CREATE – E=Engagement, Part 2

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES

Why would an organization want to uplift their efforts to develop highly engaged employees? There are many reasons:

  1. Oftentimes the team member IS the organization from the perspective of the customer. A good encounter will create loyal customers. And the opposite is true. A bad or lackadaisical encounter can diminish the client’s perception of the company.
  2. The individual productivity of employees can translate into a more productive and profitable business.
  3. There will be less turnover, which will reduce costs of staff changes and integration/training.
  4. The better the service provided, the higher the demand. The higher the demand and perceived value, the higher the fees that can be charged and received.
  5. With a sophisticated, digitally savvy consumer population, organizations focused on highly engaged employees and customers will end up on top. People can easily choose who they spend their money with—and it might as well be you.

HOW DOES AN ORGANIZATION PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT?

  1. First: the mission and vision—or culture—of the organization must be focused on employee development, as well as on customer service. Without a team of people who support the values of the company, focus will be on selling the product rather than on nurturing long time, repetitive relationships with a customer. You want to develop long-term clients rather than one-time clients.
  2. Reward people for “engaging” customers. Make retention a valuable and honored asset to the company. Reward people for RETENTION.
  3. Develop a culture dedicated to employee improvement and success. Customer success cannot happen without employee success.
  4. Obtain feedback from customers. Provide feedback for employees. Do this regularly. How long do you want to wait before you find out that something is wrong? How long do you want to wait to provide positive reinforcement for work well done?
  5. Recognize and continue the things that are going well and alter the things that need improvement.
  6. Use quantitative measurements to determine the impact of engagement—or the lack thereof. These monitors are available through numerous sources. (Check on line.) Establish benchmarks or goals for your company and track those to make sure your systems and people are reaching them. If that is not happening, make alterations.
  7. Use the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Treat your team members just as you would want them to treat you—and how you would want them to treat of your customers/clients/patients. You can’t be Attila the Hun to employees and then expect them to be kind to customers. Their treatment of clients will reflect the leadership.