I recently had the opportunity to work with a global company that wanted to address some critical issues. They had conducted a comprehensive employee survey, and the top three priorities came out as the need for better employee engagement, innovative process optimisation and customer service.
Up until the time of the survey different functions had been tackling these issues separately. Yet we’ve observed extraordinary outcomes when these three components are treated as part of a single equation. These components are, in fact, intimately connected, and when managed concurrently they can enable deep transformation from the inside out.
In her HBR article, Denise Lee Yohn explains that “companies that invest in and deliver superior experiences to both consumers (CX) and employees (EX) are able to charge a premium of as much as 16% (PwC). MIT researchers found that companies in the top quartile of Employee Engagement developed more successful innovations, deriving twice the amount of revenues from their innovations as did those in the bottom quartile.”
Therefore, for this client, we tackled the three priorities in one comprehensive simulation and debrief, which led to incredible insights and ultimately outstanding outcomes.
1) Employee engagement: The driving force
Employee engagement is the driving force behind a successful business. Ensuring employee engagement can support deep culture change for sustainable growth. Engaged employees are more productive, more innovative, and more likely to stay with the company. As employees often interact with customers, understand their needs, and provide the service that will keep customers coming back, when employees are engaged, they are more likely to deliver exceptional customer service.
2) Customer service: The business focus
Customer service is the heart of any business. It’s the direct line of communication between a company and its customers. Exceptional customer service can lead to increased customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth recognition, and ultimately, higher revenue. However, customer service is often viewed in isolation. It needs to be integrated with other aspects of the business for maximum impact. Exceptional customer service transcends beyond the frontline employee’s cordial interaction with the customer; it’s truly realized when the entire process, from start to finish, is crafted with the customer at its core.
3) Creative redesign and process optimisation: The path to efficiency and effectiveness
In an ever-evolving business environment, staying stagnant is not an option. Businesses need to constantly innovate and optimise their processes to thrive and to stay ahead of the competition. This is where creative redesign and process optimisation can come in. By rethinking and redesigning processes, businesses can improve employee engagement and satisfaction. They will also increase efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver better service to their customers.
The power of integration
The real magic happens when these three elements are integrated. When employees are engaged, they deliver better customer service. When processes are optimised, both employees and customers benefit. And when customers are happy, businesses thrive. Development in each area feeds and benefits from the others.
What happens when there is no integration?
- IF employees are not engaged, they won’t go the extra mile to help customers and won’t feel empowered to improve or optimize processes.
- IF customers are not at the center of a design, processes are inefficient, and employees cop the brunt of unhappy customers, leading to poor engagement.
- IF processes are not optimized (front and back office), then employees and customers will become frustrated.
You can’t fake a smile
With one organisation in the hospitality sector I have worked with, the employees were getting more and more disengaged over time and the business started losing customers. However, when employee engagement became a top priority, customer loyalty automatically improved. The employees started enjoying their work more, which translated into better customer service. They were also motivated to come up with better systems and processes, which led to greater engagement and customer satisfaction scores in follow up surveys. The organisation jumped from number seven to number three in its competitive set.
The integration of customer service, employee engagement, and creative redesign and process optimization is not just important – it’s essential. It’s the key to creating a business that will ensure sustainable innovation.
So, start integrating and see the magic happen!
by Andrew Grant
Unlocking Success: Integrating Employee Engagement, Innovative Process Optimization, and Customer Service for a 400% Improvement
While conventional workshops will often concentrate on one of these pivotal areas (customer satisfaction, employee engagement, process optimization), Tirian’s “Creative Connection” solution, featuring a gamified simulation “The Chocolate Factory” as the core learning experience, genuinely amalgamates and highlights the importance of synchronizing all three.
Unlock Creativity: ‘The Chocolate Factory’ A Gamified Simulation for Design Thinking, Team Building, and Leadership by Tirian
In this session, participants explore the integration of key elements while engaging in a dynamic learning experience.