Employee engagement and customer service: Are they linked?
Chris Shenton MSc
18th February 2018
Happy customers have long been the most important thing in most businesses. But, in recent years, employers have started to understand the increasing importance of employee engagement and wellbeing. Engaged employees are happier in their roles. Happy employees make for happy customers, which makes a happy employer. Not that customer service isn't important. But is it more important than happy employees? The truth is that employee engagement and customer service efficacy are heavily connected.
Updated 9th July 2023
Engaged employees are 17% more productive than those who aren't engaged with their job
State of the American Workplace - Gallup
The Cost of Disengagement
Before we get into the relationship between employee engagement and customer service, let's look at the financial impact of a disengaged workforce. Gallup's latest State of the Global Workplace report found that global employee engagement sits at just 23%. This is an increase compared to recent years. But it means the vast majority of employees worldwide are either unengaged or actively disengaged at work.
Estimates of the cost of disengagement can vary. But previous estimates by Gallup put it at approximately (slightly over) a third of a disengaged employee's salary. So, for every $10,000 in said employee's salary, you're burning $3,400 in lost productivity. And their more recent findings are even more eye-watering. According to Gallup, global disengagement costs businesses roughly $7.8 trillion.
Of course, it's not just lost productivity you've got to worry about. Disengaged employees are more likely to take sick days, seek work elsewhere, and negatively impact company morale. With the Great Resignation still recent in our memories, these people represent a significant and expensive flight risk.
And when disengaged workers leave their colleagues to pick up the slack, it increases the likelihood of more of your people losing their engagement. It's also a key factor in workplace wellbeing, as disengagement makes people more vulnerable to job stress.
The link between employee engagement and customer service
Plenty of research shows the connection between employee engagement and customer service. MIT research shows companies in the top quartile for employee experience had industry-adjusted Net Promotor Scores almost twice as high as those in the bottom quartile, with twice the revenue intake. They also found these companies were more likely to be innovative in their approach. On top of that, PwC findings show that companies investing in both customer and employee engagement were able to charge as much as 16% more for their products.
It makes sense. Engaged employees aren't just happier. They also take greater pride in their work. So, not only will their good moods shine through to customers, they'll also be more willing to try harder. Customers who get a great service experience are more receptive, more likely to return, and also more likely to promote your brand to others.
Increase Engagement In Your Employees
Weekly10's employee check-in is a quick and simple performance management platform which can help your team with their engagement. At the same time, it can reduce the amount of time they spend writing up formal reports. Employees take 10 minutes every week to answer a few questions about their job, including any achievements or problems that have arisen. The employer then takes a similar amount of time (per employee) to look over these reports. Then they respond and give feedback. This includes taking any action that needs to be taken.
It has a simple and user-friendly interface, with dedicated dashboards for both employees and management. It uses an embedded report form. This ensures that you leave nothing out, and makes your reports as efficient as possible. Weekly10 is also available to use on most mobile platforms. You can even optimise it to send you notifications to remind your employees to fill in their report.
This is especially important, as most of us are constantly on the go these days. Particularly remote or lone workers. This gives them a chance to be a part of the team without the need to be at a computer.
Weekly10 can replace excessive 1:1s and curb micromanagement. This means saved time, no diary shuffling to fit everyone in, and overall better employee engagement. It's time to produce more efficient, more productive and happier employees which will have a knock-on effect on the rest of the business. If that interests you, have a look at what Weekly10 can offer your company and get ready to improve your engagement metrics today!
