Businesses have come to realize that the resources, advertising dollars, and time put into creating loyal and satisfied customers can create the same value when applied to talent. Aligning the customer experience with the employee experience can not only create repeat business, but also boost employee engagement.
Marketing strategies have shifted focus from end product to overall customer experience, with employee-customer interaction being a key touchpoint in the process. Happy staff yield happy customers, and happy customers become repeat customers, while a happy staff makes for an engaged workforce (which we know can lead to increased retention rates, higher productivity, and reduced turnover). Share earnings for companies with highly engaged employees are around 150% higher than for other companies.
One study found that companies with successful customer experience strategies have 1.5x more engaged employees than other companies.
Just as a consumer can rate a restaurant, retail experience, or product online using review services like Yelp or Google, an employee can rate an organization for interview experience, management practices, or workplace culture. Digital disruption has pushed businesses into a state of perpetual transparency.
And as consumers expect a faster, more personalized, and more efficient customer experience, employees are there to take the brunt of the burden to deliver such an experience. If the employe experience is not carefully constructed and consistently delivered, employees may not deliver the consumer experience advertised by a brand, company, or service.
The external, or consumer-facing brand of a company is vital to customer acquisition. In the same way, the internal, or employer brand is vital to talent acquisition. Consistency across both brands will fortify both the employee and the customer experiences, avoiding conflicting brand values or practices.
Much like customer experience design, the first step in adjusting employee experience is research. Identify employee needs and segment them based on similar types of feedback. Some employees want additional learning and development, some want employee recognition–identify individual needs and create segmented groups that can be used to develop tailored solutions.
The customer journey illustrates the steps a consumer takes leading up to a product or service purchase. From awareness to brand loyalty stages, the customer journey observes, predicts, and nurtures consumer behavior to encourage repeat purchases and loyalty. The same logic can be applied to the employee experience: from brand awareness as a prospect to productivity as a loyal, engaged employee.
No two consumers are alike, just as no two employees are alike. Employees equipped with the right tools, recognition, and messaging are sure to deliver the best customer experience possible.
