The human brain is wired for empathy. As Daniel Goleman explains in his book Social Intelligence, mirror neurons allow us to feel what the people around us are feeling. FMRI studies have shown that when we perceive emotions in others, our brains light up like theirs. For example, when you see a facial expression of disgust, the area of your brain that registers disgust is activated. To quote from Social Intelligence, mirror neurons “allow us to grasp the minds of others not through conceptual reasoning but through direct simulation, by feeling, not by thinking.”
Why should mirror neurons matter to your business? Because your customers’ mirror neurons pick up on the emotional output of your employees. PeopleMetrics’ research verifies that enthusiastic, passionate employees rub off on customers. Employee Engagement breeds Customer Engagement. And companies with higher Customer Engagement also enjoy higher profits, ROI, and share-of-market. Therefore, Employee Engagement is a key component in any Customer Engagement strategy. Highly engaged employees act as ambassadors for your brand, advocating for your company to customers and fellow employees alike. That’s why PeopleMetrics has created a null to help you discover and “clone” your organization’s most engaged employees.
What does a Brand Ambassador look like? Well, one might sport a tattoo with the company logo. Another might inspire customers to write songs of praise. Literally--we’ve seen customers compose songs, complete with rhyming chorus and verses, in praise of extraordinary employees. The point is, Brand Ambassadors are employees who consistently go the extra mile for customers and the company. They’re the ones you want other employees to emulate.
We help companies find Brand Ambassadors through our Customer Engagement Management solution. Here’s how it works. When a customer mentions a certain employee as providing exceptional service, our online CEM hub automatically sends out a Recognize Alert. Employees who receive a certain number of Recognize Alerts (as determined by the employer) are designated Brand Ambassadors. Public recognition of the Brand Ambassadors motivates Brand Ambassadors as well as other employees to provide stellar service. Beyond employee motivation, Brand Ambassadors are excellent sources of best practices information. Their expertise can be tapped to create solutions for common customer complaints. Our Customer Feedback Hub provides a common space for Brand Ambassadors to share which practices keep customers happy.
Too many companies gather customer feedback without using it to actually improve as an organization. Through Brand Ambassador recognition, you can use customer feedback to find and learn from your top performers. Their insights can help you improve customer service, increase Customer Engagement, and increase overall sales and profits.
Topics: Employee Experience, Customer Experience
