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Voice of Customer: 5 Examples to Learn From (+ How to Start Yours)
With rising competition, quickly replaceable products and services and the power of social media, customers today are more vocal and empowered than ever. A single bad experience can go viral, influencing countless potential buyers.
It’s not uncommon to see frustrated customers airing their grievances on social platforms, but how brands respond truly sets them apart. Do they merely react, or do they take proactive steps to turn feedback into meaningful change? The brands that thrive are those that listen, adapt and evolve based on the Voice of the Customer (VoC).
However, capturing and acting on customer insights at scale isn’t possible without technology. The most successful VoC programs leverage AI-driven analytics, real-time feedback loops and omnichannel monitoring to ensure that no customer sentiment goes unnoticed. Since these insights enhance customer experience and drive loyalty and long-term revenue growth, 70% of leaders plan to deploy technology to harness VoC and elevate their service experiences.
In this blog, we’ll explore five inspiring examples of brands that have mastered the art of VoC, transforming customer feedback into a competitive advantage.
What does the voice of the customer mean?
The Voice of the Customer (VoC) refers to the collective feedback, insights and sentiments customers share about their experiences with a company, including its products, services and overall brand interactions. It captures their expectations, pain points and preferences, providing a direct line to what truly matters to their audience.
A well-structured VoC program empowers you to:
✅ Make data-driven decisions – Align products, services and marketing strategies with real customer needs.
✅ Enhance customer experience—Pinpoint areas for improvement in service delivery, product design and the overall customer journey.
✅ Boost customer satisfaction and loyalty – Address concerns proactively, exceed expectations and build lasting relationships.
VoC is particularly critical for enterprise customers. Their clients often have complex needs and expect tailored solutions. Listening to their feedback allows businesses to develop highly customized offerings, fostering trust and long-term partnerships.
How do businesses capture VoC?
Leading brands leverage multiple communication channels to capture, analyze and act on consumer insights, including:
📊 Customer surveys – Gather structured feedback through online forms, phone interviews and in-person interactions.
🗣️ Social listening – Monitor social mentions and sentiment across social media, forums and review sites.
💬 Customer service interactions – Analyze inquiries, complaints and feedback from phone calls, emails and live chats.
👥 Focus groups & in-depth interviews – Conduct qualitative discussions to understand nuanced customer needs.
Why does the voice of the customer matter to large organizations?
For large organizations, the voice of the customer (VoC) significantly impacts key business outcomes, helping shape customer satisfaction, loyalty, revenue and overall strategy. Unlike startups or mid-sized firms, large organizations operate at scale, with:
- Diverse customer bases spanning multiple geographies, industries and demographics.
- Complex service ecosystems involving multiple customer touchpoints, departments and technology stacks.
- High-stakes brand reputation, where one misstep can lead to public scrutiny, revenue loss and even regulatory penalties.
Ignoring the Voice of the Customer (VoC) threatens business sustainability in this environment. Let's see how:
The cost of getting it wrong:
A single breakdown in customer experience can trigger a ripple effect that's far costlier for large enterprises than for smaller businesses:
💰 Revenue at risk – With a broad customer base, even 1-2% churn rates can translate to millions in lost revenue annually.
⚠️ Operational inefficiencies – Misaligned products, ineffective support channels and disconnected teams lead to skyrocketing service costs.
📉 Brand erosion – Negative experiences don't stay private. A viral complaint or poor online sentiment can weaken brand equity and investor confidence.
🏛 Regulatory & compliance risks – Finance, healthcare or telecom enterprises face stringent customer protection laws. Ignoring customer feedback can lead to legal ramifications and hefty fines.
Top 5 Voice of Customer (VoC) examples for businesses
Voice of customer (VoC) data is invaluable for businesses of all sizes. The following companies have mastered the art of VoC, using it to drive innovation, enhance customer experiences and fuel sustainable growth.
IKEA
IKEA has long been synonymous with affordable, stylish home furnishings, but its commitment to customer-centric innovation truly sets the brand apart. By implementing Sprinklr’s unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM), IKEA has revolutionized its customer service — blending data-driven insights with human empathy to enhance shopping experiences worldwide.
