June 30, 2015
By Maria Minsker, contributing writer

Great Customer Experience Starts with the Right Corporate Culture

But speed and quantity are not always the best measures of success—while customers appreciate expedient service, for example, many are willing to spend more time on a customer service call if it means that their issue will be resolved more thoroughly. Plus, when it comes to sales, associates should be more concerned with whether a customer will return than with closing an immediate deal, Arussy says. "There has to be a consistency between corporate culture and day-to-day expectations. You can't say you value your employees, and then force them to rush through interactions to meet your unrealistic expectations," he says. Hyken puts it a different way: "Measure how many customers you delighted, not just how many you served."

Companies such as Southwest Airlines and prescription eyewear company Warby Parker, for example, have made customer satisfaction a core part of their employee performance review. "Their efforts have not only boosted customer experience scores, but have also driven employees to be more engaged" because they felt like they were working toward a goal, Stern says.

DON'T: IGNORE THE HIRING PROCESS

Though typically overlooked, the hiring process contributes to employees' first impressions of the corporate environment, and as such presents an opportunity for organizations to set the relationship on the right track from the outset; it's one of the most important interactions a company will have with its workers. "All the elements of a great culture have to be in motion long before the first day of work," Stern says. "Hiring shouldn't be looked at as an HR chore. It's how you attract the best talent, so you have to put your best foot forward," he says.

LEARN FROM THE BEST, BUT MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Making even small changes to the corporate environment can be a Herculean task, especially when years of less-than-stellar culture have left employees jaded. But a cultural overhaul is worth it: According to the Answers Corp. surveys, if a company records a measurable gain in employee engagement, it can expect to see a 3 percent increase, at minimum, in annual revenue—for an average retailer, that's about $10.8 million.

As with any company initiative, there's no one-size-fits-all guide to a better culture. Even Zappos, hailed by experts as a beacon of employee happiness, has made missteps. In 2013, CEO Tony Hsieh declared that the company would function as a holacracy—an environment with no titles or managers. He offered the entire staff three months of severance pay if the structure didn't appeal to them, and nearly 14 percent of the workforce took the package. The move was a controversial one, and the jury is still out on the long-term effect of the holacratic structure on Zappos. "They want what's best for employees so they're experimenting. Not every experiment works, but we have to wait and see if this one does," Hyken says. "The point is: experiment. Determine what doesn't work, and fix it. Always keep your employees' best interests in mind.

"That way, you know they'll be keeping your customers' best interests in mind as well.”

Associate Editor Maria Minsker can be reached at mminsker@infotoday.com.