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There is an undeniable connection between an organization's employee experience (EX) and the customer experience (CX) it delivers. Denise Lee Yohn, in her insightful piece for Harvard Business Review, astutely observes that given the technological advancements and shifting labor dynamics, "EX is now the key driver of CX." This assertion resonates powerfully with the principles laid out by the goHappy Engagement Model.
Let’s dive deeper into why leaders must prioritize the experience of their employees, frontline staff in particular.
Empowering the frontline for superior customer interactions
For most businesses, frontline employees are indispensable in shaping a great customer experience. They adapt to ever-changing work dynamics while trying to meet the evolving demands of the modern customer. Meanwhile, companies who do not prioritize frontline employee experience and engagement grapple with high frontline turnover rates and dissatisfaction.
Yohn highlights, "As more customers look to align their purchase decisions with their values, they prioritize doing business with companies that value their employees." This sentiment is mirrored in the goHappy Engagement Model which emphasizes that employees feeling 'Valued' and 'Connected' are fundamental for a positive workplace experience, directly influencing their engagement levels.
Financial upsides of prioritizing the frontline experience
The focus on frontline employee experience isn't just about morale – it has a tangible financial upside. PwC's revelation that companies providing superior experiences to consumers and employees can charge up to 16% more for their offerings is a testament to this. Furthermore, MIT’s research shows that top-quartile employee experience companies reap twice the revenues for new innovations and have higher NPS scores. The goHappy model’s advocacy for strategic and leadership commitment to employee experience and engagement becomes all the more resonant in light of these findings.
Crafting frontline EX for enhanced CX
Yohn offers a blueprint for integrating employee experience with customer experience:
- Recognize the Parallels: Frontline employees are the face of your company. If they're encumbered by outdated processes while the company promises tech-savvy solutions to customers, there's a visible discord. The goHappy model’s emphasis on actionable feedback ensures frontline employees can voice these types of disparities.
- Bridge Employees and Customers: Yohn's spotlight on Adobe's "listening stations" underscores the need for direct feedback loops. When frontline employees hear firsthand from customers, they're better equipped to intuitively elevate the CX. It’s also why we developed a feedback solution that allows leadership to get real-time feedback from their frontline staff.
- Unified Reporting: A comprehensive, integrated view, as demonstrated by Medxcel (and goHappy’s user-friendly feedback dashboard), offers invaluable insights into performance metrics across frontline experiences and customer interactions.
Intersecting on the frontline
Both the goHappy Engagement Model and Yohn's HBR insights converge on a central tenet: the value of leadership in nurturing frontline experiences. The entire journey of these employees, from their onboarding to daily interactions with managers, lays the foundation for the kind of customer experience they'll extend.
The goHappy model, when juxtaposed with Yohn's insights, reiterates the significant impact of frontline leadership in fostering an environment where employees feel integral to the company's fabric and success. This sense of belonging and value translates directly into better customer interactions.
The relationship between frontline employee satisfaction and customer delight is unmistakable. Business leaders have an imperative to recognize and act on this reality. Tools like the goHappy Engagement Model provide a roadmap to ensure that the equation between frontline satisfaction and customer experience comes out positive and profitable.