How IKEA captures the Voice of the Customer
IKEA's VoC methodology combines digital intelligence with direct customer feedback to shape its retail strategy:
📊 Real-time sentiment analysis: By monitoring brand-relevant conversations online, IKEA gains immediate insights into customer sentiment, preferences and concerns.
📋 Customer surveys: In-store and online surveys focus on website usability, delivery experiences and product satisfaction, ensuring every touchpoint is optimized.
💳 Loyalty program insights: Data from IKEA Family members' purchase history, browsing behavior and preferences help identify emerging customer needs and shopping trends.
Key insights that reshaped IKEA’s strategy
Through these VoC efforts, IKEA uncovered critical insights that fueled innovation:
🔹 Enhancing shopping experiences: Customers highlighted challenges in in-store navigation, product availability and checkout efficiency — signaling a need for more seamless retail experiences.
🔹 Clearer assembly instructions needed: Many customers found furniture assembly guides confusing, leading to frustration and increased support inquiries.
🔹 Rising demand for sustainability: A growing segment of IKEA’s customer base prioritized eco-friendly products and sustainable business practices.
Turning insights into action: IKEA’s transformations
🚀 Smarter in-store navigation: IKEA introduced interactive digital maps and AI-powered store assistants, making it easier for customers to find what they need.
💳 Frictionless checkout: The checkout experience was optimized with self-checkout stations, mobile payment options and exclusive fast lanes for IKEA Family members.
🌱 Expanded sustainability initiatives: IKEA increased its commitment to sustainability by using more eco-friendly materials, reducing packaging waste and investing in a circular economy model.
💬 Enhanced customer support: IKEA upgraded its customer service channels by launching AI-driven chatbots, live chat options and enhanced customer service training programs to provide faster, more personalized support.
✅ The Key Takeaway
IKEA’s ability to listen, adapt and innovate has reinforced its reputation as a customer-first brand. It has proved that success isn’t just about selling products. It’s about understanding and responding to the voices of your customers at every touchpoint.
LEGO
For decades, LEGO has been more than just a toy company; it has become a brand that sparks imagination across generations. However, even the most iconic brands cannot afford to remain stagnant in a rapidly changing world. LEGO recognized that it needed to do more than create new sets to keep its magic alive. It had to listen to its customers actively, understand their evolving desires and develop products that resonate with them.
How LEGO listens to its fans
Instead of passively collecting feedback, LEGO has built an interactive ecosystem where fans directly shape the brand’s future.
🧱 LEGO Ideas: Imagine submitting a design for a LEGO set and seeing it on store shelves. That’s exactly what LEGO Ideas allows fans to do. Customers pitch product concepts, vote on their favorites through its online platform and influence what LEGO produces next. This has led to smash-hit releases like the Voltron: Defender of the Universe set and the Ghostbusters Ecto-1.
📢 Social listening: LEGO closely monitors conversations across Instagram, X, Facebook, and fan forums. Every comment, hashtag, and trend provides invaluable insights, whether it’s nostalgia-fueled demand for classic sets or discussions around sustainability.
📊 Customer surveys and focus groups: Beyond digital interactions, LEGO regularly conducts deep-dive surveys and in-person discussions to understand what customers love, what frustrates them and what they wish to see next.
Turning insights into action
By analyzing customer feedback, LEGO uncovered key themes shaping its product roadmap:
🔹 A demand for nostalgia & creativity: Customers craved sets that sparked childhood memories while offering fresh, creative challenges.
🔹 Sustainability & representation: Fans wanted LEGO to embrace eco-friendly practices and include more diverse characters.
🔹 Accessibility & affordability: Customers highlighted the need for clearer instructions (especially for complex builds) and budget-friendly options.
How LEGO brought these insights to life
Rather than letting this data sit in reports, LEGO transformed it into real-world innovations:
- Fan-driven product launches – LEGO brought customer ideas to life with sets that reflected nostalgia, creativity and fan passion.
