Delivering A Rockstar Customer Experience
Putting Your Customer First By Putting Your Employees First
Shep Hyken sits down with James Dodkins to discuss James’s new book, 136 Ideas For Rockstar Employee Engagement, having an employee mission, and the real definition of customer experience.
Top Takeaways:
- James previous experience as a rockstar in a heavy metal band helped him discover that companies can be customer service rockstars, too.
- What happens on the inside of a company will be felt on the outside by the customers. That’s why it’s important that you put your employees first.
- Your part of the customer’s experience is typically a tiny little piece of a much larger puzzle. There’s a lot more that happens across the whole customer journey.
- Giving employees an inspiring, empowering, and memorable mission is one of the best gifts you can give them. Employees want to see that they’re making a positive change in customers lives.
- Of the 136 ideas for rockstar employee engagement, a few of James’s favorites include having employees meet their customers, writing personal letters to employee family members, and holding fun employee events, such as a a class on how to make cocktails (named after emplyees and departments).
- James shares a heart touching story about how Southwest Airlines truly embodies their mission, “Connecting people to what matters most.”
- Rockstars don’t have customers. They have fans. Likewise, rockstar companies don’t just have customers, they have evangelists who are willing to share their experiences
Quotes:
- “If you engage with your employees rationally, they’ll take the job. If you engage with them emotionally, they’ll stay for life.” – James Dodkins
- “Your mission can affect attitudes. Attitudes become behaviors. Behaviors become cultures. And, rockstar cultures create not only customers, but fans.” – James Dodkins
- “Look at things as if you were the customer. It seems so foundational, but it works. If you think like the customer and encourage others to do the same, you’ll get really good at customer service.” – James Dodkins
- “If you want to put your customers first, you need to put your employees first, first.” – James Dodkins
About:
James Dodkins is an author and customer experience rockstar. Before he transitioned into his current occupation, he played guitar in a heavy-metal band. Today, James helps companies like Nike, Disney, and Mercedes improve their employee and customer experiences.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions … and more:
- How can you increase employee engagement?
- How can you think like a customer?
- What’s the definition of customer experience?
- What’s the importance of an employee mission?
- What is a customer experience rockstar?
