By Stephanie Levy | HappyOrNot
4 MIN READ

Part 4 of a 4 Part Series: The Journey to CX Greatness

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives – working in a job that drained your motivation and was a complete struggle just to get through the day. The cause may have been the work environment, the tools (or lack thereof) to do your job, poor training, or no recognition by your manager. Whatever the reasons, you were unhappy, disengaged, and knew that you needed to leave.

Employee disengagement and unhappiness is, unfortunately, a persistent problem: Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace report showed that a mere 33% of employees are engaged at work (and even the world’s best organizations reached only 70%).

The issue is that disengagement or unhappiness often go unnoticed until they reach a breaking point. Companies must understand that the way an employee feels about their job is reflected in both their work and their interactions with customers. A study by James Fowler of UC San Diego and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School relates, where it suggests that bad moods are contagious. Simply put, if your employees hate going to work but are supposed to put on a happy face to interact your customers, your customers will pick up on the mood and it will impact your relationships with them.

Why happy employees make happy customers

Happy and engaged employees are the foundation of a successful company. And with a strong foundation, you can build solid customer relationships that last. To elaborate, the following three reasons show the causal relationship between happy employees and happy customers:

1. They build better relationships with customers

Presence, attentiveness, and attitude are the key elements to building strong customer relationships. When an employee is happy in their workplace, they’re not only less likely to be absent (presence), they’re more likely to support customer needs faster (attentiveness) and with higher levels of positivity (attitude). Employees with positive attitudes towards their work carry their attitudes over to the customers and strive to deliver high quality service, resulting in increased customer happiness and loyalty.

The key elements to building strong customer relationships: presence, attentiveness, and attitude.Click To Tweet

2. They provide more knowledgeable service

Employees that are happy with their workplace tend to stay with a company much longer. Not only is employee retention good for the business, but it’s good for the customer as well. Long-term employees have more experience and knowledge to provide better customer service. And when customers receive more knowledgeable service, they have a better experience and are more likely to do business with you again.

Not only is employee retention good for the business, but it’s good for the customer as well.Click To Tweet

3. They put the company’s best face forward

Similar to having a positive attitude that promotes a positive customer experience, employees that are happy and committed to their workplace genuinely want to see the company do well. They are more motivated and innovative, and will often go the extra mile to give customers an exceptional experience. They are a vital asset to maintaining a strong reputation, brand image, and competitive advantage.

Employees that are happy and committed to their workplace genuinely want to see the company do well.Click To Tweet

How to create a workplace that promotes employee happiness

The impact of happy and engaged employees on a healthier bottom line is well known. Many studies statistically show, for example, like those presented by Gallup, that employees that feel happy and engaged at work are more productive, more innovative, and less willing to change their work.

The challenge is, how do you know if your employees are happy or engaged? Many companies perform annual or bi-annual surveys or reviews to gauge employee satisfaction and the workplace atmosphere, but the problem with this is that the world and working environments constantly evolve, and what may not be a problem today, can quickly become one tomorrow.

Creating a culture where employee happiness and engagement is a core business mission takes dedication to accomplish, from everyone within the organization. Management must be committed to identifying and understanding if employees have what they need to be engaged and feel happy, and employees must be committed to give honest feedback. The areas of concern can range from the opportunity for professional development, open communication, more frequent feedback on job performance, strong leadership, recognition, or the tools and training required to do the job well.

In our experience, the first step in starting the path towards a workplace culture that promotes happiness is to continuously (and daily) collect feedback on the core areas of employee experiences, and communicate to employees the purpose and importance of their honest feedback in transforming the workplace for the better. Next, it’s imperative to be transparent with the feedback to facilitate an open platform where problem areas can be addressed and ideas for improvement discussed. Lastly, it’s important to ensure that improvements are implemented and followed, together.

When the entire ship is rowing in the same direction, there’s minimal friction, everyone is confident in the part they play, and they achieve success together in a unified way.

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This last blog post now concludes our 4 part series: The Journey to CX Greatness.

1. 3 Things You Can Learn From Lost Customers, And What To Do
2. 3 Steps to Win Back Unhappy Customers
3. 3 Customer Satisfaction Tips You Can’t Live Without
4. 3 Reasons Why Happy Employees Make Happy Customers

We hope that you enjoyed the read, and that we’ve offered some food for thought on how each step in the customer’s journey is one that can be influenced positively with the right approach.

But we’re not finished yet! Stay tuned for more guest bloggers, more original content, and more insights. See you soon!

HappyOrNot