Over the past 3 months, I’ve been revisiting lessons from Listen or Die: 40 Lessons That Turn Customer Feedback into Gold through the lens of AI.
Writing this series has been one of the most energizing projects of my career.
Now, I’ve collected all of the lessons into one blog.
From NPS to VoC, AI has transformed how we look at and act on customer experience.
Check out the complete series below!
Listen or Die with AI: The AI Perspective Introduction
Lesson #1 Revisited: Is AI Making Us More Customer-Centric?
AI is reshaping the way we analyze feedback, allowing for faster and deeper insights. However, it’s human empathy and action that turn these insights into lasting customer connections.
Lesson #2 Revisited: AI and the Real Meaning of CX Measurement
Discover how AI is transforming customer experience measurement with real-time, multi-channel feedback and predictive insights, while underscoring the irreplaceable role of human expertise in building trust and taking meaningful action.
Lesson #3 Revisited: AI and the Quest for a Single Source of Truth in CX Feedback
Explore how AI is enhancing Voice of the Customer platforms by unifying diverse feedback sources and providing real-time insights, while highlighting the indispensable role of human judgment and empathy in interpreting data and fostering genuine customer relationships.
Lesson #4 Revisited: Text Analytics from Machine Learning to LLMs
Learn how large language models are revolutionizing VoC programs by delivering nuanced feedback analysis, dynamic topic discovery, and actionable summaries, while highlighting the essential role of human judgment in driving meaningful customer experience improvements.
Lesson #5 Revisited: You’ve Got to Know and Use NPS—Even in the Age of AI
NPS remains a cornerstone of customer loyalty measurement. While AI enhances its depth by analyzing feedback at scale, it’s human insight that transforms these findings into actionable strategies for exceptional customer experiences.
Lesson #6 Revisited: NPS Isn’t Enough—AI Helps Identify the Actions That Improve CX
NPS provides a snapshot of customer loyalty, but AI dives deeper, uncovering root causes, recommending targeted actions, and helping prioritize improvements to enhance the customer experience.
Lesson #7 Revisited: CX Is Not the Same as Customer Service—AI Is Transforming Both
AI is blurring the lines between Customer Experience and Customer Service. While CX spans all customer interactions, CS focuses on resolving issues. AI enhances both by automating insights, predicting issues, and improving human-agent interactions, helping companies proactively elevate the customer journey.
Lesson #8 Revisited: The Convergence of VoC and Market Research in the Age of AI
Explore how AI is transforming the convergence of VoC programs and market research by embedding strategic insights into real-time feedback, analyzing unstructured data, and predicting trends, while emphasizing that human expertise is essential for interpreting data and aligning insights with business objectives.
Lesson #9 Revisited: VoC Replaced Old-School CSAT Tracks—Now AI Is Taking It Even Further
AI is transforming VoC programs by enabling real-time pattern recognition, uncovering unfiltered truths, and providing predictive insights, but human judgment remains essential for aligning insights with strategy and taking meaningful action.
Lesson #10 Revisited: B2B VoC vs. B2C VoC—AI Enhances Both, But the Human Element Still Matters
Discover how AI is transforming both B2B and B2C VoC programs by enhancing feedback analysis, identifying emerging issues, and prioritizing actions, while emphasizing that human expertise remains essential for interpreting insights and driving meaningful customer experience improvements.
Lesson #11 Revisited: Where You Start with VoC Depends on Where You Are—And How AI Can Help Along the Way
Explore how AI enhances VoC programs at every stage—Building, Growth, and Optimization—by automating feedback analysis, detecting early warning signs, and linking insights to business outcomes.
Lesson #12 Revisited: Leadership Buy-In is the Lifeblood of VoC—AI Won’t Change That
AI brings speed and scale to customer feedback, but it’s leadership buy-in that turns insights into action. Without executive support, even the best data won’t drive real change.
