The Value of an Engaged Employee: Why every company needs as many as they can get!

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An engaged employee will deliver a great customer experience. Why? Because they’re interested in what your company is all about.

Have you ever walked into a bookstore, looking for a particular book, only to be told ‘eh, I dunno, over there somewhere’ when you’ve asked where you can find it? Most of us have experienced something like this in our lives, whether in a supermarket or a hardware store. It’s always disappointing.

To illustrate the point, let me take you to a small town outside Melbourne, Australia. I used to run a cafe in the area and made a lot of use of the supermarket there, small, but serviceable. There was a whole host of different characters that worked at the store, and after a while, you knew which ones were the ‘good’ ones and which ones to avoid.

I was hunting for cinnamon one day, only to discover that their entire spice collection had disappeared over the course of the week. I asked one of the employees for help. He just shrugged, mumbled that he didn’t know, and went back to stacking the shelves. Result? I shrugged and went to the bigger Woolworths supermarket the next town over.

The following week, I was back in the same little supermarket for black poppy seeds. Of course, they didn’t have it. Frustrated, I found ‘Sam’, who I knew was one of the ‘good’ employees and asked him. Sam promptly apologized and told me he’d check out the back. No luck, he apologized, but he’d keep looking and would run them down to the cafe if he found any. I went back to work, figuring I’d not see poppy seeds this side of closing time.Engaged Employee... and cake!

Less than twenty minutes later, however, Sam came into the cafe with five packs of the things. Since the local supermarket didn’t have them, he’d run down to the big supermarket and got them for me. I was both impressed and pleased as punch – no need to change my muffin recipe after all! Sam recited the little supermarket’s motto to me cheekily: “Let’s deliver.”

Sam was an engaged employee, and while he may not have been a rocket scientist, he was a genuine person who actually gave a damn about his work. To him, it didn’t matter that they didn’t pay him much, or that he often had to fill late weekend shifts when he should really have been at home with his Playstation. Sam likes doing what he does: not stacking shelves and organizing fresh fruits and vegetables, perhaps, but helping people. He made an effort to learn your name, and how you were connected to the community. For Sam, life at the supermarket was straightforward: people need something, you supply it. What’s more, you supply it with a smile.

I won’t say that this redeemed the local supermarket in its entirety. There were too many useless people working in there to make it truly a great place to shop and one engaged employee offering a better customer experience did not outweigh most of the downsides… but for the sake of convenience, and – after this experience – for the sake of Sam, I would often take the plunge and do my best to ‘shop local’.

What is an ‘Engaged Employee’?

Creating an ‘engaged employee’ isn’t something that just happens. An employee can start out being engaged, enthusiastic and ‘part of the team’, but that can change. Similarly, employees can become engaged over time. Everything depends on circumstance, and how the company treats, trains and helps their team members. We touched on this a few months back during a discussion about the importance of HR policies. In that article, we brushed up on talent retention issues and how an evolving HR policy is vital to a company’s survival:

“People stay with companies they value. The more an employee is allowed and encouraged to engage in the job, team, and company efforts, the more she sees the value. People stay with managers they trust. The more managers and employees engage in continuous communication about expectation, the more trust develops in their relationship. People stay with companies that offer opportunities for personal, even professional growth.” —  5 Links Between Talent Management and Employee Engagement, TalentCulture

Employee engagement is about trust, communication, and value. A company wants its employees to value its…well, its values; an employee wants their company to value their efforts and time. An engaged employee will be the one who has reached that level of immersion with company policy and message: they believe in what the company stands for and what it’s selling, usually because it’s in line with what they themselves believe in.

Why is an engaged employee so valuable?

An engaged employee is an employee that trusts the company they’re working for and is enthusiastic about the brand they represent. This interest shines through in their work, and, as a result, in the way they treat clients and customers. What better way to get a customer to buy a product or service an employee eagerly admits they’ve used themselves?

For example, there’s an Australian real estate investment company that operates throughout Asia, Meridien Group, and one of their regular sales pitches includes the line: “This is a good investment. I know because I’ve bought one myself. My boss has bought six.”

