In our efforts to ask for and accept customer input, many have lost sight of an important part of the process: translation.

With the advent of automated digital surveys, big data, and a plethora of voice of the customer (VOC) techniques, using customer input to drive design and improvement is more feasible than ever before, but interpreting that feedback into useful guidance is still an art form. Whether we design new products or provide services, we must translate a customer’s spoken expectations into solutions that will produce the results a customer needs.

Perhaps the most prevalent cause of misleading information is the way in which data are collected. If they aren’t collected from a source that represents your target audience, or if they aren’t collected appropriately, the results will be flawed.

It’s tempting to use available data instead of collecting fresh, specific information. That is especially true when data-collection groups are conveniently gathering and selling customer-behavior data.

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