"Organizations need to focus solely on customer and client satisfaction. Employees should feel lucky to have a job.” This statement is very bold. It is true that in any business setting, the customer always comes first. The statement makes employees seem not valuable and worthless to a firm, but they are the most valuable aspect of customer satisfaction. However, it is also worth noting that satisfied employees are also very capable of making a huge positive impact on customers’ satisfaction with the firm and its products.” (Wells, 2007).
All customers at any organization wish to feel appreciated and valued, but so do the employees. Employee satisfaction is a large contributor to customer satisfaction. It is, therefore, important for an organization to focus on keeping their employees satisfied then consequently the customers will be satisfied by the employee’s service. A radical concept holds that a business will reap beyond expectations only when the management learns to treat the employees as well as it does the best customers. Employees account for the biggest percentage of a Company’s competitive advantage; as long as their needs are met, then the business will thrive.
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Research shows a direct connection between employee and customer satisfaction. Imagine an employee who is required to be at their desk all day and their duty is to answer phone calls and respond to company tweets and messages on social media. The employee is not allowed to leave the desk at any point, which means that most likely they are hungry and in dire need for some fresh air for the better part of the day (Wells, 2007). However, despite the efforts of this employee, the manager has never at any one point appreciated their efforts. In fact, no one takes a moment to know how they are doing. Undoubtedly, these challenges and negativity will translate to a frustrated employee who hates their job. Imagine that this employee is expected to be the face of the Company; an unhappy face indeed. No customer wants to deal with such clients, and they will automatically seek the services of another Company. In this scenario, it is evident how the dissatisfaction of one employee trickles down to the huge dissatisfaction of the customer.
Richard Branson, one of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, boasts of being the founder of very successful Companies which are founded on happy workforces. Richard holds that for an employee to be fully efficient and productive, then they need to be fully satisfied at the workplace. Satisfaction at the workplace results from multiple factors which include fair remuneration, fair treatment, employee involvement, conducive working environment and working hours, among others. When an employee is satisfied, then they will contribute more, work harder, and the number of sick days will also reduce. Such an employee feels empowered, appreciated, and is even more loyal. Due to the employee loyalty, then the Company will not have to make unnecessary spending to recruit and train new workers. Besides, a happy employee will praise their place of work to other people, thus attracting new talent ( Ugboro & Obeng, 2000).
You might ask yourself what employee satisfaction has to do with customer happiness and loyalty. Well, the satisfaction of an employee has everything to do with the keeping or losing of developing or developed relationships with customers. In fact, it is the reason for the return of almost all customers. Initially, most organizations used price as a way of them standing out in the crowded market. However, with the advancement in technology, most goods and services are converted to commodities (Wells, 2007). For instance, almost all retail stores offer promotional sales on Black Friday while the fast-food restaurants have value menus. It is, therefore, evident that organizations can no longer rely on price as their main differentiator. The quality of service offered by employees is of key importance. However, it is almost impossible for an unhappy employee to deliver satisfactory and quality services, and this would translate into a loss of customers. If the quality of employee service is exemplary, then the customer will keep coming back even if the prices slightly exceed those of the competitors ( Sivadas & Baker-Prewitt, 2000).
Every business today is seeking for a means to get on top of the competition. However, they make the mistake of looking over the employees. One major aspect of a job the leads to employee satisfaction is employee engagement. Job involvement is how much your job means to your overall life. Robbins and Judge explain employee engagement as, “The degree to which people identify psychologically with their jobs and consider their perceived performance levels important to self-worth.” (Robbins & Judge, p.37).
It is crucial for any business, regardless of its stage of growth, to develop a workable employee engagement plan. Once an employee feels that their opinion is heard and valued, they will feel like they are part and parcel of the organization. Some Companies might be too big to perform adequate surveys for every employee. However, survey research can be used to get to the heart of every employee in the organization. By use of an employee engagement survey, it is possible to get a clearer picture of the organization’s current engagement level and also keep track of their progress towards having a fully engaged workforce ( Koys, 2001).
Also, an employee would be satisfied if they felt as though they had organizational commitment. “ For employees with a high level of job involvement, the job is important to one's self-image (Kanungo, 1982). As we are to come to find from the information is that employee satisfaction should be a top priority for all organizations and businesses. An engaged and committed employee is better positioned to provide exceptional customer service. As a customer, you want to go to a place where you feel that the employees value you and they treat you with uttermost dignity. Such treatment is only possible from an employee who personally feels valued and is satisfied at their place of work ( Cronin, Brady, & Hult, 2000).
It is evident that employee and customer satisfaction are interconnected. A happy employee translates to a happy and loyal customer. It is, therefore, only sensible that a Company should invest in understanding and invest in the aspects that make its employees loyal and satisfied. By so doing, the Company will have created a positive environment for the employees in readiness for the customer. Using employee opinion surveys and customer surveys will make it possible for a Company management to boost the employee satisfaction. A Company that places major emphasis and focus on employees will undoubtedly enjoy a much lower turnover rate thus saving a large chunk of money that could have been spent on rehiring (Wells, 2007).
References
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Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (n.d.). Essentials of organizational behavior .
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Sivadas, E., & Baker-Prewitt, J. L. (2000). An examination of the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and store loyalty. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management , 28 (2), 73-82.
Ugboro, I. O., & Obeng, K. (2000). Top management leadership, employee empowerment, job satisfaction, and customer satisfaction in TQM organizations: an empirical study. Journal of quality management , 5 (2), 247-272.
Wells, R. M. (2007). Outstanding Customer Satisfaction: The Key to a Talented Workforce? Academy of Management Perspectives,21 (3), 87-89. doi:10.5465/amp.2007.26421243
