When developing strategies for providing quality customer service, employee experience is a factor in which companies tend to overlook. Regardless of how many policies you utilize to increase customer satisfaction for your brand, when it comes to employee experience and customer service, the link between the two is undeniable.
What Exactly is Employee Experience?
The term ‘employee experience’ can be a bit misleading at first glance. When thinking about employee experience and customer satisfaction, we’re not referring to the combined skills of top talent based on their past experience in customer service-related industries. In this case, employee experience correlates directly with employees current work environments.
A strong workplace culture is extremely important for creating a positive employee experience. This extends far beyond the realm of a strong social media presence and top-notch recruiters pitching their company as a fun and engaging place to work. These strategies will attract great talent, but that’s only the first step. In order to keep those candidates as long-time employees, companies must be able to provide a positive employee experience that is sustainable far beyond the initial on-boarding process.
What Links Employee Experience to Better Customer Experience?
More often than not, the common factor between employee experience and customer service is employee engagement. Companies that actively work to engage their employees outperform their competitors by 147%. That’s a huge opportunity for profit and though the connection may not be apparent at first, it’s easy to see the correlation with a closer look.
Employee Satisfaction and Workplace Culture
When employees feel undervalued for the time and effort they give to their employers, there isn’t a whole lot of motivation for higher levels of performance. At this point, many companies are aware of the benefits of investing in the happiness of their employees and place a huge emphasis on corporate policies that promote employee satisfaction. The result? Companies that invest in employee experience are four times more profitable than those that don’t.
Happiness is Contagious
If employees on the front-lines are happy and satisfied with their experience in the workplace, that is likely to translate to their interactions with customers. When company culture is strong and filled with employees who are optimistic and upbeat, that energy is likely to be contagious. And customers will feel it.
Employees who feel valued and supported by their employers are much more likely to go out of their way to take care of the people who make the company thrive. In turn, those customers feel important and satisfied with the service they receive, which can lead to brand loyalty and perhaps even a few noteworthy reviews on social media outlets and company websites.
Investing in Employee Experience Through Employee Engagement
Creating a work environment that places top-priority on employee satisfaction is the key to success in most areas of business. This is something that can’t be ignored by companies who are looking to measure up with their competitors.
Employee satisfaction relies heavily on whether or not employees see opportunity for long-term growth and success within their current career paths. And in order for employees to feel optimistic about where their careers are headed, they need to be actively engaged in shaping them.
Offering employees opportunities for development, continued learning, and growth allows them to feel they are in control of their career–as well as their potential for success. When employees feel they have the tools they need for success, they experience higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction. This often translates into higher levels of productivity and customer service. For both companies and their valued team members, a positive employee experience is a win/win.
3 Examples of Companies Investing in Employee Experience
1. Southwest Airlines Cultivates A Culture Of Empowered Employees
Southwest Airlines is a company that openly places a focus on employee experience to create a better customer experience. Southwest employees are known for their friendly and outgoing demeanor, working hard to make sure that every passenger has the best experience possible when traveling with their airline.
2. Starbucks And Their Employee Incentives
Starbucks is known for focusing on employee experience to create a better customer experience. They pride themselves on providing their employees with incentives such as education reimbursements, stock options, health benefits, and competitive salaries.
Why? Because they know that happy employees are more likely to create a welcoming atmosphere and provide a great customer experience. It’s a rare occasion you’ll encounter a grumpy Starbucks employee.
3. Airbnb Motivates Employees To Focus On Personal Growth
Airbnb’s mission statement of “Belong Anywhere” isn’t just directed toward customers. That phrase also seems to apply to Airbnb employees. A company highly invested in their employees’ lives, Airbnb is not just concerned with making sure their employees are successful in the workplace, but also in their personal lives. They demonstrate this by providing flexible and open office space for their team members as well as being transparent about company goals. As a result of their commitment to employee experience, those employed by Airbnb have the freedom to focus on personal growth while simultaneously contributing to the success and purpose of the company. Feeling valued by their employer not just as workers with jobs to be done, but as individuals, it’s safe to say Airbnb employees are in an environment that contributes to a positive employee and customer experience.
As you can see the employee experience absolutely contributes to a company’s success and is directly correlated to the customer experience. One of the best ways to show your employees you appreciate them is to provide them with valuable incentives. You may not have the resources to pay your workers’ college tuitions, but you can definitely offer them a fun incentive trip! Contact MTI Events today and let our incentive travel experts help you design an effective program that fits your budget and your employees – after all, they deserve some much needed R&R.
