Your customer service problem isn’t a customer service problem

A team member endured an excruciating headache that no doctor's treatment could alleviate, prompting her to seek the advice of a chiropractor. After a thorough examination, the chiropractor discovered that her jaw was misaligned, which was causing the debilitating pain she experienced. The team member's headache was merely an outward manifestation of an underlying issue within her body, not the root cause.

Throughout my career, I have frequently encountered instances where a customer's perception of poor customer experience is merely a symptom of an even bigger issue: poor employee engagement. Just as a misaligned jaw can lead to a headache, a lack of employee engagement can result in subpar customer service. Engaged employees, on the other hand, are more likely to consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Employee engagement research supports this correlation. A Gallup study found that teams with highly engaged employees had a 10% higher customer loyalty compared to their disengaged counterparts. Furthermore, a report by the Institute of Customer Service revealed that a 1% improvement in employee engagement leads to a 0.41 point increase in the Customer Satisfaction Index. These findings reinforce the notion that poor customer experience is often a symptom of poor employee engagement.

To address this issue, I recommend taking the following steps to improve employee engagement as a strategic priority, much like other critical aspects of organizational performance:

1. Elevate employee engagement to a strategic priority: Treat employee engagement as a nonnegotiable priority, on par with other core business metrics, by making it a regular topic of discussion in senior leadership meetings and ensuring its inclusion in boardroom agendas.

2. Form an employee engagement team and assign accountability: Develop a dedicated team with the necessary skills to improve engagement levels and hold them accountable for their performance. This team can be part of the Human Resources department or structured as an independent entity or third-party agency.

3. Specify desired outcomes: Clearly define and communicate the goals and success metrics of your employee engagement program, ensuring that the team understands what they are working towards and how success is measured.

4. Involve employees in the design and implementation of engagement initiatives: Encourage employees to participate in the creation, execution, and evaluation of engagement programs. This not only increases their buy-in and commitment but also enables them to identify the specific issues that need addressing, leading to more effective and impactful solutions.