- A commitment to diversity & sustainability – The company expanded its character representation and introduced sustainable packaging.
- Enhanced user experience – LEGO redesigned its instruction manuals, adding digital and interactive guides to simplify complex builds.
- Affordable, accessible sets – Recognizing that not everyone can afford premium collections, LEGO introduced smaller, budget-friendly sets without compromising creativity.
✅ The Key Takeaway
By making VoC an integral part of its strategy, LEGO strengthened its product line and built deeper connections with its community where customers co-create its future.
Marriott
Marriott International, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, has made the Voice of the Customer (VoC) an essential pillar of its business strategy. By actively listening and adapting, Marriott enhances the guest experience and reinforces its position as a global hospitality leader.
How Marriott listens to its guests
Marriott uses multiple channels to turn guest insights into action.
🏨 Guest voice platform: After every stay, guests receive a survey assessing their experience, covering everything from room comfort to service quality. This feedback helps Marriott pinpoint areas that need improvement.
🗣 Focus groups: Marriott conducts in-depth discussions with select guests to gain qualitative insights into what truly enhances their stay. These conversations uncover hidden customer pain points and unmet needs that surveys alone might miss.
📊 Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program: With millions of members, Marriott Bonvoy provides a rich source of behavioral data — from booking patterns to redemption preferences. By analyzing this data, Marriott anticipates guest needs and tailors its offerings accordingly.
Turning insights into guest-centric innovations
By analyzing VoC data, Marriott identified key trends shaping the modern guest experience:
🔹 A demand for digital convenience – Travelers increasingly preferred digital check-in, mobile key access and seamless tech-driven interactions.
🔹 The rise of hyper-personalization – Guests wanted experiences tailored to their preferences, from room settings to dining recommendations.
🔹 A stronger focus on sustainability – Customers expected eco-friendly initiatives, from energy-efficient lighting to waste reduction programs.
From insights to impact: How Marriott took action
Rather than just acknowledging guest expectations, Marriott proactively transformed them into tangible improvements:
- A mobile-first guest experience: Recognizing the demand for digital innovation, Marriott enhanced its Bonvoy app with mobile check-in, digital room keys and real-time service requests — allowing guests to enjoy a frictionless stay.
- Personalized hospitality at scale: Leveraging AI-driven analytics, Marriott introduced customized room preferences, targeted promotions and curated recommendations, making each stay feel more tailored to the individual guest.
- A commitment to sustainability: Marriott launched comprehensive eco-friendly initiatives, from reducing single-use plastics to implementing energy-efficient systems, reinforcing its dedication to responsible hospitality.
- Service consistency through training: To ensure a high-quality experience across all properties, Marriott implemented enhanced training programs for its staff, standardizing service excellence worldwide.
✅ The Key Takeaway
Marriott’s commitment to VoC involves acting on guest insights to create a seamless, personalized and sustainable hospitality experience.
Spotify
In music streaming, staying relevant means staying in tune with listeners' needs. Whether creating hyper-personalized playlists or enhancing audio quality, Spotify listens, adapts and delivers — making it the go-to platform for millions of music lovers worldwide.
How Spotify listens to its users
Spotify doesn't just rely on star ratings and reviews — it actively seeks feedback through multiple channels to understand what users want next:
🎧 In-app surveys: Spotify regularly asks users about their satisfaction with features, audio quality and overall experience.
📢 Social media monitoring: The company monitors X, Instagram and Reddit conversations and tracks trending user sentiments.
🌐 User forums & communities: Spotify engages with listeners through official forums, gathering insights from the most passionate users.
📊 Behavioral data analysis: Beyond direct feedback, Spotify examines how users interact with the app — from playlist creation to music discovery — to uncover emerging trends and preferences.
Key insights that shaped Spotify’s strategy
By analyzing user feedback and behavior, Spotify identified four game-changing trends:
🔹 A hunger for personalization – Users loved custom playlists like Discover Weekly and Daily Mix but wanted even deeper, AI-driven recommendations.
