3 Powerful Steps to Bridge Employee Engagement and Customer Delight
We explain the three-step approach to being able to delight your customers, while also keeping your employees engaged and satisfied.
The nexus between customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) is undeniable.
Just look at some of the research findings:
- Businesses excelling in both CX and EX see almost double the annual growth rates* of low-scoring companies.
- These companies can also charge a premium of up to 16%* for their products and services.
- Each one-star uplift in a company’s Glassdoor rating can lead to a 1.3-point increase in customer satisfaction.*
At Verity, we’ve been hearing about this for years. But how do you bridge the gap between building revenue-generating customer relationships and prioritising the employee experience?
It starts with these three steps.
#1: Looking at the CX and EX side-by-side
It can be an incredibly powerful move to run a customer satisfaction survey, such as TRR (The Relationship Rating), alongside an employee engagement one as it reveals:
- How well employees understand the link between CX and business outcomes
- What helps or blocks them on the path to delivering a competitive CX
- How staff perceive their work environment overall
More than that though, this dual focus provides a comparative view of:
- Dominating narratives on both sides, and how they impact the business relationship and customer satisfaction
- Misalignment in perceived priorities, internally and externally
- How well CX strategy is reflected in operational setup and team management
It’s only by putting these two experience pillars side-by-side that a business can gain a holistic view of what helps and blocks its ability to leverage the full potential of business relationships. And how best to move forward.
#2: Defining clear customer segmentation
Well-defined customer segmentation and relationship goals should be part of any business’ growth plan.
Many, however, stop at delivery prioritisation based on who’s an A list vs a B list customer. But that only covers the basic — transactional — level of Maslow’s hierarchy of B2B relationship needs. To build a strategic partnership, businesses need:
- Clear guidelines on how each priority level is reflected in communications and customer service behaviours
- Well-defined processes for various scenarios, from the day-to-day, to crisis situations
- Clear separation of employee roles and responsibilities in each situation
Without this level of detail and clarity, employees will struggle to build the efficiency, transparency, and trust that are so crucial to high-value B2B relationships.
#3: Building operations that drive better EX
There’s another reason why staff engagement surveys are so valuable in customer relationship management. Employees tend to have the best insight and ideas for improving the CX.
Every time we survey a customer’s employees, we see them call out the very things that are the biggest blockers to healthy customer relationships, such as the need for:
- Leadership that prioritises their employees
- Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
- Better systems, processes and automation
It’s crucial that the business is set up in a way that promotes a seamless employee experience and frictionless customer management. This includes:
- Data and reporting
- Workflows and procedures
- Internal communication
- Employee evaluation criteria
Think of it this way. If a supply chain issue arises that will impact delivery timelines, ask yourself:
- Are the relevant processes and data in place to raise an alert and ensure seamless issue resolution?
- Are all relevant stakeholders informed without unnecessary delay?
- Do employees know who’s getting in touch with the customer and whether that’s been done?
It doesn’t matter how well-thought-out the customer relationship strategy is. If the operational setup creates complexity or uncertainty; if the elements crucial to a positive CX are not reflected in employee evaluations; or if self-fulfilling negative beliefs block people from performing at their best – that strategy will never be more than a wish list.
A great relationship can save a business during temporary operational shortcomings, but operational excellence will never save a bad relationship.
Employees are at the very heart of this equation – because increasing employee satisfaction alone will lead to a notable rise in customer ratings.
*Customer-Centric Culture Is More Than a Bumper Sticker (Gartner, 2023)
*Engaged Employees Create Better Customer Experiences (HBR, 2023)
*Happy Employees, Satisfied Customers: The Link Between Glassdoor Reviews & Customer Satisfaction (Glassdoor, 2019)
