Turning Stakeholder Comments into Data
Yesterday, I was on the Morning Coffee Chat (supported by Mighty Citizen and hosted by Nicole Araujo) where you never know what will happen or what will be discussed! A new member of the group brought up the question, “How do you collect customer feedback from a dispersed staff and call center comments?”
Qualitative data is my jam as the kids say, (or do they say that anymore?) anyway, let’s leave it at qualitative analysis is one of my happy places.
In a conversation I had earlier this year with Dean West of Association Laboratory, he noted that one of the A-L team members, Meg Whedbee, said that if you have an anecdote about an experience, then n = 1. Well said Meg!
The question is how much higher can you get “n” so that the data has actionable meaning?
Therein lies the problem. Collecting anecdotal information (think angry customer comments, happy customer comments, frustrated customer comments – you see where I’m going with this) and then making sense of it without getting distracted and being sent in the wrong direction takes focus, training, and consistent data collection.
It also takes the skills of an experienced analyst to identify trends, themes, and potential areas for further exploration. Someone needs to be the lead on collecting the data, training others to collect the data, and then reviewing it to create more data for your organization’s knowledge base.
Staff need to be educated about the importance of tracking these comments and sharing them. For example, if someone called with a problem and the person who took the call solved it, that’s not only a win – it’s an insight to possible solutions.
As we all know, the marketplace is oversaturated with software “solutions” (yes, I put that in quotes – bring on the angry postcards tech providers) but the issue is this: what is going to work for YOUR organization?
Slapping another software tool on top of your AMS or CRM is not the answer until you conduct a tech inventory. Most organizations have systems that include multiple tools and options they don’t even know about so explore what you have and the best way to use it.
Here are some questions to ask about collecting stakeholder comments for actionable data:
What system are you using?
Does it have the capability to collect qualitative data?
Can you export the data for analysis?
What areas do you want to collect data about?
Who will be entering the data?
What does “n” need to equal for your organization to act on the information?
While qualitative data is subjective, you can find solid opinions from your stakeholders about their needs. This provides the opportunity to support your success by amplifying the voice of the stakeholders and responding to trends before that whisper of discontent becomes a roar of frustration.
In Other News . . .
Earlier this year, we reported that Rogue Tulips Consulting and The 501c League would merge by June 30. We are pleased to report that we are ahead of schedule and the merger should be completed by June 17. (We’ve even submitted our annual July CAE Provider renewal application already!)
The League will continue to have its own website and email addresses, but it will no longer be a separate legal entity. We have included information about this on both websites. We are excited about this next step in our evolution! Feel free to send questions or comments to Cecilia Sepp via email: cecilia@roguetulips.com
