By Dale Wolf

Happy Employees. Why they so important to the customer experience? That answer is simple if you have caught any of our postings on the role that employees have on customer experience. The rule of thumb: employees that have a great employee experience deliver a great customer experience.

"Caught in the Middle" — an article published on Knowledge@Wharton confirms that managers are often referred to as the "glue" that holds companies together, bridging the gap between the top management team and lower level workers. They implement strategy and organizational changes, keeping workers engaged during both good times and bad. Yet according to a recent survey of middle managers around the world, 20% report dissatisfaction with their current organization and that same percentage report that they are looking for another job. How do middle managers fare in an uncertain economy, and what should companies be doing to keep them happy? Middle

If middle managers are so valuable, why would they report dissatisfaction and leave their companies? A primary reason is lack of advancement opportunity, says David Sirota, co-author of The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want. "When companies downsize, they will often cut middle management ranks. But even if companies just stagnate, advancement opportunities are limited. This hits people very hard, particularly people in their late 30s and 40s."

Shaun Smith, CEM Consultant, author and contributor this blog, considers the employee experience as one of the three main legs in his tripod of Customer Experience Improvement.

Align your people to deliver your experience

The question, Shaun points out, is how do you electrify and energise people in your organisation? How do you align them with your customer-focused strategy? The answer lies in the following four key factors that are critical to successful employee alignment:

1. Recruit people with the right fit
2. Train employees to deliver experiences that uniquely deliver your brand promise
3. Encourage employees to demonstrate the right behaviours
4. Drive and reward the behaviours from the top of the organisation

The big puzzle to those of us who believe that delivering a customer experience that is unique, relevant and valued have such a difficult time retaining middle managers. Here they are, the glue to a business. And yet, they feel caught, under-appreciated and in peril for their jobs.

Like so many aspects of CEM, the employee experience is cultural. Companies seem to have a hard time changing cultures — even when they know the culture is hurting their performance. Does it really take a whack along side the head with a 2 x 4 to get the CEO’s attention?

Related posts:

1. Align your people to deliver your experience
2. Smashing the Employee Clock
3. Where Do You Start to Achieve Advocacy?