting this CQA annually.
Customers consistently expressed appreciation for the CQA program, describing the experience as enjoyable and valuable. Many feel honored to participate, highlighting the personal and conversational nature of the interviews as a key differentiator from impersonal online surveys.
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Several interviewees noted that they look forward to these discussions each year. Others emphasized how much they value the opportunity to provide feedback, especially in a way that feels meaningful and engaging. The verbal format was particularly well received, with multiple participants stating their dislike for traditional written surveys. Additionally, customers recognized the unique nature of this initiative, with some stating that they wished more vendors would adopt a similar approach. One interviewee specifically noted that conducting the interview in Spanish allowed them to share their experiences more freely.
Overall, the feedback reinforces that these CQA programs are not just about gathering insights—they actively strengthen relationships and enhance customer satisfaction.
Related Content: Voice of Customer Programs – CQAs, Win/Loss Analysis, and Market Research Services
Here are a few best practices to set your CQA program up for success.
Before you begin, identify your target audience, establish goals and objectives, and implement processes to measure against those goals.
Ensure you target a good cross-section of interviewees. Include users of your product or service, management, and the C-suite, who may be responsible for purchasing decisions and can provide insight into future corporate initiatives.
Consider customizing questionnaires based on categories of interviewees. For instance, the insights you can learn from an end-user will differ vastly from the executive sponsor who has a view into how your product or service impacts business operations.
Identify the intel you want to uncover… your goals and objectives. Here are some of the more typical ones we see.
Client interviews conducted by phone rather than electronically garner a much higher completion rate. Plus, speaking directly to customers one-on-one provides a way to probe responses to reveal a far more robust view of the interviewee’s perceptions.
ML has found that questionnaires with 10-15 questions and interviews that run between 15 and 20 minutes are the most beneficial. When engaged with your interviewee, spend less time talking and more time listening. Don’t be afraid to stray a bit from the original questionnaire if the intel being shared by your interviewee is valuable.
Don’t forget to collect your findings (we use Jotform to capture the interview and HubSpot to manage our outreach and track progress), analyze the results, and incorporate the output to improve your business! ML aggregates all the data we collect into easy-to-digest reports summarizing what we learned from the interviews.
Consider building an ongoing conversation. Ideally, you are conducting CQAs regularly, perhaps once a quarter, or once a year. This historical data will allow you to spot trends and react to them quickly.
The insights you uncover are gold! Be sure to analyze it and act on what you learn.
Embracing CQAs is akin to unearthing hidden gems within your business relationships. By diligently evaluating and understanding your clients' needs and experiences, you fortify the bonds with your current customers and pave the way for new opportunities and growth.
The insights gained from these assessments are invaluable, offering insights to enhance your services and tailor your approach to meet the evolving demands of your market. As you dig deeper into understanding your clients, you'll find that the rewards are not just in the form of increased loyalty and satisfaction but also in your business's sustainable success and expansion.
Thanks for reading. If you need help kicking off a Client Quality Assessment program, we’d be happy to help! Contact us via this link.
Michelle
