Make voice of the customer (VoC) meetings the most strategic use of your team's time

Most product development teams have their standard recurring meetings: weekly business reviews, engineering standups, and launch checklist reviews. These are staples in the rhythm of keeping projects on track and delivering outcomes. 

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But the best teams—the ones that seem to always be a step ahead—obsess over their “voice of the customer” (VoC) meetings. 

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That’s because they know VoC meetings are where the magic happens. Unlike a typical business review that inspects pre-selected key metrics, VoC meetings focus on real customer feedback and uncover opportunities for action. 

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Metrics tell part of the story, but metrics have blind spots. Customer anecdotes shine a light onto those blind spots, helping you see what’s really going on from the user's perspective.

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Below are steps to help you make these sessions indispensable to your team’s success. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your approach, these tips will make your VoC meetings actionable, insightful, and, dare I say, fun.

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1. Review anecdotes, but make them data-driven

Customer anecdotes are powerful—they put a human behind the data and provide rich context. But not all anecdotes are created equal. 

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Too often, VoC meetings devolve into a collection of random, unquantified stories. While these discussions can spark creativity, they rarely lead to concrete action. Why? Because teams tend to prioritize what they can measure.

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To avoid this trap, quantify your anecdotes. Tools like Unwrap can help you surface patterns in your customer feedback. For instance, instead of saying, “Some customers are having trouble syncing with Salesforce,” with Unwrap, you can say, “3% of last week’s feedback mentions issues syncing with Salesforce, making it the new top complaint.”

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This subtle shift transforms a vague concern into a well-defined problem. It gives your team a tangible issue to prioritize and track. As you work to resolve it, you can monitor week-over-week changes in the feedback to ensure the problem is truly fixed.

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By quantifying your anecdotes, you’re not just identifying pain points—you’re empowering your team to act on them in a measurable way.

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2. Turn feedback into action items with owners

One of the biggest pitfalls of VOC meetings is the dreaded black hole of good intentions. You surface a problem, brainstorm solutions, and then…nothing happens. The issue lingers—ultimately frustrating customers and eroding trust.

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To combat this, treat your VoC meetings like any other roadmap-planning session. When a customer pain point is surfaced, assign it as an action item with a clear owner. Log it in the same system you use to track product tickets—whether that’s Jira, Asana, or Linear.

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At the next meeting, follow up. Ask owners to report progress on their assigned tasks. This creates accountability and ensures that customer feedback doesn’t just get discussed—it gets acted upon.

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When your team starts to see their VoC meetings as a reliable engine for driving change, their engagement will also tick up. And your customers will notice the difference. They’re counting on you to listen—and act.

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3. Get your builders in the room

One of the most transformative changes you can make to your VoC meetings is inviting your builders—the people who can directly improve the product or user experience.

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Too often, these meetings are attended only by customer-facing teams or high-level managers. While their insights are valuable, they’re not the ones writing code, redesigning workflows, or fixing bugs.

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By involving builders (developers, designers, operations teams), you create a direct line between the customer and the person capable of making change. Builders often work behind dashboards and layers of management, making it easy to lose empathy for the end user.

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But when they hear real customer stories—whether it’s a painful complaint or a glowing review—it hits differently.

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Imagine a developer hearing a customer say, “I couldn’t finish my work because the app kept crashing.” Or a designer reading, “This new feature made my job so much easier—I wish all software was this thoughtful.” Moments like these inspire teams to push the envelope.

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Involving builders also creates a sense of ownership. They’re not just shipping code—they’re solving real problems for real people. That connection fuels better products and happier teams.

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4. Track and celebrate progress

A VoC meeting without follow-through is like a bridge to nowhere. To keep your team motivated and your customers coming back, you need to track what’s getting done—and celebrate it.

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After identifying and addressing customer pain points, track the progress of these efforts. For instance, you might report, “We’ve resolved 70% of the issues raised in last quarter’s VoC meetings.”

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Recognize the teams driving this progress. Whether it’s a shout-out in your all-hands meeting, a small reward, or just a heartfelt “thank you,” celebrating these wins reinforces the importance of the work. 

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It also signals to the entire organization that listening to customers isn’t just a box to check—it’s a core part of your business.

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And don’t forget to close the loop with your customers. When you fix an issue they’ve raised, let them know. Something as simple as, “We heard you, and we’ve made this better,” can turn a frustrated user into a loyal advocate.

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The bigger picture: Making VoC meetings a strategic advantage

Great VoC meetings don’t just help you solve problems—they help you get ahead of them. They’re an opportunity to uncover trends, validate decisions, and build a culture centered around your customers.

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When your team consistently listens to, quantifies, acts on, and celebrates customer feedback, it transforms how you operate. VoC meetings stop being just another meeting and start becoming a strategic advantage.

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So, take a moment to assess your current approach. Are your anecdotes data-driven? Are you turning feedback into actionable tasks with owners? Are your builders involved? Are you tracking and celebrating progress?

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If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” there’s room to grow. And that’s exciting! Because every step you take toward better VoC meetings is a step toward happier customers and a stronger team.

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Here’s to making your VoC meetings a source of inspiration, action, and joy. Your customers—and your team—deserve nothing less.

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Read how the data behind your voice of the customer programs makes all the difference.