How to Create a Better Customer Experience through Employee Focus

The first thing you should do when a customer complains — thank them! They’re pinpointing issues that your team can now fix. 

But if you want the kind of team that embraces complaints and goes to work with enthusiasm, there must be a focus on the employee experience. 

Nick Glimsdahl, Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS, joins me to discuss his new book and all the reasons why the employee experience should be your main area of focus for a better customer experience. 

Join us as we discuss: 

• The digital transformation.
• Lessons learned about customer experience and service.
• Moving a contact center to the cloud.
• How to do employee retention right.
• The tip of the week for listeners. 

Everything, every moon shot, every new product, starts with your people. Let’s dive in.

“I came to no reasons why I shouldn't focus on the employee experience.” — Nick Glimsdahl

Bringing it all to the table

Nick worked as a cycling coach while getting his MBA, so he knows all about grit, determination, and hard work. He’s served in the trenches of operations, sales, and customer service. 

He’s also a vibrant and experienced podcast host, a passionate volunteer, speaker, and featured contributor. His new book is titled Reasons NOT to Focus on Employee Experience: A Comprehensive Guide. 

It has a handy companion piece that’s all about CX. 

A thought-provoking and witty take on stodgy old workbooks, Nick’s ideas are uniquely focused on the holistic interconnection of the employee and customer experiences — and how you can reduce friction to drive sales. 

Provocative questions

You’re aware of the digital transformation, but are you really prioritizing it? Are you giving your staff the tools they need to be successful? Does your tech stack align perfectly with your desired outcomes? 

Nick likes to joke that his books are “138 pages of nothing,” but they’re actually vital and insightful guides to help you adapt your strategies to what customers and employees need right now. 

Want a sneak peek? 

• Love your job and delight your customers
• Serve people, solve problems, and bring energy
• ave empathy
• Talk less and listen more 

“Continue to focus on the customer; understand the needs, that they are meeting them on the channel of their choice, and reducing that effort.” — Nick Glimsdahl

Best and worst

As Nick points out, if you ask anyone to share their top 5 best customer experiences, they have to think about it. Maybe for a minute or more. 

Ask them about the most dreadful, and you’ll need to settle in for a rant or two. Everybody remembers the companies that mistreated them, and they’re happy to give you every detail on why you should avoid that brand like the plague. 

Complete, blissful customer satisfaction should be the norm, not an anomaly. 

Over the course of some 140 podcasts, Nick has traded insights with industry leaders, hostage negotiators, dishy Magic Kingdom workers, and other illuminating personages of the customer service world. 

These intriguing conversations have also empowered him to guide businesses in optimizing both their CX and EX with innovative cloud solutions. 

Technology, process, and people

Moving from a traditional on-prem contact center to cloud-based tech is a big step. Nick ensures that his clients solve the needs of their customers, reduce costs, increase job satisfaction, and create a better journey for everyone. 

Security is always a top concern. Nick’s team at VDS helps source the right tech, the right change management, and the right people so you can prepare your business for whatever the future holds. 

The equality of customer and employee experience should be front and center when you’re headed for transformational change. 

“Employee retention isn’t about jeans on Friday; it's not the Kegerator in the corner; it's the needs of that specific person.” — Nick Glimsdahl 

Don’t be fooled by shiny objects

You might have heard of the Great Resignation, currently happening at this moment. People are very rightfully demanding more from their employers. 

It’s also much harder to attract and keep the talent you need without a painfully honest review of your HR policies. Contact centers especially have a massive rate of churn. Constantly hiring replacements is expensive. 

Your potential new CX experts are looking for more than an office pool table or a few remote workdays. A competent staffer who’s engaged, happy, and armed with the perfect tech will be focused 100% on the customer. 

Everyone is happier when problems are solved efficiently. 

Motivation

Consumers want convenience, a frictionless experience, and concierge service if there’s a problem. Don’t you? 

Employees want to feel valued and respected, they want to have a voice, they want to innovate and get compensated well for doing so. Don’t you? 

But it’s not (usually) about money. Nick says 86% of buyers are willing to shell out a bit more for a better customer experience. Great benefits, growth, and a supportive environment are huge values for prospective employees. 

Disrupt industry norms by investing in and valuing your CX and EX equally. 

Ready to rethink what’s possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode of Dare to Reimagine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or your favorite podcast player.