Is customer satisfaction strictly a function of the product or service the consumer purchased? The short answer is no. Is it solely dependent upon the context of the purchase situation? Again, no. From the depth of customer satisfaction research we can glean that customer satisfaction is a multi-dimensional construct, in other words there are several variables which feed into the overall satisfaction calculus. Several of these are within the control of the marketer, while others are internal to the company, but may be outside of marketing’s control (e.g. billing, customer service, shipping, etc.). And lastly, there are those exogenous variables which are outside of the company’s control and range from the weather and economy to the consumer’s state of mind.
One area that should not be overlooked, but frequently gets passed by, is employee satisfaction. Again there is a wealth of academic and practitioner based literature on the connection between happy employees and satisfied customers. So the connection between the two constructs has been vetted out. Without going into the level of academic rigor, I can say that steps taken to measure and increase employee satisfaction, if it is below norm, can produce gains in customer satisfaction, assuming all things are equal.
Just as customer satisfaction is multi-dimensional so is employee satisfaction. Surveys designed to track employee attitudes typically include measures of interaction with customers, management and vendors, satisfaction with job tasks and roles, feelings on compensation, corporate culture, work environment and opportunities for growth and advancement, to name a few.
Things to consider when looking at employee satisfaction:
- Ensure anonymity
- Keep surveys focused
- Provide feedback by letting employees know their opinions are being heard
The first point, anonymity, often requires that human resource departments look to an outside vendor to conduct the survey. Alternatively, online survey tools such as Cvent can be used to measure employee attitudes offering a high degree of discretion. Best practice in survey design includes keeping surveys as brief and focused as possible. This ensures engagement and a higher likelihood of cooperation and completion. Lastly, feedback is currency. If someone shares their opinion with you, they want to know they are being heard. Alternatively, why ask for employee sentiment if you are not planning to do something with it?
Satisfied employees typically think in terms of doing what is best for ‘their company’ not ‘the company’. This translates to going the extra mile for the customer. A winning solution for all.
Get started tracking employee attitude and improving customer satisfaction by participating in an upcoming webinar on how technology can help you acheive these goals.