The Six Laws of Customer Experience: Law #4 Unengaged employees..

The Six Laws of Customer Experience: Law #4 Unengaged employees..

We’ve all been there.

We go into a store to purchase an item, and unsure about exactly what we want, we’re hoping for some assistance from an associate.

We don’t see an associate. We can’t find an associate.

Or…if we hunt for and eventually find an associate, the associate appears bothered by our presence.

Doesn’t make for a very good shopping experience, does it?

On the other hand, those associates who are attentive to our needs, are helpful about the product, and ask questions, well, we will go back to that place again and again, even if it means paying more for the product. This builds business differentiation!

We want the associate to be engaged with us about our needs.

This scenario leads me to Bruce Temkin’s Law #4 of the Six Laws of Customer Experience:

Unengaged Employees Don’t Create Engaged Customers.

Temkin clarifies: “You cannot sustain great customer experience unless your employees have bought-in to what you’re doing…. If employees have low morale, then getting them to ‘wow’ customers will be nearly impossible.”

By implication, then, good managers both make their employees feel important and help the employees make the customer feel important.

How do we achieve this task?

Temkin mentions five tips:

1. Don’t under-spend on training. Equip your employees with good interpersonal skills. While you’re at it, brush up on your own skills.
2. Make it easy to do the right thing. Equip your employees with the appropriate technologies designed to help them accomplish customer-oriented tasks.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Tell the employees the “what” and the “why.” Also, solicit feedback.
4. Find ways to celebrate. Celebrations can take many different forms: a handwritten note from the president; a brief feature in the company newsletter; a bonus or gift card. When people are affirmed, they’ll continue working hard.
5. Measure employee engagement. Develop a relationship tracking measure to gauge progress.

Do you want repeat clients? Take care of your customers by first taking care of your employees.

How do you engage your employees with customer relations management?

Temkin writes that truths he outlines are “fundamental truths that define how organizations treat customers.”

Anyone dealing with customers should not just know these laws, but live by them.

Click on the following prior blog articles:

Law #1: Every Action Creates A Personal Reaction.

Law #2: People Are Instinctively Self-Centered.

Law #3: Customer Familiarity Breeds Alignment

Related blog: Experience Matters from Bruce Temkin

What would help you become more engaged?