Are you losing sales because of how you treat your employees? This is the Customer Service Week 2024 theme – elevate employee experience for customer experience success. Employee experience is customer experience. For example, If institutions, like employers, civic bodies and the Judiciary were employees, is the Executive iron-fistedly dragging them kicking and screaming into succumbing to SHIF, or is it SHA, a recipe for its success?
Business owners, managers and leaders do not engage with customers – their employees do. If you are a business owner, how you treat your employees, influences how they will treat your customers. Which in turn influences the effectiveness of your sales efforts. The Wells Fargo Bank scandal is a classic example. So how are you treating your employees? Especially now as we go into Customer Service Week 2024 whose theme is Elevate Employee Experience for Customer Experience Success. Here are three ways how your influence on your employees, influences your sales efforts.
Frustrating the employee through friction-ful process
Does your bank do this? You fill in a form (banks just love forms, don’t they?). Anyway, you feel the form and then the customer service rep stamps the form and then asks you to fill your name, ID and signature, again, within blanks in the stamp imprint. “But I’ve just done so. Why are you asking me to give you information I’ve just given you?” “It’s to prove you are the one that’s filled this form.” You blow your top: “This is ridiculous! So, I’m filling in the same information, in the same form, in your presence, in a room full of cameras, just to prove I’m the one that did so in the first place?!” The rep nonchalantly states, “It’s for audit purposes.”
If he knows you well enough, he will add, “It’s absurd, I know. It also frustrates us and we keep telling them, but they don’t care. They say we just do it.” I dare say 9 out of 10 times the irritating experience you have with the service rep has nothing to do with his attitude but everything to do with frustrating processes they do not understand but must follow. Is this your business? Employee experience is customer experience. Ponder that.
Read: Are your processes losing your company sales?
Recognition and appreciation foster better customer experiences
“What were you hoping for? An award for doing your job?” OK. I admit; though it happens, that is extreme. Such discouraging comments are even worse when made to a sales person that has knocked the ball out of the park re her targets. Or even, just demonstrated remarkable improvement in performance. Even if they will earn commissions and bonuses, they are human. And the most basic need for any human being is the need to be appreciated. In any case, not all salespeople are motivated by goals nor money.
The simple act of recognizing and appreciating your employees can transform how they perform in front of customers. It even improves productivity and staff retention. The established fact that workers don’t leave companies but bad managers, confirms this. And the smile on her face, spring in her walk and general uplifting mood she feels because the boss said, “I really admire how you handled that customer,” gets transmitted to the customer. Forget that she is not any brighter, wiser or more knowledgeable. She’s just recognized and appreciated. If employees feel their efforts are noticed and rewarded, they become more invested in the success of the business, going the extra mile to ensure every customer has a great experience. They are engaged.
Read: Remove friction from the purchase experience
Employee experience is customer experience-Training and support drive superior sales performance
“Why should I invest in training them and they’ll leave?” Well, what if you don’t and they stay? Did you know that a survey by LinkedIn revealed that 94% of employees would stay longer with a company if it invested in their learning and development? Well, now you do. This statistic underscores the direct link between a company’s investment in its employees and the quality of service those employees provide. Training here need not be confined to institutions, the likes of Lend Me Your Ears, and yes, you are welcome to reach out to us. No, training includes coaching by managers, on-the-job training, job shadowing, mentorship and job rotations.
Employees with comprehensive product knowledge, for instance, are more likely to close a sale and provide helpful recommendations. Customers trust employees who can provide solutions to their needs confidently, leading to higher sales. Conversely, if employees aren’t trained, they may not be able to answer customer queries or assist effectively, causing customers to seek alternatives elsewhere.
Elevating employee experience elevates customer experience
Employee satisfaction translates to customer satisfaction. Your employees are the frontline ambassadors of your brand. How you treat them directly influences how they treat your customers. By fostering a work environment that values satisfaction, appreciation, and continuous development, you not only retain top talent but also improve customer satisfaction and drive sales. As you reflect on your business strategies this Customer Service Week, ask yourself: How are you investing in your employees to drive the success of your customer experience and sales?
Read: To transform their organizations CEOs must sell
If you would like to have your sales team sell more, we can help. In order for us to do so we propose a free consultation meeting or a call. If in agreement please complete the form below and we will get in touch after receiving your details, none of which will be public. Thank you.
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