David – I do plan on talking about how VoC and metrics can work together.

Obviously there are good reasons to run a survey using each of the methods (you don’t want an entry study to ask questions about their experience on the site).

We currently use Keynote for our survey tool. It can be used for all three methods described above. While it has it quirks, its flexibility in designing questions offers one the ability to use the survey for more than a blunt “metrics” type tool.

I may be wrong, but the tools mentioned in Bryan’s article are all pre-configured with a set of questions (some have limited felxibility for changing the questions, but not the type of question). These tools are great for general VoC-as-metrics initiatives, but limiting for more focused efforts.

We’ve had a need to ask multi-select, ranking, single choice, and openended questions. As well as the ability to create different paths through the survey based on the response to a particular question.

To Rachel’s question: we’ve almost never provided incentive for a survey that is designed to launch at random (meaning it was not sent to a specific group of people). While it is true that someone may be cranked off enough with the cart experience that they will ignnor the survey, chances are they will it out. Or at least you will have enough people who do fill it out to go forward with A/B testing.

If you make the invitation to the survey welcoming and humble “We see that you’ve left our shopping cart before completing your order. We’d like to hear from you about your experience so that we can continue to improve our site. Please click “continue” to answer a few questions (2-4 minutes).”

Think of it this way, the person already navigated your site, selected a product, and added it to a checkout cart – they are engaged! Its like waiting in line at the store and then stuffing the item in the impulse isle and high-tailing it out of the store.

This is a great topic Bryan, will you provide any thoughts on how metrics and VoC can work together?

One thing you wrote that called my attention that I do not agree completely:

“Rather, those responding to a VOC appeal would be those who “unlike” you: they’ll be quasi-neutral, perhaps ticked-off at some silly thing you’ve done, a mild dislike at worst.”

I am not sure that those are the people most willing to help you. Based on my personal experience, I feel like I can spend hours helping Amazon, or Google, or LinkedIn… sites I am addicted to. I think this is mainly because I know that any improvement I manage to push into their products might improve my life and save me time in the future. So I guess there is an important factor of ‘how much I use this site’, not only ‘how bad/good was my experience’. IMHO it is not about the customer helping the website; it is about the customer helping himself saving some time next time he comes back.