Lesson #13 Revisited: Show Me the ROI—How AI is Making the Business Case for VoC Even Stronger
AI strengthens the business case for VoC programs by quantifying revenue at risk, prioritizing high-impact CX investments, and transforming customer feedback into a measurable revenue driver, helping secure executive buy-in with hard data.
Lesson #14 Revisited: Voice of Customer (VoC) Communications in the Age of AI - A 2025 Perspective
Discover how AI is transforming VoC communications by enabling personalized, real-time insights and predictive messaging, while emphasizing that the core principles of clear, consistent, and human-centered communication remain essential.
Lesson #15 Revisited: You Can’t Do This Alone – Building the Right Internal Team for VoC in the Age of AI
AI can streamline VoC processes, but success hinges on internal collaboration. Aligning with IT, BI, Legal, and Procurement ensures that customer insights lead to meaningful action.
Lesson #16 Revisited: Do You Need a Survey Tool or a True VoC Partner?
AI-powered tools can automate data collection and analysis, but transforming insights into meaningful action requires a strategic VoC partner who brings human expertise, organizational alignment, and a clear path to customer experience improvement.
Lesson #17 Revisited: The Survey Is Dead. Long Live the Survey! (And AI is Helping)
AI is transforming surveys by enabling rapid design, dynamic questioning, and real-time logic checks, but human expertise remains essential for crafting relevant questions, ensuring cultural fit, and interpreting insights effectively.
Lesson #18 Revisited: AI and the Future of Touchpoint Mapping
AI is revolutionizing touchpoint mapping by automating identification, predicting key moments, and adapting in real time, and human expertise ensures insights align with strategy and drive real impact.
Lesson #19 Revisited: How AI is Reshaping Omnichannel Feedback Collection
AI is making omnichannel feedback more seamless than ever, predicting customer needs and enabling effortless interactions across every platform. Still, the key to success is listening where your customers are.
Lesson #20 Revisited: Measuring the Prospect Experience with AI
AI is transforming the prospect experience by enhancing sales interactions, building trust, and improving conversions, but human connection remains at the core of successful customer engagement.
Lesson #21 Revisited: Start Slow, Build Smart – AI and the Human Touch in Relationship Surveys
AI is enhancing survey design, automating competitive benchmarking, analyzing open-ended responses, and predicting customer behavior, but human expertise remains essential for interpreting insights and implementing meaningful action.
Lesson #22 Revisited: Start Small with Transactional VoC—You’ll Thank Me Later
AI is changing the game in transactional VoC programs with predictive insights and automated sentiment analysis. Still, it’s human expertise that interprets those insights and drives impactful customer experience changes.
Lesson #23 Revisited: Survey Health is Everything—AI Enhances the Process, But Human Oversight Remains Critical
AI-driven tools can optimize survey health by improving response rates, reducing abandonment, and creating seamless feedback experiences, but human oversight remains essential for interpreting data and making strategic decisions.
Lesson #24 Revisited: Shorter Surveys are Usually Better- But If It's Too Short, It Could Come Back To Bite You
AI can enhance survey follow-ups and adaptive questioning, but a balanced approach with 8–15 targeted questions delivers the best results for actionable insights.
Lesson #25: Customer Sample Lists Are the Most Challenging Part of Any VoC Program—And AI Could Help (Eventually)
AI is revolutionizing sample management by automating data extraction and targeting, but it’s human insight that ensures the data is not only accurate but also aligned with strategic goals.
Lesson #26 Revisited: The Hidden Cost of Cheap, Generic Surveys—And How AI Could Change That
AI takes survey design to the next level by personalizing content at scale and creating conversational experiences. But behind every effective survey, human oversight ensures the data stays on track with your goals.
Lesson #27 Revisited: Why the First Question Matters (And AI has NOT Impacted This)
Explore how embedding the first survey question directly in your email invitation can significantly boost response rates.
