Resources
How Employee Engagement can improve your Customer Experience (CX)
Is your
customer-facing team engaged at work?
Our research
found that the best way to improve customer experience and service is to focus
on employee engagement at your company. There is a direct correlation between engaged
employees and the satisfaction of your customer and ultimately achieving your business
outcomes.
In other
words, employee engagement drives customer satisfaction. Richard Branson says,
“Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers”.
A recent employee engagement survey concluded that organizations
that have more than 50%
employee engagement retain more than 80% of their customers. These employees will go the
extra mile to resolve the client’s problems or work late to close a sale. They contribute to
a culture that consistently delivers great service. They take ownership, deliver on their
commitments, in and outside the organization, and are passionate about satisfying the
customer because they own the results of their work.
In short, engaged employees are a prerequisite for building a
high-performance team within
an organization.
Customer experiences don’t happen in a vacuum. They are the result
of employee activities.
Businesses that understand the importance of employee engagement and manage it through a
formal program to align to their customer experience goals, achieve far superior results.
Companies with a formal employee engagement program achieve 39% greater annual growth in
revenue from new customers.
Benefits of Employee Engagement for a Better Customer Experience
1. When you offer a great employee experience, your customers are
far more likely to stick
around.
Customers pay careful attention to how a company treats its
employees. When you offer a
great employee experience, your customers are far more likely to stick around and use your
business, because they remember how great the people are who work there. Treat your
employees poorly, however, and you can be almost certain that you’ll run into problems with
your customers.
2. A Great Employee Experience Creates Great Business
Partnerships.
Treating your employees well, and people will notice. It opens the
doors for new
partnerships, especially when other businesses see how well you take care of your people.
When employees support and love the brand they work for, they create amazing experiences.
Who wouldn’t want to work with a brand that provides an amazing employee experience?
3. Problem-Solving Happens Faster, and Customers’ Issues are
Reduced.
When your employees feel like they and their co-workers are treated
with respect and are
valued, they feel a sense of empowerment. They are proud to be part of the team and are more
creative and innovative. When they know an employer respects them, they feel comfortable
making decisions and solve problems.
On the other hand, employees who are ignored and discounted and who
have to ask for
permission to think will not make any extra effort to help the customer. Why should they
care about customers, when the company doesn’t care about them?
4. It is Easier to Upsell When You Love Your Job and Your Company.
Customer retention is far less expensive than customer acquisition
(much like employee
retention). Employees who are treated well and feel valued are not afraid to offer more to
their customers. That logic on its own should highlight the importance of employee
engagement.
5. Stronger Corporate Alignment
When employees are more engaged with your business, they're more
likely to contribute to
its success. They're five times more likely to pitch an idea that will improve the company.
Even if they're not contributing new ideas, engaged employees are still three times more
likely to work later if something needs to be done. That type of dedication to a goal will
help your team meet deadlines and achieve long-term success.
6. Delightful Customer Experiences
Employee engagement can lead to an increase in customer
satisfaction. That's because
engaged employees create more delightful experiences for customers since they're more
invested in the product and business. 79% of companies with engaged employees had a
significantly better customer experience than companies who didn't. These companies have
happier employees who are more willing to provide above-and-beyond customer service.
7. Improved Customer Relations
Over time, a consistently delightful customer experience builds
rapport with your customer
base. Customers learn to trust that your business and its employees are devoted to their
short- and long-term success. This leads to customer advocacy as people will start to share
their positive experiences with potential leads.
