How to Unlock Better CX through the Right Employee Experiences

What kind of experiences are people having with your company? In prior years, this question was mainly aimed at your customers. Customer service was and still is one of the most critical aspects of many positions. Why? Because satisfying experiences build their loyalty and, in turn, your profitability. Therefore, expectations for worker performance have dominated conversations around employment for, well … forever!

But that script is starting to flip. While the customer experience (CX) will always be paramount, more and more companies are also beginning to recognize the value of the employee experience (EX) itself.

Examining the Data

Today’s workers have access to a whole new world of options. That means you’re competing for their loyalty as much as your customers. This trend took hold mid-pandemic in 2021 when the US experienced what many economists refer to as the Great Resignation. In the second half of the year, organizations had a record high of approximately four million workers resigning each month. The Pew Research Center reported low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and feeling disrespected as the top reasons employees cited for leaving. Other reasons included childcare issues, lack of flexibility with hours, and insufficient health care benefits.

In addition to employee retention and acquisition, the data also speaks to how CX strategies benefit from greater investment in the employee experience. Twenty percent of customer interactions require employee collaboration across divisions, and 76 percent of customers expect consistency in their experiences across all departments, regardless of which ones they encounter. That’s why more and more businesses are discovering that no matter if it’s EX or CX, quality experiences are worth their weight in gold.

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Evolving Expectations

The value of the employee experience is a significant factor in today’s job market. And while increases in benefits and compensation are popular EX topics, employee experience isn’t just about money. To get a better grip on what workers are looking for right now, we need to delve into the realities of modern life and how it intersects with the workspace.

One of today’s biggest workforce trends is the preference for a hybrid work model. Yet this approach poses significant challenges for many employers.

“Of the three possible paths — back to the office, hybrid, and fully remote — hybrid is the most challenging,” James McQuivey, VP research director at Forrester, said in an interview with Computerworld about changes in the workplace.

Although remote work was forced on many companies during the pandemic, employees quickly became fans, touting benefits such as improved schedule flexibility, a reduction in the stress of commuting, and savings on gas mileage and associated vehicle maintenance. On the flip side, frustrations with insufficient technology were, and remain, high on the list of drawbacks. Echoes, buffering, and time lags have us all wincing.

Not surprisingly, the need for adequate technology is a big challenge for companies still developing this work model. At the outset, everyone was willing to gnash their teeth through hastily cobbled-together solutions. Now that virtual work has become part of the norm, the demand for technology that delivers a smooth and convenient interface is soaring.

Customer expectations constantly evolve, and employees must consistently deliver quality customer service to keep them engaged. Today, doing this well requires modern tools that empower employees to deliver their best work in the best ways, regardless of where they (or their colleagues) may be working. If their experience with work processes — particularly meeting service promises and accessing data quickly — is continuously frustrating and ineffective, so is their impression of their employer. These frustrations impact the quality of customer interactions and profits down the line. When frustrations go up, loyalty goes down. And that makes employees more likely to move on, costing employers valuable training time, top talent, and ultimately, customer engagement.

The bottom line is clear: As the world and customer expectations continue to evolve, organizations that want to be successful will embrace a supportive workplace culture and provide their employees with the technology necessary to facilitate exceptional experiences.

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Moving Forward with Unified Communications

Once you know that the right technology is the key to unlocking your best EX and CX efforts, how do you determine what products are right for your business? Where do you find them? And what else goes into the big picture of creating an ideal work experience?

Right now, you might have many questions – and that’s okay! You can find answers and gain insights in our new Ebook, Great Expectations: Delivering Extraordinary Experiences for Employees and Customers, and by visiting Mitel’s Employee Experience Hub. You can learn more about EX and CX challenges and how you can successfully address them with the right communications technology. Wherever you are on your digital journey, Mitel has the tools you need to give your employees and customers the experiences they deserve.