Why Employee Experience Matters for Better Business Outcomes

Employee experience (EX) refers to the perceptions an employee has about their work based on their interactions with the organisation. EX describes the whole experience, from the first contact with the employer to the last day of employment. It takes into account the everyday experience at work and the experience the employer designs for the employee. In this blog, we will examine the importance of investing in EX and how happy employees lead to happy customers. 

Employee experience is the sum of everything a worker learns, does, sees and feels at each of the five stages of the employee lifecycle – recruitment, onboarding, development, retention and exit.

While the majority of employers acknowledge the importance of EX and have vowed to make it a top priority, many of them do not know where to begin. Only 1 in 10 companies have an EX strategy integrated into their business strategy and actively use technology to transform this experience.

The following are just some of the ways in which companies can improve the overall experience for their employees: 

1. Workspace: ensuring that the employees’ skills and talents are used to the fullest, and also encouraging peer-to-peer feedback to improve performances.
2. Work environment: encouraging supportive co-worker relationships. Corporate culture plays an important role in motivating, energising and empowering employees.
3. Voice of the employee: open and two-way communication in the organisation. Employees want to feel heard and to be given the freedom to make decisions as to how best to handle situations. 

How to use technology to boost EX

1. Gamification – this involves the use of game-like elements such as points, leaderboards and rewards to boost employee engagement. It involves ‘friendly competition’ between employees and motivates them to work to the best of their abilities. Companies that implement gamification in the workplace have seen an increase of 60% in employee engagement and an increase of 50% in productivity. 
2. Employee Feedback – surveying your employees makes them feel heard and that their opinions are valued. Asking for feedback at various stages allows you to map the employee journey from start to finish and determine where you, as an employer, can improve the experience. 
3. Employee Dashboards – giving employees and agents access to their individual feedback records would provide a source of accountability and motivation, thus increasing employee engagement. Setting targets and benchmarks encourages employees to reach their full potential and strive to provide the best experience possible for customers.

The more effort a company puts into their employees, the more value they give in return. A report conducted by Gallup on how millennials want to work and live, states that 21% of employees switch jobs regularly as they don’t feel engaged in their workplace. 

The positive relationship between EX and CX

There is an undeniable link between the employee and customer experience. 89% of revenue growth leaders state that improving the experience for their employees leads directly to an improved customer experience. Furthermore, companies that have actively engaged employees have customer loyalty rates 233% higher than companies with disengaged employees. 

Having a strong connection between EX and CX can prove to create real business value. Organisations should focus on optimising the internal work orchestration to improve the employee’s satisfaction, which will help them provide a better customer experience. Giving employees 360-degree context would help them understand the rationale behind company decisions, also promoting a new desire to innovate for the customers, hence improving EX.

Ultimately, the experience employees have, whether positive or negative, will impact how hard they work and how invested they are in improving operational efficiency. Companies cannot build a strong and reputable brand without the help of their employees.

One must remember that providing an exceptional customer experience starts with the employee first!