In recent years, there has been a growing understanding of the relationship between an organization’s employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX). With advancements in technology enabling greater connectivity between companies, employees, and customers, leaders need to prioritize EX as the key driver of CX and find strategic ways to connect the two.
Many companies face workforce challenges such as a lack of skilled workers, high turnover rates, difficulties engaging employees, and shifts in worker values. Companies need to focus on creating a strong EX to ensure a motivated and experienced workforce that delivers a good customer experience. Customers also value companies that treat their employees well, highlighting EX’s importance in CX.
PwC found that companies investing in and delivering superior experiences to consumers and employees can charge up to 16% premium for their products and services. Companies with a top-quartile EX have been found to develop more successful innovations, derive twice the amount of revenues from their innovations, and have twice as high industry-adjusted Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
Aligning Employee Experience with Customer Experience
EX is the sum of everything an employee undergoes in their connection to an organization, from the first contact as a potential hire to the last touchpoints after employment. Most companies design and manage EX as a set of discrete elements of employment, which is an outdated mode of thinking. Today’s EX is created through the overall company culture and all the in-between moments, including how managers engage employees daily.
To design EX to better align with CX, leaders need to identify the biggest gaps and find creative ways to connect employees and customers directly. Shortening the distance between employees and customers enables employees to cultivate customer understanding and empathy to identify and improve CX. Integrating customer and employee journey maps helps identify employee pain points that negatively impact the customer.
Finally, providing visibility into CX and EX performance together advances CX efforts. Simplified, integrated reporting enables better diagnosis and tracking of issues. When employee performance is reported relative to customer metrics, employees tend to become more engaged with the organization and adopt a stronger orientation to business results. By prioritizing EX in CX efforts, companies can inspire greater commitment to the organization and its goals.
If you have questions about how to better align your employee experience with your customer experience, please contact us. Our team utilizes proprietary technology to guide organizations through this process.