There’s a rather subtle yet fascinating link between two things we often see as distinct – Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX). It might be easier to think of them as two sides of the same coin, both crucially affecting a company’s bottom line.
We’re all customers at some point, and we’ve all interacted with employees, whether we’re buying a coffee or booking an online psychotherapy session. When a company invests in a great customer experience, it reflects on their reputation, customer loyalty, and ultimately, their profitability.
However, can a company truly offer an excellent customer experience without first addressing the experience of their employees? Let’s delve deeper into this.
Imagine you’re an employee at a company that values its employees, fosters a positive work culture, provides the tools you need to succeed, and listens to your feedback. You’re likely to be more engaged, motivated, and productive, right? This, in turn, means you’re better equipped to provide excellent service to customers.
In contrast, if you feel underappreciated, undervalued, and unheard, your ability to cater to customers optimally can be compromised. It’s not just about ensuring customers are happy; it’s about creating a work environment that enables employees to deliver the best customer experience.
Southwest Airlines’ founder, Herb Kelleher, had a rather revolutionary approach. He believed that if you treat your employees right, your customers would come back, pleasing your shareholders. It’s about realizing that customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction are interlinked and treating them as a holistic system rather than separate entities.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that a company’s success heavily relies on the happiness of its employees. This idea is echoed by Salesforce executive Tiffani Bova, who pointed out that while a company can grow with excellent CX and mediocre EX, achieving sustainable, significant growth requires a simultaneous focus on both positive EX and CX.
So, what can a company do to ensure both excellent customer and employee experiences? Start by listening to your employees. They’re the ones on the front lines, directly interacting with your customers. Their insights can be invaluable in fine-tuning your CX strategy.
Consider integrating EX and CX responsibilities across different levels of management. Ideally, this responsibility would fall on a collective consisting of the Chief Marketing Officer, Chief HR Officer, and Chief Technology Officer. By seeing issues from a systemic perspective, they can ensure both EX and CX are equally prioritized.
At the end of the day, the link between customer and employee experiences isn’t just about business metrics or corporate strategies. It’s about treating people with respect and dignity, whether they’re your employees or your customers. In doing so, a company not only fosters loyalty among its employees and customers but also creates an environment where everyone can thrive.
So next time you book an online psychotherapy session, remember that your experience is, in part, shaped by the experience of the person on the other side of the webcam. And that’s something truly worth investing in.
