The Sunday Mail
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“A brand is defined by customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by the employees” – Shep Hyken
‘The customer comes first’ has always been the motto for most organisations who try to portray a customer-centric approach.
This approach however, is only possible if the business ensures that the employee is at the centre of the business operations. Organisations that take good care of their customers, not only attract the cream of the market, but they also motivate their customers easily. So, the matrix goes like this, the organisation must put its employees first so that in return the employee will be able to put the customer first.
Simply put, an unhappy and demotivated employee is unable to give happiness to customers because one cannot give what they don’t have. The customer experience is largely influenced by the employees’ approach.
The way I interact with the organisation’s representatives will reflect on the customer experience story I will tell to the world. If it is full of smiles the story will be positive, but if it is all about sighs then a negative customer experience story will run.
The same harm that a shoddy job does to the organisation’s reputation is the same harm that the brand will suffer when there is poor customer service presented to the external customer by the internal customer.
Organisations must therefore make an effort to please their internal customers, so that the behaviour they display to the external customers will surely match the values of the organisational brand.
A positive brand impression is achieved when you are being served by a happy employee. Even strong customer relationships are a result of happy employees through happy customers.
Here are some tips to consider in delighting the internal customers:
Focus
Companies who are succeeding know that there is added value in customer experience than in any aspect of the business. This knowledge has made them shift their main focus to the organisation’s primary brand ambassadors – and that is their employees.
They have made it a point that they make huge investments in their employees financially, as well as staff development training in confidence building, appreciation, respect and above all in customer service. According to Richard Branson, “train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to”.
Family oriented
Some companies do not even use the most sophisticated modern ways to do business, instead they use the same traditional means to market and sell their brands, but they are profitable. The way they do their business has made them win sympathy of their customers and their employees. You might wonder how they are doing it. It’s simple. They have managed to portray their organisations as family businesses. They invest in events that include their internal staff by organising family activities that includes their employees’ families.
For instance, in Zimbabwe we have some public institutions that hold “family fun days.” These activities bring families together and are able to create a bond between the families and the organisations. Some companies even have ‘Long Service Awards’. I remember attending such events when my dad worked for the Harare City Council, and he was honoured at these events for serving certain milestones with the City. Thus, despite its own challenges he never thought of leaving this employer.
Flexibility
It takes a lot to be able to make someone smile, especially a customer that has potential to patronise your organisation. Not all employees are gifted in mining for that golden smile from customers, and those that lack the gift must put a lot of effort. No matter the pressure, they always subdue it and serve you with a smile. But how come they are able to provide a good service despite the odds? The answer bows down to flexibility and passion.
There are some internal customers that are just passionate about their jobs such that they are willing to go the extra mile and delight the external customer. Passionate people are flexible to do anything that will please the external customer, because they themselves get satisfaction from serving people that will leave with a smile.
Promise Delivery and Transparency
In strong competitive markets, organisations can compete using transparency and delivering on the promises. Employees are happier when they are dealing with an employer that communicates transparently and keeps their word.
For instance, if you promise more employee participation or increase their salaries you should make it a point that you honour that promise and not go back on your word. Failure to do that will leave you with second-class employees who do not produce as much quality as the first-class employees.
Cherish them
The difference between the employee who is the internal customer from the external customer is that the organisation lives with the internal customer, so they must be cherished. The organisation has a mine of information from its internal customers, as well as a tonne of support for their brand. All relationships in business seem to be transactional, but rarely do you get unconditional love and unconditional giving.
Thus, employees’ relationship with the organisation is transactional too. I give my services and expertise to the organisation, in return the organisation must also pay for what they are benefitting from me. Internal customers and external customers may be wearing different hats when transacting, but they are all customers and must be treated as the organisation’s most important priorities.
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer service. For comments, suggestions and training, she can be reached on [email protected] or on 0712 979 461, 0719 978 335
