Dealers know how crucial it is to provide an exceptional customer experience. But in pursuing high standards of service, many find themselves forgetting an equally crucial component of the consumer satisfaction: the employee experience.
On this episode of Inside Automotive, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Shep Hyken, author, keynote speaker, and customer service and experience expert. Now, Hyken discusses the relationship between the employee and customer experiences and shares strategies for ensuring your dealership’s team is set up for success.
Key Takeaways
1. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, employees have a pyramid of needs starting with basic compensation at the bottom, ascending to cultural fit, recognition of uniqueness, growth opportunities, and culminating in fulfillment at the top. Fulfilling these various needs is key to improving the customer experience.
2. The concept of “destination employment” is about creating a work environment so appealing that employees never want to leave, reflecting in higher job satisfaction and better customer service as a result.
3. Hyken stresses that the way employees feel about their jobs directly influences how they interact with customers. A positive employee experience leads to a positive customer experience, which is crucial for business success.
4. The role of management is crucial in shaping the dealership employee’s experience and, by extension, the car buyer’s experience. Effective managers create environments where employees feel valued, understood, and motivated to perform at their best.
5. The best companies continually invest in training and development to keep their employees engaged and motivated. They understand the effect that refreshing and reinforcing the company’s values and service standards has on the customer experience.
"You can't, as a manager or a leader, treat employees one way and expect them to go out and treat a customer or a colleague a different way. So treat the customer the way you want your employees. So...treat the employees the way you want your customers treated, if not better, and recognize your opportunity as a leader to do so. " — Shep Hyken
