Last year, the UK’s Brand Experiences teamed up with the Institute of Internal Communication to survey 2,000 people around the world. The goal was to reveal how people feel about their jobs, their bosses, their wellbeing and their productivity.
In a business world that’s increasingly obsessed with improving the customer experience, this survey had a different purpose.
Or did it?
Customers were barely mentioned in the survey. But the answers reveal sometimes shocking truths about the customer experience.
Here are some of the findings of that survey.
Some employees are demotivated from day 1
Over half of the employees surveyed were unmoved (or worse, demotivated) by the on-boarding experience. So, from day 1 they feel disengaged.
What kind of customer experience will a demotivated employee deliver?
They work in thankless jobs
40% of those surveyed don’t feel gratitude. Their job is literally thankless.
If going the extra mile for customers won’t be recognised, what’s the point?
Their bosses don’t care about their health
A third don’t believe their bosses care about their wellbeing.
If they feel that they’re being pushed to work to the detriment of their health or happiness, why would they work harder for customers?
Bosses don’t care what they want from their jobs
Only 50% believe their bosses know what motivates them.
If they don’t believe their bosses care what they want, will they care what their customers want?
Their ideas aren’t welcome
40% don’t believe their bosses appreciate feedback.
If they see a way to improve the customer experience, they keep it to themselves.
When customers do get a mention, the responses aren’t exactly encouraging.
They don’t know how customers feel
50% have no idea how customers feel about their organisation.
Customers might be happy. Great. They might be frustrated. Great.
They do know one thing about customers. It is this:
Their bosses value customers more than them
53% believe their organisations value customers more than employees.
“So, you the customer are more important than me.” Hardly likely to make for a great customer experience.
They are victims of change, not architects
Most feel excluded from the change process. It’s something that happens to them.
Because they don’t feel they can contribute to change, they become passive and ambivalent. Not qualities likely to lead to positive things.
One bad experience kills years of goodwill
Brand owners work hard and spend millions to build brand reputations and deliver great customer experiences.
All it takes to negate that investment is one unloved, unmotivated and dispirited employee.
Today there is some sophisticated technology enhancing the customer experience. It can create a personalised, customised, interactive relationship between brand and consumer. It’s brilliant in its speed and agility and responsiveness.
And yet.
This technology will never come close to what a motivated, passionate, happy and rewarded employee can do to make a customer feel special.
(If you want to read the full report, you can find it here.)
Photo by Hello I’m Nik via Unsplash
