Much of the emphasis with Voice of Customer revolves around big data. But without small data insights, you can’t unleash the full power of big data. Discover how Blue Cross combines the two for effective and impactful results.
Big data is massive and mechanical in nature. Small data is more human. Insightful. Focused. Powerful in its own way.
Yes, big data is statistically valid, building the confidence of marketers and statisticians. But the fact is, we need both big and small data to uncover marketing solutions for our clients. Small data findings can illuminate big data findings.
When it comes to Voice of Customer, we need to listen closely to all the data.
Big Data for Play-By-Play, Small Data for Color Commentary
Think of data as sportscasting. Big data is the play-by-play description — the who, what, where facts of the game. Small data is the color commentary. It’s more human. It analyzes, explains and enlightens. It gives the play on the field deeper context and meaning.
I like how the sports metaphor demonstrates one kind of information relying on the other. It’s how I see quantitative and qualitative research, big and small data. Delivering only one or the other doesn’t work for sportscasting, and it sure doesn’t work in marketing.
Still, how can small data (color commentary) play a key role in big data (play-by-play)? And where does Voice of Customer fit in all of this?
Listen to Big and Small Data for Big and Small Clues
Let’s look at a Voice of Customer story from Blue Cross, one of the nation’s largest health insurers. Blue Cross, like every other insurer, has a big health problem called “readmission rates” — patients returning to the hospital not long after they get back home to recover from their original hospital stay.
Most readmissions are unnecessary, painful and costly. Blue Cross wanted to get to the bottom of “preventable readmissions” to cut waste, save money, and do good by the patient.
Preventable readmissions are a big economic issue. Readmissions drain our national health care system of billions in waste, costing Medicare alone $15 billion annually. If you or I get readmitted to a hospital, we can expect a huge medical bill (the average readmission costs $35,000).
Blue Cross needed to find out what was going on at home that sent people right back to the hospital. They had the luxury of a lot of data to examine, and they needed to develop a strategic solution.
Listen to Big Data to Laser-Focus on the Right Audience
To identify high-risk patients (and find the right audience), Blue Cross is running algorithms on billing claims, lab readings, medications, height, weight and family history (think play-by-play). The company also figures in data about the client’s neighborhood, including poverty rates.
I’ve heard that all this healthcare data is equivalent to five Wikipedias. The computer algorithm sifts through it all and then tallies a score for each patient, identifying those at highest risk.
Once Blue Cross identifies a high-risk patient, they send in a “health coach” to dig for specifics and better coordinate care based on the additional small data.
This one-on-one use of a health coach is where the research rubber meets the road. Why? Because that big play-by-play data is useless without the health coach going in to investigate further by asking deeper questions of the patient (customer), the family, and himself.
The health coach asks questions like:
“What dynamic in this home situation is complicating this patient’s recovery?”
“What small clue in this patient’s behavior can I act upon to help him recover at home?”
“How can I influence this patient’s best behavior?”
Listen to Small Data to Find the Holes in Big Data
Combining the color commentary of small data with the play-by-play of big data is working for Blue Cross. To date, it’s identified 18,000 clients (patients) who need health coaches, and it’s already seen a 40 to 50 percent reduction in expected hospital readmission rates.
Although this story is all about healthcare, it’s the universal story of marketing research using both big and small data to dig for big and small clues — looking for the “color commentary” meaning behind all the play-by-play big data.
The Voice of Customer is Not Static
Qualitative online community research (the kind we do at Digsite) provides insight into the nuances of Voice of Customer. It’s the closest thing to looking that customer in the eye and shaking his/her hand.
And it’s critical to keep shaking that hand because your particular Voice of Customer is not a static entity. It keeps changing, moving, shifting. Sometimes in subtle ways, like how your customer thinks or feels. Sometimes in obvious ways, like a drop or rise in sales, foot traffic, business referrals, etc.
Are you following these subtle shifts? Are you blending methods of market research to fill the holes and make the most of your limited research dollars?
The challenge for all of us is to keep digging for the truest voice, and understand what’s behind it. It can be done. Through the use of qualitative Voice of Customer research, we can find that truth in the smallest of places.
See Digsite in action and discover how if it fits your needs-join us for an interactive demo webcast!