🔹 The need for better music discovery – While algorithms were great at reinforcing personal tastes, listeners craved tools to explore new artists beyond their usual genres.
🔹 Demand for superior audio quality – As high-fidelity audio devices became mainstream, users wanted premium sound quality to match.
🔹 A push for enhanced podcast experiences – With podcast listenership growing, users requested better search functionality, faster downloads and seamless playback controls.
From insights to innovation
Instead of merely acknowledging these trends, Spotify acted on them, rolling out innovations that reshaped the music streaming experience:
- Hyper-personalized listening: Spotify introduced the AI-powered DJ, an advanced recommendation system that creates real-time, dynamic playlists tailored to users' evolving tastes.
- Smarter music discovery: New features like Release Radar and New Releases give users fresh ways to discover up-and-coming artists and trending songs.
- Higher-fidelity audio: To meet the demand for superior sound, Spotify launched Spotify HiFi, offering lossless audio quality for premium subscribers.
- A smoother podcast experience: Based on user feedback, Spotify enhanced its podcast search engine, improved download speeds and refined playback controls for a seamless experience.
✅ The Key Takeaway
Spotify’s success isn’t just about having a vast music library — it’s about giving users an experience that evolves with them. By deeply integrating VoC into its strategy, Spotify continuously refines its platform, setting a gold standard in customer-driven innovation.
Netflix
Netflix has successfully leveraged VoC methodologies to develop a deep understanding of its audience. This has allowed the streaming giant to deliver personalized and engaging entertainment experiences, driving significant growth and customer satisfaction.
How Netflix captures the Voice of the Customer
Netflix analyzes what its users do to fine-tune content recommendations and user experience. Here’s how:
🎬 Viewer feedback system: Netflix transitioned from a star-rating model to a thumbs-up/down system, making it easier for users to provide feedback and improving the recommendation algorithm.
📊 Viewing behavior analysis: Every watch, pause, rewind, and rewatch is logged to understand which genres, actors and content formats resonate the most with different audience segments.
📞 Customer support interactions: Netflix analyzes support inquiries and complaints to identify common friction points, from buffering issues to account-sharing frustrations.
Key insights that shaped Netflix’s strategy
By leveraging these VoC methodologies, Netflix uncovered critical insights:
🔹 Users crave hyper-personalized content. Beyond broad genres, audiences preferred content tailored to specific tastes, directors and storytelling styles.
🔹 Content gaps drive churn. Analysis revealed areas where Netflix’s library lacked in-demand movies, shows and culturally diverse content.
🔹 User experience is make-or-break. Frustrations with search limitations and offline viewing challenges impacted engagement.
From insights to innovation: How Netflix Adapted
Netflix didn’t just collect data — it acted on it. Here’s how:
Revamped feedback system: Netflix’s switch from a star rating to a thumbs up/down model increased engagement by 200%, refining content recommendations and boosting user satisfaction.
Enhanced UI/UX features: Netflix introduced offline downloads, multi-user profiles and smarter search functionality based on recurring user requests.
Original content boom: To address content gaps, Netflix prioritized original programming like Stranger Things and The Crown, investing in diverse content to attract global audiences.
✅ The Key Takeaway
Listening to customers isn't just about fixing problems—it's about unlocking new opportunities for engagement and growth. By deeply integrating VoC insights into its strategy, Netflix ensures its content and platform remain as dynamic as its viewers' preferences.
How to implement a voice of customer program
Here’s how to build a high-impact VoC program that drives meaningful business decisions and delivers measurable customer experience improvements.
1. Define clear business objectives and use cases
Large enterprises deal with vast amounts of customer data. VoC insights can become fragmented without well-defined objectives and fail to drive real change.
- Tie VoC insights to business KPIs. Are you aiming to reduce customer churn, increase NPS or enhance digital self-service adoption? Each goal will shape how you collect and act on VoC insights.
- Prioritize cross-functional alignment. VoC programs should benefit CX, product, sales and customer support teams. Create a shared success framework with executive buy-in to ensure company-wide adoption.
