Company Culture Trickles Down From the Top
The most successful businesses and brands typically follow the same path when it comes to leadership. If your employees and company culture are a priority to you, your customers and their experiences will be a priority to your employees.
Leading by example is critical to the success of your company and is the beginning of what is known as the “waterfall effect.” As an executive, your attitude and leadership skills trickle down from the top, through every level of your company, and ultimately ends with your customers. The process is simple, really. If your goal is to retain customers as well as acquire new ones, you must invest your time and resources in your employees first.
Leadership Guidance is Key
If you are working in the executive levels of your company, take heart in knowing you are being watched and your behavior noted. Each of your employees will quickly learn what you consider priorities and will act accordingly.
Use your leadership as a guide so that your employees will know what you expect. This will enable them to better recognize what they can do to create positive customer experiences on the front lines.
Getting Your Hands Dirty
You’ll never ensure positive customer experiences by parking yourself behind a desk and barking orders every day. If you want to shift into a more customer-centric culture, you need to lead the change. It might be time to get your hands dirty and ask yourself:
How long has it been since I’ve used our products or services?
When was the last time I set foot in a call center, or better yet, when was the last time I took a call?
How often do I visit our website?
Have I taken the time to listen to the wants and needs of our customers?
Have I listened to our employees and given thought to their suggestions of improvement?
When your behavior comes from a place of empathy, so will the behavior of your employees. This will ultimately lead to increased positive customer experiences and impactful changes within your company’s culture.
Utilize the Right People
If you want your customers to have positive experiences in their dealings with your brand, hire employees that work well with other people. This holds true even if they don’t have the entire skill set you normally require. Teaching them the skills they are lacking is easy; asking them to change their behavior, not so much. Unfortunately, you just can’t expect badly behaved or impulsive individuals to hold back on their impetuous behaviors simply because they are qualified for the position.
Invest in the right people who hold similar values to your own and then utilize them in company culture from top to bottom. When you aren’t available to be the example, they will serve as guides to help embed company culture you want at every level.
Treat Customers and Employees as Individuals
As an executive, it is important to understand that customer experience is so much more than a transaction. When treated as individuals, customers are more likely to remember the culmination of their experiences over time, and will come back for your brand and services over and over. Remember that this theory holds true for you employees as well. Treating your employees with respect will create loyalties that are not easily broken.
About the Author
Brooke Cade is a freelance writer who’s committed to helping businesses and sales professionals build stronger connections with their customers. In her spare time, she enjoys reading books/articles on industry news, engaging on twitter, and exploring her local neighborhood coffee shop.