JENIKIM Trust is the key to success in any business. It’s 2021, so we shouldn’t be surprised at the importance of company culture. The best employees are not only a strong, functional company. They also help create a culture that delivers superior customer service.
Richard Branson should be considered a role example. Virgin Airlines’ motto is “Look after your people, the rest will follow.” Starbucks follows the same route and in January announced that it would use some incoming tax savings for increased pay and benefits. Facebook
These companies are willing to invest in employees so that they can have happier customers.
Why is it that customers and clients trust care so much? Simple: Account managers, service representatives who are treated well and are motivated are more likely than their unhappy counterparts to deliver superior service. Prioritizing company cultures is the same as prioritizing client care.
Better service and culture = better people
Elite SEM has a culture so strong that our team believes in it. If we move an account manager, the client of Elite SEM has the option to choose not to pay us if that manager isn’t as good as the previous one.
This is a bold promise. However, we know our employees are satisfied. According to a National Business Research Institute research, satisfied employees equal satisfied customers. Our agency has grown to more than 200 people by focusing on great lives for great people. Client satisfaction is what prevented this from happening.
It’s not just us who see the value of prioritizing the entire team. West Corporation, a global communications agency, offers a “Customer-Experience Lifecycle Management Maturity Model” which shows that training stable employees across the company can eliminate common mistakes, give employees a sense of ownership, improve products, and increase the value customers see. Linkedin
Building a happy, transparent team
A stable team means a stable company with more clients trust and renewed business. Those factors can have significant positive effects on a company. It doesn’t matter if your company responds quickly on social media to a client problem — American Express does so on Twitter for instance — or if you remember longtime clients’ life milestones. Your goal should be to build a team of clients who trust you to take care of. Here are some tips to help you get start.
Consider no question too big or too small.
Seek the opinions of employees regarding high- and low-level topics. You can have one-on-one conversations with each employee. Everyone has a different work history and valuable insights. To stay up to date on employee opinions, our team uses tools such as TINYpulse (and CultureIQ) twice a calendar year. But, the most important part of this continuous feedback cycle is actually taking action.
JT Marino co-founded Tuft & Needle. One-on-ones have become a way for JT to communicate with his employees. It’s no coincidence that his company is ranked No. Lists highlighting the best company cultures have ranked Tuft & Needle at No. 1. Marino describes Tuft & Needle to be “culturally flat”, and insists on giving each employee the opportunity to be heard.
In two months, he completed 50 one-on-one meetings to resolve common company problems. Marino describes that semi-marathon as “one my most valuable achievements in my time at the Company.”
2. You can increase retention with customized perks
A former employee suggested that the company help with student debt. I didn’t dismiss the suggestion and thanked the employee who brought up the topic. Then, I laid out our benefits roadmap — which included the potential for student loan assistance once the company had added 100 employees.
Standard benefits should offer by every company. Employers should be able to choose the benefits and perks they want. It turns out that employees favor this type of benefits shift. MetLife’s 2016 benefits study found that 70% would be more loyal to their employer if they had customized benefits.
3. Treat employees like owners.
The employees who care more feel invested. Each of our employees has equity in our company. They act as “intrapreneurs”, or employees who think like entrepreneurs within our company. This gives employees the opportunity to give great work to clients trust and encourages them into ownership. This ownership allows employees to have the flexibility to make the most of their work-life, which is a great way for them to be able to create positive client experiences.
Mental Health America’s 2017 Mental Health Workplacemental Health Survey revealed that 75% of employees were happy to work in a mentally healthy workplace. 69% reported having opportunities for professional growth, 52% said they had some flexibility, and 75% stated that their workplace was open to all, https://holisticdental.org/xanax-treat-anxiety/.
It is time for business leaders to understand that company culture doesn’t have to be a problem with HR. Culture can have an effect on the work produced by employees, on the services that they provide to their clients trust, and on the overall client relationships of the company.
Prioritizing customers over employees is what allows you to prioritize your employees. These are three steps that will help you build a company culture to keep your clients returning.
