I can honestly say that I bought in to the link between employee engagement and customer service more than fifteen years ago. I didn’t know that was what I was doing, but I now know that it was. I worked for a business where the vast majority of employees were aligned with a vision to deliver a great customer experience. That meant everyone. Not just the front line employees, not just the Chief Executive (although it helped hugely that he was driving the customer service and employee engagement agenda). It wasn’t called employee engagement then, it was just seen as common sense by an enlightened and visionary leader.
I was reminded of this when I went to an Engage for Success event in Huddersfield last week. I was invited by Nigel Girling – another person who believes that employee engagement is common sense. Nigel was one of the speakers, and I would like to share a few of his thoughts from the Hot Tips Collection put together by the Engage for Success Special Interest Group on Engaging Leadership:
Engaging Leaders are Inspirational – they are seen as worth emulating
They are Authentic – they tell themselves the truth, do not have a false persona, and are on a journey with the people they work with
They Communicate – communication is the fuel of everything that goes on, everywhere. They spend at least 60% of their time having real conversations with the people who work with and for them. They are open, transparent and honest.
They have Integrity – they walk the talk and there is no ‘say-do’ gap
They are Human, and spend much of their time coaching and mentoring others in the team.
There is much more here
I left the event feeling extremely fortunate to have been there and to be part of this movement that will change the face of the British workplace. Is the change too slow? I also recently saw Anthony Thomson, one of the co-founders of Metro Bank speak at a Customer Service Training Network event and he said that the easiest way to create an organisation that is driven by customer service and employee engagement is to start a new one! Most of us don’t have that opportunity, so remember that even the biggest ships turn round.
The organisation I worked for in the 1990’s was changed by one man with a vision. It’s not impossible to create great workplaces where customers consistently receive brilliant service. It’s just not easy. Well, was anything worth achieving ever easy? Not in my experience.
So – how to start? Ask your customers and the people who work for you what they would change about the company, and then set about doing what they ask.