A business performance can be looked at from different perspectives, particularly when we are assessing said performance from a Customer Experience point of view. Pursuing and implementing a Customer Experience initiative is a long and complicated journey. The objective of any CX project is not only to design and provide the optimal experience for customers but also to foster commitment and engagement of all the employees in support of the initiative. A misalignment of the workforce can only hinder the development and fruition of a Customer Experience implementation project.

Despite the fact that People is one of the pillars of any Customer Experience strategy, it is often neglected. CC labor generally represents 77% of the OPEX cost and it is your most valuable asset.

 Employees, not systems or marketing, are your best ambassadors as they are usually the only ones who interact directly with your customers. We tend to forget that often your employees are your first and only (and sometimes unique!) contact with your customers!

The link between your brand, your brand promise and how employees are mandated to deliver your brand promise and values is clear. We can demonstrate that there is also a direct link between employees’ engagement and profitability/growth through the Service Profit Chain concept.

There are ways and clues on how you can improve the involvement and commitment of your staff to align with your Customer Experience strategy. Fostering commitment starts at the hiring stage and throughout the onboarding process. Depending on which goals the organization wants to achieve, specific profiles must be hired. Investing in people is another major focus. Training, coaching and motivating employees must be designed to align with your CX strategy in order to deliver motivated and committed change agents within the organization.

The importance of creating a career path for your staff to keep them motivated and engaged is a key success factor in any CX strategy from a People’s perspective.

Remember that employees do what is measured, incented, and celebrated and that, most importantly, unengaged employees don’t create engaged customers!