Employees and Customers: Two sides of the same coin?

If you’ve ever read or come across the "The Gallup PathTM" then you probably already know that engaged employees lead to engaged customers and therefore better profits for the corporation. Hiring not just skills but the right talent is critical for successful customer engagements, especially true for outsourcing and offshore providers (or professional services firms in general). While this has been proven beyond doubt, what is common between them is their evolution or lifecycle, the stages of identifying, attracting, retaining and growing each of them. While the activities across these stages may differ for each entity, they have the same motivations with both subtle and intricate linkages that has lead me to believe they are two-sides of the same coin.

Attracting not just customers but also employees hinges on brand awareness, positioning, and a clear value proposition. Not only is everyone chasing the same customer, but also the people they hire. After all the people you hire will eventually deliver those services, so you want the right people for the job. Marketers and HR managers who have realized this are increasingly working together to create the right awareness for their organization and brand. Marketing and Branding are no longer about opening doors for its sales force or making the sales process (acquisition) easier, they need to create an “aspirational” brand for its prospective employees.

Once onboard the focus shifts to retention of both the customer and the employee. After all there is a lot of money and energy that has already been spent in their acquisition. Customer retention begins with getting the basics right, like delivering the services contracted with a focus on service quality and meeting agreed service levels – the operative word being “compliance” and a “no surprises” services delivery. Employee retention on the other hand depends on job content, pride of association (again the brand is important here), learning and development opportunities, organizational development initiatives, rewards and recognition programs, and growth opportunities. Of course we’re all in it for the money!

Once retained proactive development of these entities are important – the emphasis is on proactive. While service improvements and efficiencies have become table stakes, innovation in services delivered and becoming a trusted advisor are essential to developing and sustaining long-term relationships. Similarly, identifying and developing employees can only happen through the convergence of performance management, assessing and bridging gaps in skills and competencies, learning and development programs, and developing effective leadership skills at all levels. Another important aspect of employee development where marketers and HR managers need to work together is driving on brand behavior, a topic that I plan to visit later.

Growth will be a natural outcome if everything was done correctly in the previous stages. One can even say that growth has a causal relationship with the previous stages in the lifecycle especially so with customer relationships. It will also naturally result in higher Customer Satisfaction (C-SAT). Account managers and client partners are focused on increasing customer share of wallet and it can happen only if things have gone right in the previous stages in the lifecycle. I’m unsure though when is an appropriate time to ask for more business and would love to hear views from others. I would love to hear where customers have given you new business without having to ask for it and under what circumstances? Growth for employees means different things for different people – beginning with growth in income to growth through increased roles and responsibilities, growth through new roles such as a switch from operations to sales or quality, or growth through leadership roles – it’s all about an organizations ability to not only provide and manage well defined career paths but to identify and proactively nurture its top talent. Employee Satisfaction (E-SAT) again is an outcome and proof of having done the right things in the previous stages. One can never score full marks on either E-SAT or C-SAT, and there is always room to improve.