The rapport that’s developed between the engaged employee and the company has now spilled over into the customer experience, into the relationship between the employee and the customer.

“Trust me,” an engaged employee can say, “because I trust this company and what it stands for.” That’s a type of enthusiasm no one can fake.

The Bottom Line?

Forget marketing budgets, massive social media advertising campaigns – forget all the prime time television slots you’re still buying. Build up your employees and they will do that for you. After all, if your employees don’t believe in what you’re selling, why on earth would your customers?

An engaged employee will go the extra mile, and not because you’ve asked them to, but because they want to.

An engaged employee will go the extra mile

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Validating Customer Experiences: Why you need to do it.

Validating customer experiences is a surefire way of winning that customer over, forever. Validation and customer experiences are inextricably linked. People have needs and desires. Those needs and desires lead them to choices and decisions. We need – or want – something, and we go out and get it.

What do we mean with ‘validating customer experiences’?

A few weeks ago, customer service guru, Shep Hyken, wrote an article on the concept of customer validation. This blog article talked about how validating customer experiences is a vital part of a well-delivered customer service.

If we looked up ‘validation’ in the dictionary we’d come across something like:

“…an act, process, or instance of validating; especially : the determination of the degree of validity of a measuring device.” [Source]

In his article, Hyken uses the term ‘validation’ to describe achievement when a good sale has been made. A salesperson providing the proper advice and aid is awarded a “I’ve done well!” feeling when a sale is made, and a customer – hopefully! – leaves with a “made the right choice!” feeling.

Validation taking place here goes two ways: the salesperson feels their effort has paid off, and the customer feels that their decision making process has met their need. This achievement, the validation, is the way to generating great customer experiences.

What we’re getting at then is that ‘warm fuzzy feeling’ we all feel when we’ve done something right.

Customer Experiences, and why they should be validated

The world revolves around human needs, decisions and validation. We’re all looking for validation, whether it’s about our own choices or someone else’s. That feeling we get when we’ve accomplished something we’ve worked for boosts our self-esteem in a way nothing else can – to that end, most of us want to ‘do good’. We’ll just ignore all the procrastination we do on Facebook and all the times we binge-watched entire seasons on Netflix, that’s gratification, not validation of effort (although, in all fairness, validation delivers gratification).

A good customer experience comes when both parties – customer and salesperson – feel like their efforts have been validated. As a result, the whole purpose of customer service is to reach that point of validation. A happy customer – validated! – is likely to return and purchase again. Continually delivering what a customer desires and constantly validating their choices will generate a loyal customer, and a loyal customer is priceless.

Check out this video from Temkin Group International for some more insight:

Are you validating your customers’ experiences?

Having established that it’s important to ensure that no one feels as though they’ve wasted their time, what are you doing to improve the way your customers feel when they make their exit? Even if they’re delighted and shouting your praises from the rooftops, our work is not done. It’s important that our customers all feel that way when they leave. That’s easier said than done, really validating customer experiences is hard work. There’s no set plan or structure that you can apply to all customers across the board. Every customer needs – and deserves! – a tailored customer experience that leaves them feeling validated by the choices they have made and the level of service they have received.

Think about that, the next time a customer comes to you for a product or service.

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The Top 3 Words that Your Company needs to Boost Customer Experiences

Companies always want to boost customer experiences. Better customer experiences means higher customer loyalty, and better sales. Customer service representatives get overwhelmed with the wealth of information available to them There’s a whole Internet of Things out there. There’s so much knowledge to be had and so many people offering it. What is the ‘right’ advice? Where do you get it? Once you get it, how do you make sense of it?

Let’s break all this information down to the basics:

1. Communication

This is about clarity and connectivity.

People don’t like being confused; they want to understanding:

  • What you’re offering
  • Where they can find it
  • When they can expect it
  • How it will arrive
  • Why they should use your company

In general, people crave simplicity: we don’t like to be forced out of our comfort zones. This is particularly true of people today: Millennials are more likely to check out what they want and whether they’ll buy it online than coming into a shop. By the time they set foot on an actual sales floor, 60% of them already know what they’re going to buy.

