Digital transformation efforts make it easier for organizations to communicate effectively with customers. However, this has also created a knowledge gap for some employees. With more offers going out, more transactions being completed online and more research conducted ahead of purchases, it’s harder for employees to keep pace -- creating a huge risk that they aren’t providing the right information or don’t have the confidence to answer customer questions correctly. The consequence? A disengaged workforce providing inconsistent levels of service, and an unreliable brand experience -- which could cost organizations their business or reputation.
The good news is that with digital transformation, technology tools have come along to help close the gap and ensure frontline workers -- sales associates, field service workers, delivery drivers, etc. -- have the knowledge they need and stay engaged at work. By offering employees effective training, accurate customer data and engaging employee recognition, you can help workers increase efficiency and offer customers a superior experience.
Provide ongoing, engaging training.
Unfortunately, today's workforce doesn't always receive an adequate amount of job training. If frontline employees -- who arguably have the greatest impact on customer experience -- don’t have the ongoing training needed to effectively do their jobs, they might disengage which can lead to decreased productivity and work quality resulting in customer satisfaction issues.
Many companies are offering a training approach called "microlearning," which presents training materials in short snippets over time with important information that is tested and reinforced on an ongoing basis. Microlearning fits training into employees’ daily workflow without them having to leave their workspace. By tapping into existing technology such as mobile devices and point of sales systems, it’s easy to deliver training to employees in just a few minutes each day. For employers, this approach eliminates what could be scheduling nightmares, requiring employees to sit through long training sessions and also avoids lost productivity time. Training is customized to the way people learn, as it takes an adaptive approach based on an employee's current knowledge level. The result? A behavior change that means no more guessing games when it comes to figuring out the correct actions to take on the job, and in turn, happier customers.
Offer the right data at the right time.
Today, organizations must meet very high standards when it comes to customer service interactions and one bad experience can translate into lost business. When customers are placing an order or asking a question via live chat or phone, they expect that customer sales associates either already have or can quickly access their account details and personal information, such as their name, shipping address and order history. Today, technological tools like consumer identity management platforms can help ensure consumer data is continuously cleansed and updated to keep customer profiles up to date.
Consumer data solutions can even offer valuable insight to frontline employees about their customers such as their birthday, family size, home buying history, previous product buys and more to tailor the interaction and make it more meaningful. This important data allows your frontline to personalize their engagement and improve the value of the relationship whether that is making them a lifetime customer or increasing the value of the sale.
Recognize and reward hard work.
A 2016 Gallup study found that engaged workers are 17% more productive and receive 10% higher customer ratings than disengaged teams, so weaving employee recognition into a company’s corporate culture is key. The enthusiasm and motivation of an organization’s frontline employees can be critical to a company’s success. While compensation is important, non-monetary rewards and employee recognition programs can be very influential in helping frontline staff connect with the company’s goals, overall culture and deliver a more personalized customer experience. This might include recognizing a sales associate who was named in a survey or on a feedback card with a gift card or thank-you note. Employee recognition tools also allow managers to show appreciation for frontline employees and those employees can also celebrate their own peers' achievements for further workplace engagement.
Southwest Airlines recognizes and shows appreciation for their employees work contributions through a multifaceted employee recognition program, including Southwest Airlines Gratitude (SWAG). Through a technology platform, employees can view when their work has been acknowledged, show appreciation for their colleagues and redeem SWAG points for a variety of rewards including airline passes and points, gift cards and other merchandise.
As organizations make investments to improve customer experience and stay competitive, it’s important that they remember frontline employees’ needs. To ensure a superior customer experience and drive satisfaction and loyalty the frontline employee must be empowered with top-of-the-line training, customer data and employee recognition tools. In today’s competitive market, offering workers consistent and ongoing knowledge across the board is critical to delivering on an organization’s mission as well as promoting top-notch employee and customer engagement.
