"Why are you obsessed with customer experience when you're in HR?"
A familiar refrain I often hear. This is a question I field a lot whether it's at speaking and networking events, during coaching and consulting, or even around the dinner table with friends and family.
My husband will often say to me as we leave a shop or after an interaction with a company, "you're going to talk about the customer experience now, aren't you?!"
I am slightly obsessed with customer experience (CX). And you should be too. Regardless of the function you work in, if you're not helping your organisation and your people to focus on the experience the customer is having throughout their journey, then you're missing out. You're missing out on making your organisation more successful and your employees enjoying a connection and a purpose that unites teams, powers innovation and ultimately impacts the bottom line.
'A higher level of understanding the company’s CX vision and strategy
among employees correlates with higher CX performance.'
I've seen more of a focus on CX in organisations overseas than in New Zealand but gradually this is changing. Companies are realising that the move away from the traditional four P's of marketing and the (at times) obsessive focus on product is making way for a new focus on 'experiences'. Organisations that traditionally marketed themselves hoteliers, airlines or energy providers are now focusing on the experiences their customers have in their interactions with them and their products and services. Some industries, such as retail, have realised this is a critical move they need to make in order to ensure survival during disruption.
'But in People roles, shouldn't you focus on the Employee Experience?'
Yes...and no. You should absolutely be focusing your efforts on the *employee experience (EX) but here's where my advice and guidance takes more of a commercial view than others in this space. I firmly believe that for your EX efforts to be a success...you must first start with the customers experience and work back from there.
Focusing on EX is a commercial decision as it directly impacts CX. Many organisations that have been incredibly successful with their EX efforts have been so because they started at the customer journey; the customers experience and then worked back from there, through to the employee touchpoint/correlation. This has the added advantage of honing and focusing your efforts and resources in the areas of EX that will really make a difference to the success of your organisation.
'But, we have real issues to deal with in HR, like employee turnover!'
Exactly! But start with the customers experience first. An organisation I worked with was having just such a challenge. When we started from the CX viewpoint, we had feedback that the customers experience was sub-par at key points of their journey due to the constant changing of employees post the original sale. Working back from there, we identified the root cause issues and how the EX needed improving to avoid negatively affecting CX.
The result? A significant reduction in employee turnover and vastly improved (measurable) customer experience.
Have Better Business Discussions and ROI
By focusing on the customer experience and relating your EX efforts to that, you will find your conversations (as HR practitioners) are targeted more effectively - and dare I say it - listened to, when engaging with your business leaders. I've worked with and coached many HR leaders and practitioners who are searching and working out how to get their business leaders and CE's to focus on the people agenda. Focusing on CX is a powerful way to achieve this.
A senior business leader, in a client I was working with, commented that the HR team seem focused on 'getting everyone sitting around, holding hands, and singing kumbaya'. This was a terribly unfair assessment however his point was that the teams efforts seemed fluffy and unrelated to business success. By focusing on CX and relating your EX efforts to that, you start talking the same language and avoiding (often incorrect) perceptions like this manager had.
'Shouldn't Senior Leaders Understand How Important EX Is Anyway?'
Yes. They should. Progressive leadership - whose organisations are enjoying great CX and EX - are often headed up by leaders who are as equally focused (if not more so) on their employees as they are on their product and customers. Many of you though may not be in the position of being able to work with such progressive leaders. The challenge before you then is to find a way to make your EX efforts work and be supported by senior leadership even when there is an apparent lack of appetite. You can achieve this by first understanding and focusing on the customer experience.
You and your team want to play your part in making your business successful and your employee experience fantastic. Achieve that by joining me in becoming slightly obsessed with the customer experience.
*...and understanding that engagement is an output of EX. Focus your efforts on EX (not engagement). In doing so, it will result in greater engagement.
Bron Hall is the Principal Consultant for Workplace Redesign, employee & customer experience specialist, and passionate advocate for NZ Inc.
Workplace Redesign. Helping New Zealand's organisations succeed through progressive and innovative workforce and workplace practices.
Website: workplaceredesign.com
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