This connectivity comes from the clarity of your service or product, as it is presented to prospective customers. As a result, it’s not a bad idea to let the customer set the pace and choose how they’d like to be connected with you. For example, Millennials may prefer to connect to your product/service via social media platforms like Facebook or Snapchat, while an older generation would rather receive an email or even a phone call.

More than that, however, is the connection we forge as human beings: do you smile when I walk in to have my car serviced, for example? What sort of smile? What is your body language communicating to me, your customer? Do I feel welcome?

Good communication forges a bridge of understanding between people. This will allow both parties to avoid pitfalls like misunderstandings, badly explained expectations or desires, and a breakdown in the relationship. Communication is all about building trust and relationships, after all, and great communication will boost customer experiences to no end.

2. Consistency

Consistency and cohesion.

According to Google, ‘cohesion’ means:

‘…the action or fact of forming a united whole.’ [Source]

Customers are individuals, but a customer service team? They should be of one mind and one bo —er… nevermind, too creepy. Your customer-facing front line needs to be a team! This is the first step to great consistency, and through that to customer loyalty.

Google defines ‘consistency’ as follows:

‘…conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness.’ [Source]

Now, conformity gets a bad rap, so we’ll just avoid that word. Let’s focus on the section about ‘logic, accuracy or fairness’.

For example, imagine you’re travelling abroad. You’re in a strange city, you don’t know how anything works, maybe the language is even different. Then you spot a Starbucks. You go in, you order, you pay, you wait, then you grab your caffeine and go. No drama, no panic – you knew exactly how it worked. Why? Because Starbucks, like so many global franchises, has mastered consistency. Their style of service is the same, whether you’re in New York, Hong Kong, or Sydney. That’s comforting because it means you’re always at home.

Small business with only one location aren’t exempt from this concept. A customer should be able to receive the same style – and hopefully good level – of service every time they purchase a product or utilize a service from that company, whether it’s today, in a year, online or offline.

3. Commitment

Last, but not least, and arguable more important than communication and consistency: commitment.

What’s that quote? Something about not bothering to get into the ring unless you plan on fighting? That.

Establishing trust is not something that happens over night, and any commitment to such a relationship will shine through! It’s important to look at any customer service strategy as a long term investment, one that is going to require time, people, effort and finances. No one’s asking you to marry your customer, but if you’re looking to boost customer experiences, you’re going to have to go all in as a company. Half measures will not do it.

This will also help build your capability, supporting your authority on your chosen subject matter(s), thus making you and your brand more trustworthy in the eyes of current and future prospects.

What to take away to boost customer experiences…

There are several big aspects of customer service you’re not allowed to miss, not if you’re really looking to boost your customer service experiences. There are also plenty of smaller ones; the important thing is to remember that many of the ‘small’ ones often fall under the ‘big’ ones. Next time you find yourself stressing out about the latest article talking about how you’re not communicating enough, or your not doing enough of something else — think about, maybe you’re already doing it, a little bit.

All three of the things – communication, consistency, commitment – are vital skills for good customer service. And remember:

Good customer service will boost customer experiences.

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Why can Improving Empathy help me Improve my company’s Customer Service Experience?

Empathy is one of the driving factors of good customer service; without it, it is impossible to imagine what a customer’s position is. Why are they upset about something? Why are they shouting at you over the phone? What is it that they really want? Why do they respond to your smile?

What is Empathy?

Some of you may be sitting there wondering what this video has to do with customer service and when I’m going to get to the point; others among you may be nodding your head. That’s fine; we’re all here to learn.

What this video does is explain ‘empathy’; we can deduce that empathy comes in a variety of different forms but on the whole is reflective of how well we understand each other’s emotional responses to situations.

Most of us are capable of imagining what another person is going through. We have a certain level of empathy; some of us have more than others, but mostly we’re all capable of it to some extent.

