Guest Blogger: Patrick Reilly, Resources in Action

The relationship between employee and customer loyalty is easy to sense or feel but hard to prove. This is a tough question to answer well, especially for the analytics, but let’s see if we can create a trail of causation.

Recent research by Dan Pink author of Drive indicates that there are three important factors involved in motivating employees in a sustainable way:

  • Autonomy (I get to choose and be in charge of certain things at work)
  • Mastery (I get to to become master of a skill, domain, etc.)
  • Purpose (we all need to know why if we are going to present our best self and best effort.)

 

People who are motivated in a sustained way do their best, deliver their best work, and contribute.

Autonomy + mastery + purpose = engaged employees

Who do you want interacting with customers?  If I am an engaged employee, I usually interact with enthusiasm and speak from an informed authority. I am also more inclined to advocate for my company if I feel good about the work I am doing, the opportunities I have, and the understanding and clarity I have for why my work matters. We all prefer to talk with upbeat and informed people- so do our customers.

The only piece missing from the information above is ‘listening to the customer’ which you describe so well in your video.  I don’t assume that an engaged employee who can speak well on the part of the company is necessarily a good listener or open to tough customer feedback. However, that is a skill that we all can develop over time with practice and training.

Patrick Reilly is the President of Resources In Action, Inc. Patrick is a successful entrepreneur and executive consultant with 20+ years experience helping leaders solve current business problems while supporting them to become better leaders tomorrow. His work is strategic, developmental and focused on improving performance. He specializes in working with leaders and organizational systems in transition. His experience is both tactical and strategic.

Patrick brings his extensive experience in both change management and executive development to accelerate and focus the results of his work. Patrick has been a featured speaker at national and regional conferences sponsored by the Association of Executive Search Consultants, ERE Media, the Professional Coaches and Mentors Organization, Northern California Human Resources Organization, and the Organizational Development Network.