Customer Service Week 2024: Empowered Internal Customers Make All The Difference

The theme of this year’s Customer Service Week is ‘Above and Beyond’ and naturally a lot of conversation has been around going above and beyond for our external customers and rightly so – their patronage is why we’re in business. However, I want to shine the light on our other customers that are just as important – our internal customers. Our internal customers make or mar our business hence, must be made priority at all times. Making priority goes beyond remuneration.

According to Herzberg (1968), the fundamental to true job satisfaction and motivation to perform lies in the motivators. The motivators described the job itself, that is, what people do at work. Motivators are the nature of the work itself, the actual job responsibilities, opportunity for personal growth and recognition, and the feelings of achievement the job provides.

When employees feel trusted, valued, and empowered to make decisions, they are more likely to be engaged, productive, and committed to delivering exceptional service.

The Benefits of Employee Empowerment

Empowering employees can have numerous benefits for both individuals and organizations, including:

Increased Engagement: Employees who feel empowered are more likely to be engaged in their work and take pride in their accomplishments.
Improved Productivity: When employees have the autonomy to make decisions, they can work more efficiently and effectively.
Enhanced Innovation: Empowered employees are more likely to think creatively and come up with innovative solutions to problems.
Greater Job Satisfaction: Employees who feel empowered are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave the organization.
Improved Customer Service: Empowered employees are better equipped to provide exceptional customer service by making decisions that are in the best interest of the customer.
Revenue Growth: When employees are at their best, it does correlate with revenue growth for the company. Companies with engaged workforces seemed to have an advantage in regaining and growing EPS at a faster rate than their industry equivalents according to Gallup.

Empower Employees by Building Trust

There are different strategies to empower employees however I want to focus on achieving it by building trust. Here are some strategies to consider:

Open Communication: Encourage open and honest communication at all levels of the organization. Create channels for employees to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of judgment. Open communication also means saying no when you have to, saying you can’t expose information when you can’t. It’s about being open not accepting everything or trying to be everything to everyone. Employees will trust you with time if you never move the goalpost.
Recognition and Rewards: Acknowledge and reward employees for their contributions, both individually and as a team. This can boost morale, increase engagement, and foster a sense of belonging. It’s important to look far and wide here. Some employees are more visible than others but they’re not necessarily more productive than others. You must intentionally look out for real productivity and reward it.
Delegation: Delegate tasks and responsibilities to employees based on their skills and abilities. This shows that you trust them and believe in their capabilities. Encourage team leads and managers to delegate and ‘coach’ more than they ‘play.’
Mentorship and Coaching: Provide employees with opportunities for mentorship and coaching to help them develop their skills and advance their careers.
Team Building Activities: Organize team-building activities and events to foster a sense of camaraderie and collaboration. Be intentional here. Seek out truly inclusive activities that they care about.

How are we doing this at Transactworld Digital?

At Transactworld Digital we have implemented a few strategies to help grow employee engagement. I’ll share just a few (can’t let out all our trade secrets 🤭).

Customer-Centric Empowerment: We empower employees to make decisions that directly impact the customer experience. For example, frontline employees at different levels may be given the authority to offer discounts, resolve complaints, or go above and beyond to meet customer needs. We train them so we trust their judgement.
Cross-Functional Teams: We foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing by forming cross-functional teams, known internally as committees, for our projects. These teams bring together employees with a diverse range of experience, from recent hires to seasoned professionals. This dynamic mix creates a more engaging work environment, where younger members benefit from the guidance of experienced colleagues while gaining valuable hands-on experience. At the same time, our more experienced employees are exposed to fresh perspectives and innovative ideas from the younger generation.
Bad Result =/= Bad Idea : We encourage employees to differentiate between the two. This is because we know that even the best ideas can result in bad results. So, managers have to focus on coaching ideas not results because if you coach results you might end up with employees that are unwilling to innovate or worse still, good results that came from bad ideas which would likely be catastrophic if ever implemented again.

Empowered Internal Customers Make All The Difference

Empowering employees is essential for creating a high-performing organization. By building trust, fostering collaboration, and providing employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed, you can empower your team to deliver exceptional internal customer service and drive business growth. Happy Customer Service Week!