We’re all familiar with the well-known saying, “If you don’t look after your customers, someone else will,” and leading companies quite correctly do whatever it takes to look after their customers and to create the perfect customer experience.

What do these companies do?

They focus on building loyalty with their customers, they put systems and processes in place to ensure their customers are happy, solicit and listen to their feedback, advertise to attract them, offer value, support, great branding and marketing programs, reward programs for retention, support lines, help desks and more.  

They communicate with them and understand what motivates them to stay or what makes them leave.  They go out of their way to ensure external customers are satisfied, which ultimately results in increased profits.  

So, why aren’t companies doing exactly the same for their internal customers, their employees, their most important customers?  

Where do you start?

Firstly, ensure that you understand your internal customers, what motivates them and what is keeping them engaged or disengaged in your company.  

Then, invest the same efforts to engage your employees and create their employee experience, as you do for your customers, as follows:

• Put plans in place to retain your top performers and focus on building loyalty

• Ensure they understand your vision and your brand and are they living out your values

• Solicit and encourage two-way feedback through surveys and regular discussions

• Align their goals with the overall company goal and direction

• Give your employees things that they value

• Recognise them for their achievements and reward appropriately

• Make them happy and keep them satisfied

• Empower employees to make decisions and choices

• Have support available for them if they get stuck or need help

• Communicate and let them know what’s going on in the company, whether it’s a change in company structure or the launch of a new marketing campaign

• Ensure that they take pride in their work and will refer your company to others as a great place to work or buy from

All sound a bit familiar? 

Well, it’s really no different or very similar to what you’re already doing for your external customers!

Become a leading employer

Align your internal and external customer and employee experiences to create a single vision and brand engagement strategy, that develops your employer brand in parallel with your customer brand, starting from the inside out.