Happy Employees make Happy Customers
Do 15 minutes of scrolling through LinkedIn on any given day and you’ll see teasers about Employee Engagement or Customer Service in spades. The elusive “Happy Employee” and the “Best Customer Experience” are two of the hottest topics in business culture today. Neither of these concepts are new, it has always been important to smart businesses to realize the critical nature of their most important stakeholders — employees and customers.
Rewind 20 years ago and the manufacturing industry became subject matter experts for those of us in service because they had already implemented this magical methodology we call “LEAN.” Business leaders of a specific mindset heard the buzz about LEAN and wanted to adopt it for service organizations. Now, the proverbial shoe is on the other foot — as our friends in manufacturing are coming to us in service and asking us to teach them about this thing called “Employee Engagement.”
The reality is that Employee Engagement and Customer Experience are directly related. While it sounds trite, or simplistic — it’s true. Happy employees make happy customers. Why? Because it feels good to make people happy and it’s infectious. But how do you make it work?
Perhaps the gold standard and most convincing evidence that this theory rings true is Zappos.com. Tony Hsieh has garnered praise and accolades since Zappos.com shared with the rest of the world their world-class culture and equally world-class service. Hseih introduced what I would call a “good human being” way of thinking. By that, I mean he didn’t implement any new or exciting concepts that only he knew. He recognizes that when you’re a good human being, and you treat people right, or make people feel like they’re a part of something greater, they become happier and want to share the love. Corny when said that way, but so true and such an easy concept. BE NICE.
The majority of my career has included working with Call Centers in various forms. Much like in the retail world — the employees who work directly with customers are an element of human capital that are FAR too frequently overlooked. Front line employees who work with customers are YOUR BRAND — YOUR IMAGE — YOUR FUTURE. Knowing that these are the people who keep the lights on, who communicate to the world the very essence of your future success — WHY on Earth would you let them feel insignificant? Yes, many Call Center representatives or retail Customer Service Associates are entry level roles, but that doesn’t decrease the need to recognize the massive importance of them to the organization.
Consider these stats:
- It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience.
- News of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience
- 3 in 5 Americans (59%) would try a new brand or company for a better service experience.
- In 2011, 7 in 10 Americans said they were willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.
Stats provided via HelpScout.net
Given the importance of the Customer Experience — front line employees can literally make or break your business. If they dread coming to work, if they feel like they have limited ability to solve customer issues, or if they feel like they’re “just” a rep — how can we expect them to feel driven to make our customers feel important or valued?
Take a journey through Social Media and explore things like #customerservicefails — you won’t be surprised to learn that people are more likely than ever to share their experiences with the world — and thanks to the Internet, we can now share experiences — good or bad — with a much broader audience. That’s from the consumer side. From an employee perspective, ever hear of a little site called Glassdoor? As an employee I can tell the world at large about my views on my company, my leadership, even my CEO. Not only does the ability to share on Social Media make my company vulnerable to new customers, but also to potential new employees.
So what are the things that make an engaged employee and how does that impact the Customer Experience?
Research indicates that employees want the following to be satisfied (or even better, delighted) with their job:
- Challenging work
- Flexibility
- A sense of progress
- Autonomy
- Belonging
You’ll note, financial rewards aren’t in the top 5. Employees want to feel the work they do is noticed, appreciated, and contributes to the success of the company. When they like what they do, who they work with/for, and feel a sense of accomplishment, they’re far more likely to stay at a company.
How does this translate into Customer Experience? Back to basics — if I’m happy, I want to make other people happy. Customers who need assistance with a problem and interact with an employee of a company who not only solves their problem, but makes them feel valued themselves, are more likely to continue to do business with a company, and to tell others about a great experience.
It costs NOTHING to be a good human being, but the ROI is absolutely priceless. Treat your employees well and they will treat your customers well.
Watch for future articles in this space for more insights from my perspective on Employee Engagement and Customer Experience. I’d love your feedback on what you read here, so please don’t hesitate to share with me!
