Organisations that elevate the human experience will be better positioned to create more meaningful connections, foster loyalty, and drive growth. – Deloitte

There’s never been a more critical time for organisations to focus on human connection. In this era of turbulence and uncertainty, organisations must step up to the challenge of looking after the needs of the people that matter: the people that work for them, and the people that buy from them.

At Understood, when we talk about experience (both customer and employee), we focus on EFFORT, VALUE and EMOTION. These three themes encapsulate the critical drivers of customer satisfaction and employee engagement:

1. An EFFORTLESS Experience

Customers crave convenience and consistency. They want their experience to be personalised and their needs anticipated. For this to happen, employees need to be proactive and intuitive – they need to ‘own’ the customer experience.

For employees to be productive and engaged, a ‘low effort’ employee experience is also important. Yes, people want to be challenged and stimulated, but they don’t want workplace inefficiencies (e.g. poor email culture, pointless meetings) getting in the way of the job in hand.

2. A VALUABLE Experience 

Organisations must add value to their customers’ lives. Your Customer Value Proposition (CVP) and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) answer a similar question: What’s in it for them to buy from you / work for you?

Part of creating a valuable experience involves demonstrating that you truly value the people that matter (employees, customers – preferably in that order). If they feel that they matter, they’ll reward you with loyalty and advocacy.

And let’s not forget company Values. These beliefs or principles drive your business – they impact the employee experience you deliver, as well as the relationship you develop with your customers.

3. An EMOTIONAL Experience 

As human beings, we’re governed by our emotions and we crave genuine connections with others. An employee’s greeting or tone can make or break the experience of the customer in front of them (or on the end of the phone).

Employees who engage the customer at an emotional level generally succeed – customers are more likely to remember an experience that provokes an emotional response.

And front-line employees deal with a raft of emotions as they battle to stay calm under pressure,  show compassion, and diffuse conflict. It’s a tough gig. But if we can equip our employees with the tools to manage the emotions involved, we’ll be onto a winner.

We apply the Understood Experience to our approach to consultancy and training design. Contact us today to find out how we can deliver a better experience to your customers and employees.