Lesson #28 Revisited: To Incentivize or Not to Incentivize—Has AI Changed This?
AI can optimize incentive strategies in VoC surveys by identifying what motivates different customer segments. However, the fundamental principle remains: meaningful, well-aligned incentives are key to boosting response rates and engagement.
Lesson #29 Revisited: Social Reviews Are Still Your Most Important Surveys—Because They’re Public!
Social reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are crucial for brand reputation and customer trust. While AI can assist in analyzing trends and flagging issues, authentic human responses remain essential for building trust and loyalty. Proactively addressing feedback through Voice of Customer (VoC) surveys can help prevent negative public reviews.
Lesson #30 Revisited: Closing the Loop on Alerts—Has AI Changed This?
The core principle of timely, personal follow-ups remains unchanged, underscoring the irreplaceable value of human empathy and direct engagement in resolving customer concerns., even while AI enhances alert prioritization.
Lesson #31 Revisited: Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Is a Must—AI Helps a Bit, But the Pain and the Payoff Are Still Yours
AI enhances root cause analysis in VoC programs by automating tagging and identifying patterns, while human judgment is essential for interpreting context, defining categories, and driving systemic change.
Lesson #32 Revisited: Want to Fix Root Causes? Ask Your People. (AI Can’t Replace Them)
Frontline employees remain essential for generating practical solutions and fostering a customer-centric culture, even as AI enhances RCA programs by automating data collection and identifying patterns.
Lesson #33 Revisited: Don’t Let VoC Become Complaint Management—Celebrate the Positive Too!
AI enhances Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs by automating recognition alerts and identifying patterns in positive feedback, but it's the human connection that remains essential for celebrating successes and fostering a customer-centric culture.
Lesson #34 Revisited: If You Build It, They Still Might Not Come
AI can enhance VoC platforms with intelligent nudges and usage tracking, but true success depends on human engagement. Building habits, fostering a feedback culture, and securing executive support are key to driving meaningful action.
Lesson #35 Revisited: The Secret to Getting Your People to Use VoC? Tie It to Compensation (Still True in 2025)
Linking compensation to VoC metrics is the secret to boosting employee engagement. While AI can highlight trends, it’s human-driven rewards that spark motivation and a customer-first mindset.
Lesson #36 Revisited: If People Are Already Using a CRM, Make It Easy for Them to View VoC Data
Integrating VoC insights directly into CRM systems enhances accessibility and actionability.
Lesson #37 Revisited: A Mobile App Helps Increase Usage—But Not in the Way You Might Think
Mobile platforms enhance VoC programs by enabling quick, on-the-go action through responsive design and smart alerts, but deep analysis still requires desktop interfaces and that simplicity remains key for user adoption.
Lesson #38 Revisited: The Future of VoC Is AI—And It’s Already Here!
AI is transforming VoC programs by automating text analytics, delivering real-time insights, and enabling conversational surveys, but human judgment remains essential for interpreting data and driving meaningful action.
Lesson #39 Revisited: Conversational Surveys and AI—The Future of Listening is Here
AI transforms static surveys into dynamic conversations, enriching open-ended feedback without sacrificing structured data, ushering in a new era of deeper, more actionable customer insights.
Lesson #40 Revisited: In-Moment Feedback is the Ultimate VoC Power Move (And AI is Only Accelerating It)
Real-time feedback has been revolutionized with AI, enabling instant issue resolution and improving the overall customer experience. Yet, it’s human responsiveness that turns this tech into genuine loyalty.
Listen or Die Conclusion Revisited: Play Offense with AI and Systemic Change — This is the Future of VoC
Explore how AI is transforming VoC programs from passive listening to proactive, systemic change. But even in the age of AI, the core principles of listening deeply, acting on feedback, and driving business results remain unchanged.
Reflections on Revisiting Listen or Die in the Age of AI
BONUS: The Ultimate VoC Checklist for 2025 (In the Age of AI)
