In today's digital economy, a positive customer experience is a key differentiator that keeps customers happy and coming back. It's also a moving target. As technologies advance, so do customer demands, making it challenging to meet—let alone exceed—their expectations.
So, why focus on employees if it's customer happiness you're after? Studies show that there's an undeniable link between employee satisfaction and customer experience. According to Forrester Research, companies with highly engaged employees score 81 percent higher in customer satisfaction than their competitors. And new data shows that combining employee satisfaction with customer experience can increase revenue by up to 50 percent.
Here are five ways to improve your employee experience for a better customer experience:
1. Give employees room to grow.
There's nothing less motivating than doing a job that's too easy. Bore-outs are real, and if employees don't find the challenge within your organization, they'll start searching for it elsewhere, likely at a competing company.
Make sure your employees reach their full potential by understanding their career goals and keeping them in mind and in the loop when new opportunities arise.
2. Don't micromanage.
Being a micromanager signals that you do not trust your employees to do their jobs, which can take a toll on everything from employee engagement and employee confidence to customer experience. All employees want to feel as though they are trusted and experience the freedom to express their creativity within their roles. Micromanaging your employees can create a negative and at times hostile workplace, which can lead to high employee turnover.
3. Listen to your team.
An engaging work environment looks different for every organization. Rather than relying on assumptions, speak to your employees to find out what they need to feel happy, motivated, and challenged at work. Nobody can provide better insights into your teams' needs than your teams themselves, and you might be surprised at what you discover.
4. Highlight employee well-being.
Make sure to consider your employees' well-being in all aspects of your business operations. Remember, our working lives are influenced by numerous factors inside and outside of the office, including social interactions, community, and physical and mental health, so it's crucial to make employee well-being part of your organizations' DNA, not just an issue for HR. In doing so, you'll be much better positioned to create an outstanding employee experience.
5. Focus on people before tools.
Employees who use well-designed technology at work are more than five times more likely to report their company has experienced extreme revenue growth in the past year. But with such an abundance of tools out there, it's important to find tech that actually fits your people and makes their work easier.
It might sound obvious, but many companies make the mistake of investing in flashy new tools that employees have to work around rather than choosing technology that supports their organizational needs.
Hannah Price is head of U.K. consultancy at TOPdesk.