It’s well-documented that employee engagement yields higher job satisfaction, decreases employee turnover, and benefits corporate culture. Have you ever considered, though, the impact of employee engagement on customer satisfaction? The truth is, there is a direct correlation between customer experience and employee engagement. Employees who are happy in their work do a better job of taking care of customers, and employees who are enthusiastic create positive energy that’s contagious.
What makes a happy customer? Customer satisfaction is complicated. Delivering it requires more than a friendly smile and a happy employee, but happy employees definitely help. Other factors impact customer satisfaction too, like excellence in service. Happy customers don’t just get superior service, they feel a connection with the brand values. Satisfied customers feel valued as individuals, and they identify with the brand.
Engaged employees facilitate customer satisfaction by going above and beyond. Why? Because engaged employees are enthusiastic about what they do for a living. They don’t just have job satisfaction; they’re emotionally connected to the company. Therefore, they’ll go to great lengths to make sure a customer’s needs are met or will stay late if that’s what’s needed to make a sale. They want to see the company succeed, and they’ll do their part to make sure it happens. They take ownership of their work and are proud of the results. That’s why engaging employees is such an important part of building a successful team within an organization.
Employees who believe in the company create positive experiences for customers. When you promote employee engagement, you create an environment in which employees feel like they are valuable to the organization, and this inspires a passion that motivates them to deliver excellence. The customer experience provided by an engaged employee is next level, because the employee wants to see the company succeed. An attitude of positivity pervades their interactions with the customers, and employees who have an affinity for the company create an experience that connects the customer to the brand values. The relationship between company and customer becomes more than transactional, as customers develop brand affinity that keeps them coming back long-term. Employees who genuinely love the brand and believe in the company promote this affinity.
When employees feel valued, they make customers feel valuable. The good news is that it’s not hard to show your appreciation to your employees. Sometimes, it’s as simple as verbal recognition. Thanking your employees for a job well done, acknowledging that their presence and work are valued, and appreciating them as unique people will help boost their performance. They’ll naturally deliver more value to the customers. Because they feel seen, they’ll see the customers too, not just as a means to an end but as real people with needs. The customers will benefit from a more personalized experience, leading them to become loyal long-term customers. Your company’s bottom line will benefit from employees that give their all to the worthy cause of your business. Employee engagement is more than just verbal praise of your employees, but that simple step is a good jumping-off point for a developing a culture of connection, appreciation, and mutual respect.
When you’re ready to reap the benefits of employee engagement for customers of your business, talk to Marketing Innovators, where we believe that connecting to people on a human level is the most effective path to success. That’s why for over 40 years our family-owned, employee driven company has been working to build and strengthen that connection between businesses and their employees, customers, and partners. We work hard to help our clients motivate, incentivize, and reward their workforce. Our commitment to our core values of integrity, trust, collaboration, empowerment, and the kind of results-oriented attitude that promotes customer success has made us a leader in the engagement marketplace. To learn more about how we can help solve your business challenges, call 800-453-7373 or contact us through our website.
