Thoughts on How Customers See your Employees

When a customer interacts with one of your employees, what emotions do they have after the experience? That may seem like a rather touchy-feely question, but in reality, your customers often rely on their emotions to determine who they do business with. They may not realize it, but they are far more likely to return when their last interaction with your business left them with a happy, excited feeling. This dictum applies to both B2B and B2C firms. Engaged Customers are almost always happy, loyal, passionate customers.

Most businesses train their employees to follow procedures, be polite, and meet expectations. Some organizations have found that this isn't enough to win loyal customers, so they also require their employees to act enthusiastic about their work. This tactic often backfires when cynical, embittered employees recognize that they really have no reason to be enthusiastic about their job. This gap between management's expectations and the employee's impression of their work situation is like a ticking time bomb: eventually an employee is going to let their true emotions show to the customer, who certainly doesn't want to do business with a company that appears to mistreat its employees.

So, if you can't require an employee to be enthusiastic, how can you get them to shine for the customer?

In an article for HR Pulse, Peter Lanser and Suzanne Coshow explain that Employee Engagement is more than just a show: it must be organic. Unless employees enjoy genuinely positive, fulfilling relationships with their managers and peers, they are unlikely to feel engaged. Lanser and Coshow urge managers to:

Think of your employees like a delicate flower you are trying to grow. You wouldn't want to just measure its height and the fullness of its bloom. You would check the soil to see if it has enough water. You might see whether it needs special plant food to thrive. In short, you would make certain that it has everything it needs to grow and bloom to its fullest. Your employees require the same sort of attentiveness to their environment in order for them to more fully engage in the performances of tasks at work.

The first step in achieving an engaged employee pool is to find out what they need. Although the above metaphor conveys the idea that Employee Engagement Management requires a holistic approach, it's important to recognize that human needs and wants are quite complex. Each employee and each workplace is different, so you must communicate with your employees to figure out what they need to perform at their highest ability. Our Key Driver Analysis identifies the items that will have the biggest impact on engagement, so that managers can prioritize their engagement-boosting strategies.

~Monica Nolan, Account Manager