Why happy employee experience means happy customer experience
Peanut butter and jelly are two great condiments on their own but pairing them together elevates the sandwich game to a whole other level. That’s pretty much the case with employee experience and customer experience. When organizations pair EX and CX together and channel their efforts to keep both ends of the spectrum happy and delighted, the end result is the sweet and salty aftertaste of PB&J in the form of lower employee turnover and higher customer satisfaction. CRM software allows customers to see your business as reliable.
But why is that great employee experience equates to great customer experience in the first place? Does the pandemic have anything to do with this new norm? Or is it the fear of great resignation driving organizations to pull out all the stops to retain their employees? And what does technology have to do with any of this? (Uhm, everything? But more on that later)
Why EX matters
The pandemic has given employees enough time to ponder their life choices and what they really want from their work life. When reevaluating their next move, employees don’t just think about what’s being made available to them at the workplace but also how they are made to feel at the workplace.
And let’s not forget that social media has dismantled the walls leaving organizations nowhere to hide. Customers will know if there is a bad culture, toxic environment, or bad bosses. When customers interact with disengaged and demotivated employees, they feel the same way about your business.
Technology plays a huge role in how both employees and customers are engaged in the workplace. According to our research, 82% of respondents said employees’ happiness on the job is significantly impacted by how well their workplace technology performs. Software that is easier to use greatly contributes to employee satisfaction by helping them be more productive.
And the same goes for customers too. According to Gartner, 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after one bad experience. 80% after more than one.
As rightly pointed out by Karen Ferris, Author, Speaker, and Change Expert, in a recently concluded session at the Be Unstoppable Virtual summit, IT has to shift from focusing on technology to focusing on people with an experience-led approach. More on that here.
Redefining technology’s role in the workplace
IT leaders should focus on finding the right tools for their business that will help keep their workforce motivated and engaged. Demand for easy-to-use technology has never been higher as digital transformation projects that previously would have taken years to complete have been accelerated in response to the pandemic and the Great Resignation. Implementing the right tools must be a priority because businesses with happy, motivated employees will be those that thrive in the current climate.
There are several ways how IT leaders can play a vital role in employee experience:
- Drive a democratic selection process to assess a tool’s features and functionality and know what it’s like to use it.
- Run polls and surveys to check if the technology deployed six months ago is still relevant for your employees to do their jobs well.
- Most importantly, act upon the feedback. People will stop giving feedback if they don’t see action taken as a result of it being given.
- Create an excellent EX from day 1 of employee onboarding – from providing the right applications and devices to acclimatizing employees to the company culture. To increase employee engagement and build stronger relationships, you can even create an online community platform, where you can provide additional help and support.
- Empowering both customers and employees
- Providing an omnichannel experience
- To be more agile and more reliant on AI and automation
Final thoughts
Ultimately, happy employees mean happy customers. And happy customers have a direct link to your revenue stream. By keeping both ends of the spectrum engaged and motivated, you’ll find yourself relishing in the sweet and salty aftertaste of a good PB and J. And that’s definitely a good place to be in.
