Customer Advocacy
Customer Advocacy is a modern approach to customer service where employees actively represent and support customer interests within a company. Unlike traditional customer service that simply responds to problems, customer advocates build long-term relationships with customers, gather their feedback, and work with other departments to improve products or services based on customer needs. Think of it as being the customer's voice inside the company. Similar terms include "customer success," "customer experience management," or "voice of customer programs."
Examples in Resumes
Led Customer Advocacy team of 5 members, improving customer satisfaction scores by 35%
Developed Customer Advocacy program from ground up, resulting in 40% decrease in customer churn
Managed Customer Advocate initiatives across three product lines
Implemented new Voice of Customer programs as Senior Customer Advocacy Manager
Typical job title: "Customer Advocates"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Customer Advocates
Professional Networks
Online Communities
Events & Conferences
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How would you design a customer advocacy program from scratch?
Expected Answer: Should discuss building customer feedback channels, establishing metrics, creating communication processes between departments, and developing strategies for turning customer insights into action items.
Q: How do you measure the success of a customer advocacy program?
Expected Answer: Should mention key metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer satisfaction scores, retention rates, and demonstrate understanding of how these metrics impact business goals.
Mid Level Questions
Q: How do you handle a situation where customer feedback conflicts with company priorities?
Expected Answer: Should explain how to balance customer needs with business constraints, demonstrate ability to prioritize issues, and communicate effectively with both customers and internal teams.
Q: What strategies do you use to gather meaningful customer feedback?
Expected Answer: Should describe various feedback collection methods like surveys, interviews, focus groups, and explain how to analyze and present findings effectively.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What does customer advocacy mean to you?
Expected Answer: Should demonstrate understanding that customer advocacy involves representing customer interests within the company and working to improve customer experience.
Q: How would you handle an angry customer who has a valid complaint?
Expected Answer: Should show ability to listen empathetically, take ownership of issues, and follow through with appropriate solutions while maintaining professionalism.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic customer service skills
- Understanding of customer feedback tools
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Basic data collection and reporting
Mid (2-5 years)
- Customer feedback analysis
- Project management
- Cross-departmental collaboration
- Program implementation
Senior (5+ years)
- Strategic program development
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Business metrics and ROI analysis
Red Flags to Watch For
- Poor communication skills or inability to explain complex issues simply
- Lack of empathy or customer-first mindset
- No experience with customer feedback collection or analysis
- Unable to demonstrate conflict resolution skills
Need more hiring wisdom? Check these out...
When Your Team Sells You Better Than Marketing Ever Could: The Power of Employee Advocacy
The Magnetic Pull of Social Proof: How to Make Candidates Flock to Your Company
From Passive to Active: Nurturing Candidates Over the Long Haul
