How to activate your employee experience strategy

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    3 Ways to Create a Better Employee Experience Strategy

    Guest Post by Gabe Smith, CCXP for The Petrova Experience

    The relationship between employee experience strategy and customer experience has long been discussed. Without engaged employees, we’re told, it’s difficult to create great experiences for customers. And the data appears to back this assertion. A 2019 study from Glassdoor found that, for every 1-star improvement out of 5 in an employer’s rating, that company achieved a 1.3-point increase in customer satisfaction. This is a statistically significant correlation.

    Despite our knowledge of the relationship between employee and customer experience and the importance of great experiences to our businesses, several important questions remain for CX practitioners. Where should leaders begin when it comes to cultural transformation? Should they start with employee experience or customer experience? Should these be concurrent or separate efforts? How do leaders overcome legacy mindsets that can serve as barriers for change?

    I recently moderated a panel discussion of experts who addressed these and other key questions. The panel included Bob Azman, CCXP, Founder & CXO of Innovative CX Solutions, and Vishal Bhalla, CPXP, Chief Experience Officer & VP at Parkland Hospital. Also on the panel were Richard Charette, AVP of Experience Design at Wells Fargo, Gary David, Founder & Integrated Experience Analyst at ethno-analytics and professor at Bentley University, and Liliana Petrova, CCXP, CEO & Founder of The Petrova Experience. The panelists offered their unique perspectives on the call, produced in partnership between the Customer Experience Professionals Association and Corinium Global Intelligence.

    Regarding the critical question of where to begin transformation efforts, these thought leaders stressed three imperatives.

    Get Clear on Employee Experience Strategy Goals—And Measure What Matters

    “What are the reasons we are embarking on this transformation to begin with?” Gary David says it is critical for employers to be clear on the goals they are trying to achieve and that they are not simply seeking to change because everyone else is doing it.

    He adds that it is important to examine legacy metrics carefully. Using employee retention as an example, David argues that a higher attrition rate “may not be bad, if you’re training people so well that they’re finding better opportunities elsewhere.”

    Equip Managers with the Skills They Need

    Richard Charette says companies need to focus on equipping people-managers with interpersonal communication skills that promote “radical candor.” As a manager, “to be able to open up your people, that requires a change. We need to get our staff to be able to open up.”

    Bob Azman agrees. “We have to change behaviors and adjust to a new behavioral standard we’re putting in place. We have to help manage change by painting a clear picture of how we get from point A to point B in this new environment.”

    Involve All Levels in the Employee Experience Strategy Change Effort

    At Parkland, staff used analytics to identify the top three drivers of employee engagement based on the team member engagement survey. The action planning process started with front-line staff. Subsequently, it cascaded upward.  Each group of team members created tactics to address issues. These cascaded to their managers. In turn, the managers had to create plans to support their team’s efforts.

    Vishal Bhalla says this bottom-up approach created better buy-in and engagement. “Enabling front-line team members and giving them the opportunity to fix things empowers them. And they connect back with their purpose. This makes the change sustainable as it is built by them, and supported by the leaders.”

    Liliana Petrova agrees. She notes, “the voice of the employees is not always in the room when we design experiences.” Yet, giving employees a seat at the table in the design process is critical. “Someone needs to bring an empathetic view of what we are doing and for whom.”

    But the most important factor in experience transformation might be a willingness to act. “Look at your surroundings, and don’t wait,” says Charette. “You can impact the employee experience in any role.”

    For more on the difference between employee experience and employee engagement, listen to the full conversation. It also covers prioritization and making the case to executives.

    Liliana Petrova, CCXP

    Published on 10/29/2019

    Liliana Petrova, CCXP

    Liliana Petrova CCXP pioneered a new customer-centric culture that energized more than 15,000 JetBlue employees. Future Travel Experience & Popular Science awarded her for her  JFK Lobby redesign & facial recognition program. Committed to creating seamless experiences for customers and greater value for brands, she founded The Petrova Experience, an international customer experience consulting firm that helps brands improve CX. To elevate the industry, she launched a membership program to help CX professionals grow their careers. Ms Petrova lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

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