If you want to improve the customer service experience provided to your clients, there are multiple things you can do, including understanding your target market and their needs and wants better, providing more comprehensive information, and responding to queries more quickly.
However, at the end of the day, the service your customers receive comes down to the team you have, and how happy and engaged they are. To boost the experience you provide clients with then, you have to focus on improving employee morale. Read on for some key ways you can go about doing that over the coming months.
Acknowledge and Reward Workers
First up, it’s important to regularly acknowledge and reward your workers for the efforts they put in and the results they achieve. People want to feel they’re valued by their company, and that managers notice how committed they are.
There are numerous ways to show employees they’re appreciated. Start by thanking them with heartfelt, direct words. This is best done in person wherever possible, but can also be communicated via notes, emails, phone calls, video chats, and even in public ways, such as in staff meetings, or through company newsletters or social media posts.
It’s also nice to set up awards programs, such as an Employee of the Month system, where you can acknowledge top team members and make them feel special. Rewards such as gifts and perks are also valued. For example, purchase lifestyle and office gifts for employees such as gift vouchers, movie tickets, chocolates, hampers, bottles of wine, flowers, subscriptions, or free meals or massages. Many workers also like to receive perks like better parking spaces, access to on-site gyms or meditation rooms, or additional time off.
Provide Training and Development
Training and development is something else that’s highly valued by staff members these days. People want to be able to advance in their careers, so having the chance to increase skills and knowledge is important. Workers also like to be challenged just the right amount, via learning on the job.
As such, look for ways to give your team members opportunities to progress, so they stay engaged and happy, and don’t want to leave your firm to pursue other chances for advancement. It pays, for instance, to set up mentoring programs for your workers so they can learn from more experienced employees within the business, or even people outside it.
As well, consider providing regular training sessions, and bringing in guest speakers to inspire and motivate. You can also send employees off to attend key industry and company events (e.g. conferences and trade shows), and get them to network and learn while they’re there, and then share the knowledge when they return.
It’s helpful if you conduct annual or quarterly performance reviews and planning sessions with your employees too. This enables them to see where they’re improving and what things need to be worked on, and gives you the chance to discuss what goals they have for the coming months, and how they might be encouraged and supported to reach them.
Encourage Employee Interactions, Mobility, and Flexibility
Lastly, keep in mind that employees are also focused on building connections with other team members; learning the overall ins and outs of a firm, not just one area; and in having a good work/life balance. As such, to build an engaged workforce, you need to think about employee interactions, mobility, and flexibility.
Rather than keeping teams separated at all times, find ways to enable employees to chat, brainstorm, and inspire each other. Put diverse people onto projects where they can each bring various skills and knowledge. You’ll find staff members become more motivated and engaged because they have the chance to get to know other workmates and bond as a team, and get access to fresh information and points of view. In turn, a bonus for the company will be increased productivity and innovation.
Because workers don’t want to be bored at work, and prefer to keep honing their skills, mobility is key too. Enable, and encourage, employees to work in various locations around the city, state, nation, or even globe. This will leave you with workers who understand the business as a whole and who can alert you to problems or opportunities you otherwise might not have been aware of.
Give team members the chance to enjoy flexibility in the hours they work, or where and how they complete their jobs too. People will be more engaged if they choose the hours that suit their family and personal life (and body clock) best, and if they can work from home more often, or from another preferred location. Also, be open to employees utilizing tech tools to complete their tasks more efficiently.
About the Author
Tiffany is a leader in marketing authority who assists Seek Visibility. Tiffany prides herself in her ability to create and provide high quality content that audiences find valuable. She also enjoys connecting with other bloggers and collaborating for exclusive content in various niches. With many years of experience, Tiffany has found herself more passionate than ever to continue developing content and relationships across multiple platforms and audiences.
