February, 2014
By, Lisa Sivy
It is remarkable the number of companies that do not consider their employees in their definition of “customer”. Have you ever encountered an employee you expected to provide to you great customer service, yet he or she was not armed with the tools and/or the authority to do what was needed to be done to meet, much less exceed, your expectations?
Companies that want to create a delightful customer experience must start at home with their employee experience. They must consider what their employees need in order to thrive and be successful, as well as build a culture of employee appreciation. So many companies have great customer service at the center of their values, but when you look at their employee programming, their employee value proposition is not aligned to that great customer service value. The value proposition should articulate the employee’s on the job/experiential learning. It is giving them the great benefits package, be it healthcare reimbursement account, or tuition assistance. Employee satisfaction should be measured in the same breath that you measure customer satisfaction. It is rewarding employees, aligning their performance measures, their pay, and their bonuses to the delivery of a great customer experience.
Just as a company thinks about the customer journey and its framework, they should define internally the employee’s journey and framework with a supporting HR structure. Only then will your happy employee be motivated to deliver that great customer service you so value.