The Ticket to Satisfied Customers is Satisfied Employees

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Any HR professional working in the current corporate world knows how employee engagement has become one of the primary focuses of companies across industries. Enhanced employee engagement brings consistent productivity, improved retention, and better work quality.

Employee engagement initiatives prioritize employee well-being and provide support so that workers can improve their skills and job performance. A Gallup study shows that companies with the highest levels of employee engagement are 21% more productive and 22% more profitable than those with low levels of engagement.

But the benefits of having a satisfied workforce transcend mere employee experience. It helps you find the optimum customer service your brand can be proud of. As happy employees perform well, they also help improve the company’s customer service experience.

Today’s article will look at how a company can improve employee satisfaction to foster a superior consumer experience.

How To Improve Employee Satisfaction For Better Customer Satisfaction

1. Create a robust employee onboarding process

A company’s onboarding process directly impacts its overall employee experience. A robust onboarding process facilitates a smooth transition for the new hire, making them feel welcome and valued. According to a BambooHR survey, when employees experience effective onboarding, they are 18 times more likely to feel highly committed to their organization and 30 times more likely to have high job satisfaction.

To kick-start onboarding, build a foundation with proper pre-boarding. Provide all necessary equipment, documents, and a welcome package before the new hire’s first day. Consider completing the paperwork before joining day. Assigning a mentor and a work buddy is also an effective way to settle into their job roles.

Naturally, a new hire may need to learn the proper ways of operations in their new workplace. To keep them engaged from day 1, arrange 1:1 discussions and make the deliverables and expectations clear.

Ensure your new employees receive their handbooks, training modules, and relevant credentials as soon as they join. While keeping all the steps streamlined, focus on creating an employee onboarding process that reflects your values and mission as a company.

When you engage employees from the beginning, they get a hold of their responsibilities quickly, delivering quality work on time. This results in better customer service, on-time shipments, and delivery. Workflow does not get hampered significantly, and customers enjoy consistent service throughout the onboarding process.

2. Improve employer-employee relationship

An employer’s effective efforts for strengthening ties with their employees can profoundly impact employee experience. Randstad USA statistics show that 60% of employees left jobs or think of changing workplaces over a terrible boss. Thus, employers must always take proactive measures to create a good relationship with their workforce.

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An employer must reflect flexibility, consistency, and authenticity to win the workforce’s trust. Strategize plans that set your employees up to succeed by providing adequate training and opportunities for upskilling. The policies you enforce and the values you set for your workforce must be consistent and fair. As an employer, make it a point to inform your employees about important company decisions and ask for their input on business topics. You can also arrange monthly meet-ups with the CEO where employees can freely ask questions and get inspired.

Building a mutually respectful relationship between a boss and the employees motivates them to bring their best to the table and maintain productivity for the long haul. They feel respected and go the extra mile to provide better services as they see themselves as a valuable part of the company.

3. Focus on employee experience and well-being

Employees thrive at their jobs only when they are well — mentally and physically. According to a study, health and work satisfaction are reciprocal. An overwhelming and constant workload may give the illusion of quick productivity, but employees can’t withstand it long without experiencing severe burnout.

To improve employee satisfaction, you must focus on creating a workplace experience on the foundation of employee wellness. Instead of directing employees to stay late or do overtime, encourage them to finish work on time and within office hours. Consider implementing flexible working hours and assigning achievable goals to your employees.

Schedule a break within the workday for mindfulness sessions so your employees can self-reflect and practice meditation. You can also offer once-a-week yoga sessions at the start of each workweek.

Darshan Somashekar, who runs the card game site Hearts.land, encourages gameplay while at work. “We encourage our employees to take a break the way they’d like, including playing games. They love it and feel mentally recharged after playing a quick game. We’ve seen our productivity go up as a result.”

When you focus on employee well-being, you help them battle work stress and create a healthy work-life balance. Employees avoid burnout and are more likely to assist customers with a more pleasant demeanor and a higher level of customer service.

4. Develop a mentoring program

To thrive in their roles, your employees need guidance and support from time to time, which is not always personalized when coming from a manager. This is where a mentorship program can help you improve employee satisfaction.

According to reports, 77% of companies said mentoring programs increased retention. Even 71% of Fortune 500 companies offer mentoring programs for better employee engagement and productivity.

A mentor helps integrate company culture into new employees, familiarizes them with the workflow, and assists them in completing their tasks. They check in with the employee, examine their progress, and guide them to be their best professional self. Mentoring benefits include enhanced employee satisfaction and retention, personal and professional development of the mentee, and a leadership opportunity for the mentor.

Employees often feel too intimidated to reach out to their managers with questions and queries. In a mentor, they find a go-to person with whom they can express their doubts freely and ask for help with no judgments.

A workplace mentoring program facilitates synergy between the team and the new hire. It helps avoid miscommunication, maintain workflow, and ensure timely delivery of orders and quick resolution to customer queries.

5. Conduct timely surveys

Instead of assuming the best way to achieve better engagement, ask your workforce what they need to thrive in their jobs. Moreover, as your employees deal with customers directly and work to provide them with necessary services, they have some critical insight into how to improve your brand’s customer experience.

Here, employee experience surveys are valuable tools for gaining insight into employee and customer experience. The traditional annual surveys are not sufficient. You need real-time data to tackle situations before they elevate. Add pointed and brief questions. You can also make these surveys anonymous to ensure honest feedback.

These survey findings help companies improve their policies and plan effective initiatives for better employee satisfaction rates. Employees feel motivated to see their employer taking active measures to work on their suggestions. These surveys also give insight into what your customers expect from your brand and how you can deliver them.

6. Provide meaningful benefits

A handsome salary is not the only motivation employees seek in the current job market. A worker’s dedication also depends on how thoughtful the benefits package is in their job position. But reports and employee engagement research over the last three years show that employees have the most neutral or unfavorable perceptions about benefits.

Hence, you need to include perks that incentivize employees to thrive while maintaining their physical and mental health. This will excite and inspire your workforce and attract top talent to your company.

Incentives like paid vacation leaves, extended parental leaves, fitness subscriptions, upskilling courses, etc., will shine your benefits package. If you are wondering, “is life insurance worth it?”, think no more and include it in your employee benefits package as a cherry on top.

A well-thought-out list of perks shows your workforce that you care about them and value their contribution enough to invest in their wellness. Besides enhancing employee engagement, it helps you establish an employee-friendly brand that even your customers can be proud of.

Conclusion

Your employees are your greatest asset in conducting business operations. But they can also be your biggest advocates if you incentivize them with working conditions that foster expansion. Investing in your employees and ensuring the best possible experience for them is the best thing you can do to build a satisfied customer base.

Oliver Baker
Oliver Baker is a co-founder of Intelivita, a leading Web and Mobile App Development company based in Leeds, UK. Oliver has been at the forefront of the business, expanding it globally and into new technologies including iOS and Android, AR, VR and Mobile Game applications. Oliver excels in Project Management, Leadership, Quality Assurance and Problem Solving and has qualifications with Prince2 and APM. He aims to develop his skills further through a shared interest with other leaders in the Software Markets and the Clients of Intelivita.

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