If your most loyal customers were in charge of employee recognition, who would get the coveted Employee of the Month parking spot? Would your customers’ picks mirror your internal recognition? Employee recognition is widely recognized as a major factor in motivating employees to improve performance, yet many businesses’ recognition programs are based on managers’ impressions, not customer feedback.
It’s intuitive to base recognition on managers’ observations. After all, they’re the ones that are ultimately responsible for observing and improving employee performance. Given daily interactions, managers usually know their employees better than their customers do.
Still, tying employee recognition to customer feedback through Voice of the Customer can be a powerful tool in improving the customer experience. When employees understand that the carrot of recognition is earned through providing exceptional service, their focus changes. Instead of working hard to impress a certain manager, they devote their full attention to the customer. This shift can only improve the customer experience.
Furthermore, customer-based recognition is often perceived as being fairer. When management chooses whom to recognize, employees often decide that the whole recognition system is just an old-boys club, where favoritism rules and performance is meaningless.
Here are a few quick, easy ways to incorporate customer-based recognition:
- The Bulletin Board. If customers provide written feedback, post positive comments in a central location. This will make the responsible employee feel like a rock star, and communicate your brand’s excellence to new customers.
- The Promotional Pamphlet. Instead of hiring copywriters, why not let your customers write copy? Populate your promotional materials with their positive comments and watch your employee’s faces light up. (Be sure to include the responsible employee’s first name.)
- Give Credit Where It’s Due. If a certain employee came up with a great idea, consider referring to that concept by their name. For instance, an internal email could read, “Next month, we expect to see an increase of sales with the implementation of Veronica’s idea to offer free electronics recycling for members.”
When techniques like those above are built into day-to-day operations, managers work largely in the background to reinforce what customers have to say. This approach ensures that your brand’s progress is tied to the customer experience.
As a bonus, employee retention is another benefit of customer-based recognition programs. Today’s unpredictable business climate favors businesses that can retain and invest in their employees. As Rachel Solomon recently wrote for the Wall Street Journal, “The most inexpensive retention strategy is employee recognition, says Chason Hecht, President of Retensa, a New York-based retention consultancy. Whether a hand-written note or a moderate cash reward, recognition builds loyalty and lets managers reinforce good behavior immediately.”
Source: Motivation: Powerful motivators that will turbo-charge your workforce, by Paul Levesque
Top photo by Alan Levine.
Topics: Employee Experience, Customer Experience
