On this #CXDay, celebrate those who make great customer experiences possible—the employees!
At the heart of an exceptional customer experience lies an exceptional employee experience: To provide satisfactory service to its public, an organization first needs to serve its people.
Employees are the face of an organization; they represent who the organization is, what it stands for, and what it has to offer. Subpar interactions with employees lead to a subpar customer experience. Emerging research underscores as much: as findings reveal that over 97 percent of customers say their satisfaction and loyalty to a brand hinge on the quality of customer-employee interactions, and that a single negative interaction can drive them away for good. These interactions occur when employees are visibly exhausted or irritable; when they provide incorrect, unclear, or contradictory information; when they seem disengaged from the conversation at hand; or show little interest or concern for the customer’s wellbeing.
The bottom line: Employees can’t take care of customers without first being taken care of themselves. To achieve higher customer satisfaction, organizations must first ensure that their employees are satisfied—specifically, that they are happy, healthy, engaged, and enabled to perform at their best. This happens when employees’ basic needs are met; when they have positive working relationships with their peers, managers, and leaders; when they feel supported, trusted, and valued by their organizations; and when they feel content with and proud of the work they do.
Such outcomes do not happen by chance; rather, they derive from a sustained employer commitment to providing a positive employee experience grounded in inclusive leadership, psychological safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), transparent communication, and support for both employees’ personal and professional wellbeing.
“Great customer experience starts with engaged and supported employees,” said Marineuza Dias, Director of Member Experience Quality at Workplace Options. “When we invest in their wellbeing, they bring passion and care to every interaction, creating meaningful connections with customers. It’s a powerful cycle—take care of your people, and they’ll take care of others.”
At WPO, we believe strongly in the value of employees being able to bring their full, authentic selves to work to provide a transformative customer experience. As the world’s largest independent holistic wellbeing solutions provider, we help our organizations take care of their people so that they may deliver satisfactory customer support; create, innovate, and elevate their performance; achieve stronger bottom-line financial results; and above all, ensure lasting individual and organizational growth and success.
When leaders strive to make their employees feel integral to the success of their organization; when they demonstrate that staff are more than just a number by offering wellbeing support that aligns with their needs and personal aspirations; and when they commit themselves to maintaining an environment rooted in trust, empathy, respect, and safety, employees, in turn, reward them with greater engagement and motivation; improved focus and concentration; renewed morale; and enhanced resilience to stress. This translates into enriched interactions with customers, as they are able to provide more attentive service, foster meaningful connections, and respond effectively to client needs.
“Through our enhanced consulting and training services—in addition to our full suite of emotional, physical, and practical support solutions—we help leaders craft effective wellbeing strategies that align with the interests of their organizations, employees, and customers,” said Oliver Brecht, Vice President & General Manager, Enterprise Solutions at Workplace Options. “Good employee and customer experiences start at the top, with leaders who understand the needs of those they serve; recognize the value of the human connection; and are committed to fostering an authentically supportive and collaborative workplace culture.
For more information on how WPO can improve both the customer and employee experience or to learn more about our comprehensive list of services, head to https://www.workplaceoptions.com/ or https://www.workplaceoptions.com/contact-us/.