🎯 Pro Tip
Link VoC insights directly to financial impact. For example, show how resolving a high-friction onboarding issue could increase customer lifetime value (CLV) by reducing early churn.
2. Build a multi-layered data collection framework
Enterprises need a 360° view of customer sentiment, which means going beyond traditional surveys. So, you must collect insights from:
✔️ Direct feedback: CSAT/NPS surveys, product reviews and user testing sessions.
✔️ Indirect feedback: Social listening, chat transcripts and call center analytics.
✔️ Behavioral analytics: Customer journeys, website heatmaps and in-app interactions.
✔️ Operational data: Refund requests, cart abandonment trends and service escalations.
🎯 Pro Tip
Use AI to extract insights at scale. Manually analyzing customer feedback in a large enterprise is impractical. Sprinklr’s AI-powered customer survey software leverages NLP (Natural Language Processing) to detect sentiment trends, uncover pain points and identify emerging topics from millions of data points in real-time.
But capturing insights is only half the battle — what truly drives impact is the ability to act on them instantly. That’s where Sprinklr Surveys excels. With AI-driven analytics and omnichannel feedback integration, Sprinklr helps you move beyond static reports, transforming customer insights into proactive, business-changing decisions.
3. Create a closed-loop feedback process
Collecting feedback is of no use if it doesn’t result in action. Large enterprises need real-time escalation mechanisms to fix high-impact customer issues before they cause churn.
🔄 Tiered issue resolution system:
🕐 | Real-time response automation → Auto-resolve common complaints via AI chatbots and self-service workflows. |
🚩 | Fast-track resolution for high-value customers → Flag critical feedback from VIP customers for immediate human intervention. |
🔧 | Cross-functional root cause analysis → Identify systemic pain points (e.g., recurring billing issues) and escalate them to product and operations teams for long-term fixes. |
4. Centralize VoC data with a Unified-CXM platform
Siloed VoC data leads to incomplete insights and inconsistent customer experiences across teams. Deploy a unified solution (Check Sprinklr Unified-CXM platform) to aggregate, analyze and activate VoC data in real time.
✔️ Break down silos – Connect customer feedback from contact centers, social media, email and product reviews.
✔️ Enable AI-driven insights – Detect emerging customer pain points and feature requests.
✔️ Automate action workflows – Route urgent feedback to the right teams instantly.
5. Establish a customer-first culture with VoC governance
A successful VoC program requires a mindset shift. Enterprises must ensure that customer insights drive every major business decision, so setting up a VoC governance model helps ensure that things are always moving in the right direction.
🏆 VoC Governance Model:
✔️ Create a dedicated VoC team – Include CX leaders, data analysts and customer success managers to ensure insights lead to action.
✔️ Executive sponsorship is key – Ensure C-level buy-in so that VoC insights influence budget allocation and strategic planning.
✔️ Make customer insights visible – Use VoC dashboards (refer to the below from Sprinklr) to share real-time customer trends across all departments.
Amplify your VoC strategy with Sprinklr
By actively listening to customer feedback, you gain invaluable insights that drive innovation, enhance customer satisfaction, and fuel sustainable growth. The examples in this blog showcase how businesses successfully leverage VoC to overcome challenges, refine their offerings, and elevate customer service. The best part? You can replicate these results for yourself with Sprinklr Insights.
Sprinklr Insights seamlessly integrates with 30+ social and digital channels, providing a 360-degree view of customer sentiment with real-time social listening and brand monitoring. Powered by Sprinklr AI and generative AI, it helps you uncover emerging trends, identify root causes and receive clear, actionable recommendations to optimize customer experiences.
With 90% data accuracy, Sprinklr Insights ensures your VoC program is built on a reliable foundation. Its intuitive dashboards enable effortless data visualization, while robust governance controls provide end-to-end security and compliance.
Ready to build an impactful VoC program? Schedule a demo with Sprinklr today and let our experts help you turn customer insights into business success.