Also read this article: Retail Customer Service: Reality of Retail Industry

For example, if my best friend won first prize in a competition and was bubbling over with excitement I could well imagine what that might feel like. When you read a story about someone who is diagnosed with a terminal disease, you might feel sad for that person but it’s not until you imagine what it must be like to be that person that you’re acting on your empathy.

What role does Empathy play in Customer Service?

Empathy allows a good customer service agent to read between the lines. As customer service agents it’s important that we know how customers feel – but there’s a distinction to be made here between imagining what a customer wants and assuming to know what a customer wants.

Picture a little girl named ‘Sally’. Sally comes into an ice cream parlour with her mother for ice cream. It’s fairly simple to come to the conclusion that Sally is there for a treat and will now go through the process of choosing what flavour she wants for her one scoop of ice cream. There’s very little imagining to be done here.

Next, picture Mickey, a young man with a skateboard who’s come into a shoe store, presumably to buy new shoes. An bad sales consultant might just make a snap judgment and try and sell Mickey a pair of sneakers that might go with his current look. A better consultant would ask Mickey what he’s after – apparently Mickey has his first job interview at a tech company and he needs a pair of dress shoes to wear. That’s great stuff, that sales consultant now knows what Mickey wants and needs. What next? Sure we could just sell him a pair of shoes, but what about the next time Mickey needs shoes? Or if his friends need a pair? We want Mickey to tell his friends about our store and what a great experience he had when he bought his swanky new shoes.

This is where empathy comes into play.

Imagine what Mickey is going through. He’s off to his very first job interview at a tech company. Is he nervous? Is he confident? Does he think he has a good chance at landing the job? An empathetic sales consultant will pick up on Mickey’s mood and be able to talk with him about what he’s going through.

Empathy is the key to making good customer service a great customer experience, two vital sides of the coin and the differences between which I’ve explored here.

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Don’t Just Use Customer Service Phrases: Act

How many times have we come across the phrase: “customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude”. I’ve used it myself several times for one reason: it’s true. And also because it’s a cool way of getting my point across.

Trouble is, when you say something too many times you end up losing its meaning. Like when you say ‘oil’ many times in a row; the word turns into a string of meaningless noises. (Or is that just me?) The overuse of the phrase ‘customer service isn’t a department etc’ has made it invisible. Invisibility might be useful for superheroes, but for customer-service reps it’s practically a sin.

We throw around plenty of words and phrases, and it’s become an issue.

Define ‘customer service’. Google it. It’s everywhere. As companies, we’re being told again and again that it’s time to ‘improve our customer service’ and that ‘this is the age of the customer’. ‘Be customer-centric’ is my personal favorite. In the white noise of the overwhelming evidence that ‘customer service is the future’ — another recurring phrase — the real meaning behind the term is slipping away.

So what does it mean?

If you’ve Googled ‘customer service’, you’ll know that the first definition that pops up (from Wikipedia) reads as follows:

“Customer service is the provision of services to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees “who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest”. Customer service is also often referred to when describing the culture of the organization.” (Source)

Does anyone else want to shake their monitor when they read that? I certainly do. Why? Because it could mean anything. A lack of understanding means a lack of goal. I’m not saying that this definition isn’t correct — it probably is — but what it definitely isn’t is helpful.

Customer service has a simpler definition and this is it:

“Customer Service: Helping customers meet their needs.”

That’s it. Throw out the big words, put the meaning back into the definition.

I know that ‘helping customers meet their needs’ is a lot more complicated than it actually sounds, but that’s not the point. By redefining ‘customer service’ we’ve gotten rid of the white noise and made it a responsibility again, rather than a chore.

Once people know the goal, it becomes obtainable. Suddenly, customer service really isn’t a department: it’s something anyone can do. Customer comes in and needs help? You help them. Hey, that’s customer service! That’s not your department — except that it is because no matter what industry we work in, or position we hold — from janitor to CEO and beyond — we are here to supply our customers with what they want.

That is customer service, and it isn’t a department. It’s really an attitude.

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