Continuing our in-depth look at customer-experience expert Shep Hyken’s recent article, “Top Customer Service and CX Predictions and Trends for 2024,” let’s consider his prediction that the employee experience will be just as important as the customer’s.
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
The customer service industry, just like everything these days, is flush with endless buzz words, and it’s impossible to keep up with them all. So, you could be forgiven for getting confused about all these “experience” terms. (Everything’s an experience now, right?)
Of these, you’re likely familiar with the Customer Experience (CX), but even that might be kind of confusing since it seems like it’s just a fancier way of saying “customer service.” In truth, CX encompasses customer service, as well as all other components like brand perception, products, and price. It lays the foundation for how your customers feel about your business and how it values and treats them.
Employee Experience (EX) is very similar in concept. It entails your employees’ perception of how your business values and treats them. Think trust, respect, community, and pride. And just like with CX, a bad EX is disastrous.
The Importance of EX
The reason EX is so important is that it will determine your business’s ability to attract and retain your best employees. Job-seekers will be most drawn to companies that emphasize employee wellbeing and development. Additionally, the EX will heavily impact their engagement and productivity, as emotionally committed people are much more likely to work hard to help your business achieve its goals. This will result in greater innovation and creativity.
Further, there are external perceptions to consider. Many customers prefer doing business with companies that have strong reputations for taking good care of their employees. After all, happy employees are much more likely to go above and beyond with your clientele, promoting greater customer loyalty, a huge win-win.
How to Improve the EX
Here are three tried and tested ways to improve your company’s EX:
- Create a Positive Work Environment: cultivate a company culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing, inclusivity, and collaboration. You can achieve this through flexible work arrangements, recognition programs, teambuilding activities, and open communication channels. Encourage your leadership team to lead by example, using transparency to foster trust and respect among their subordinates.
- Invest in Development: provide your employees with opportunities for continuous learning and growth through the use of training programs, mentorship, and resources for skill development. Invest in professional advancement, which will both enhance their skills and also increase their sense of belonging and commitment to your company.
- Listen and Act: regularly solicit feedback from your employees through the use of feedback surveys and one-on-one discussions. Listen to concerns seriously, and actively consider suggestions and ideas for improvement so that you can take tangible steps towards addressing employee concerns. Commit to quickly respond to their feedback to show that you value their voices, fostering a sense of empowerment and ownership in shaping their work environment.
This Is What We Do
The Brandt Group has been hard at work since 1992—that’s 32 years! (Feel old yet?) Not only do we help improve our clients’ customer experiences via world-class tools like mystery shopping and customer satisfactions surveys, we also help businesses like yours listen to and develop their employees through anonymous feedback and leadership courses.
We’re a one-stop shop for both the Customer Experience and the Employee Experience. Why? Because the two are inseparable, and both are critical to your business’s reputation. Who wouldn’t want to run a company that’s loved by both its customers and employees?
If you agree, let’s make that dream a reality, together.
