The Big Four in Employee Engagement
In June, I attended the Gartner Customer Strategies & Technologies Summit 2015. In addition to listening to and participating in sessions and workshops, I moderated a panel discussion titled “For the love of your customers, make employee engagement work!” In this blog post, I’ll share the insights from this engaging discussion.
Joining me on stage were two leaders with expertise in employee engagement. Both Rob Graham (Director of the Customer Engagement Center at Tesco) and Graeme Gabriel (Strategic Back Office WFO Consultant at Verint) shared their insights.
Employee engagement is often viewed as a "soft" skill. Both men clearly had a different opinion. They said that employee engagement is a key driver of business success. They both demonstrated their professionalism from a leadership perspective and shared compelling examples that resonated with the audience.
What are their 4 tips for fostering truly engaged employees and happy customers?
1. Ask your employee for feedback and act on it
Too many surveys are sent out to employees, but no action is taken based on the results. Take actions that will truly improve their happiness or their ability to serve customers better. If you’re unable to act on the results, be honest about it. Transparency is KEY.
2. Hire the right people for your company; find your Goodliness
At Google, they’ve described the kind of people they’re looking for, and if someone meets those criteria, they have the “Googliness” factor. Only people who possess that “Googliness” are hired, and Google makes no exceptions. So find your own “Googliness” and make sure only people who meet your criteria join the company. Engagement is guaranteed.
3. Act, Don't Add
Give your employees the freedom to act—especially on social media. Let them handle complaints or emergency situations in a humane way. A woman called Tesco and had to cancel her delivery because she unexpectedly went into labor. Instead of following the rules, the customer service representative sent her a bouquet of flowers. The customer posted a photo of the flowers on Facebook, and it received more than 100,000 likes. Another example didn’t end so well. A guide dog and a blind woman were barred from a store, and although the company tried to resolve the issue, the public wasn’t satisfied. The lesson remains: Let your employees respond to whatever happens. Sometimes they’ll make mistakes, but far more often, they’ll get it right.
4. Get the C-Suite to See
This is actually an obvious point, but it’s so true. Get leaders to see and experience firsthand how customer service is done. Have them walk through stores, have them help customers themselves, listen in on phone calls, and interact with employees. It works both ways—in terms of employee engagement among customer-facing employees, but also in the decision-making of leaders. They can walk the talk and act on what they’ve seen. It’s a major driver of employee engagement.
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Nienke Bloem is often referred to as the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She is a global CX thought leader, educator, and keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She runs a speaking practice, a CX game company, and a training business; she lives and breathes Customer Experience and is the author of two books on CX.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for the CCXP, and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and achieve immediate results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she has been hosting a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helping leaders enhance their leadership skills and deliver an engaging CX story, including a solid CX strategy. In addition, she is a modern-day pilgrim and has drawn parallels between her journey and leading customer-centric transformations.
With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the language of business. Her keynote speeches and training programs on customer experience are inspiring and practical. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA, and her mission is to make customer experience work and help you achieve business results.
