Your Employees Influence on Customer Satisfaction

I had the good fortune of having an attentive hygienist clean my teeth this past week. Her approach to cleaning teeth was more sensitive than some previous hygienists I’ve had who seem determined to scrape my teeth until I tap out or pass out. Okay, that last one has only happened once, but I blame the anesthetic.

What struck me more than the care and concern the hygienist placed on my comfort, was how different employees in similar roles can be, and the significant influence this can have on the customer’s (or in this instance, the patient’s) experience. Despite having the best equipment, a comfortable chair, a TV and even some soothing music, the experience my dentist attempts to create all comes down to the experience his employee’s create.

Do you have employees in your business that interact with customers? Logically sales and marketing come to mind, but what about your other employees? What about accounts receivable, engineering or administration? These roles typically have a direct relationship with customers, meaning that they will contact customers periodically as part of their roles.

Do your employees in these roles understand the influence their attitude, tone, patience and understanding can have on customer satisfaction and experience?

What about employees who have an indirect influence on your customer’s experience? This could be someone who is driving your delivery truck, or performing onsite service for your customers. Possibly you have people manufacturing products that are supplied to your customers.

If you’ve answered “yes” to these questions and feel confident that your employees, those who have both a direct and indirect impact on your customers truly recognize the importance of their role on helping to retain customers and grow your business, then you’re ahead of the curve.

If on the other hand you don’t feel comfortable that your employees have made a strong connection to your customers, then here is what you need to do: Take some time during the next week to interact with your employees to build awareness. Better yet, call a town-hall meeting and educate everyone on the importance of their role in customer satisfaction.

You won’t regret your efforts.

You and I both know that a poor quality product or a bad service experience can make or break a customer relationship. When was the last time you educated your employees on the importance of their role on satisfying your customers?

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P.S. For more information on building a strong Employee-Customer connect, pick up a copy of my book Operational Empowerment and check out Chapter 7. I think you’ll find it extremely helpful in building a stronger connection and growing your business.

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