By OMSOFTWARE - Web & Mobile App Development Company | Pune

Sep 14 , 2021

Brands can advocate that they sell the best services and products. However, the customers are the ultimate advocates. Therefore, it is up to the customer to determine if the brand is worth it or not.

CX is definitely very hard to control for most companies. You cannot really predict what a customer thinks or perceives. So, the best way to put yourself in an advantageous situation is to ramp up all customer touchpoints. When one considers customer experience, the customers who go through great experiences have more chances of becoming brand ambassadors.

Although, you may feel that EX is a result of the engagement, it may not be entirely so. It is more than an HR buzzword. Moreover, it is not short-lived like the former. Companies are slowly getting on track and understanding the intricacies. If you talk about employee engagement, it basically refers to an emotional connection.

However, EX is more long-term. It is about the employee’s perception of their employment. You can clearly define it, as the sum total of the employee’s interactions and their perception towards the same.

How Do CX and EX Work?

CX includes all interactions that any customer has with your brand. The various touchpoints are packaging, instruction manuals, customer service, and exchange and repair models of the business. Customers experience emotions and feelings at all touchpoints.

Moreover, the customers can judge the company or the brand in any manner possible. The various emotions can range from happiness to disappointment, to apathy. Most brands are concentrating on delivering the best customer service today. If the customer is happy, the customer becomes the brand ambassador. Many brands are creating a competitive advantage today, with such services and interactions. Customer experience and customer service may seem like two sides of the same coin. However, it is not so similar. Customer service is a part of the customer experience. However, customer experience is a broader term.

EX on the other hand is how your employee perceives or judges his status in the organization. It is more than the emotional connection. EX comprises the company culture, environment, and technological scope. Any company needs to check or do a SWOT analysis.

 Employees look for recognition, values, proper communication, and rewards. This relates to the cultural aspect. The work sphere is as important. The office building, workstation, or pantry may increase or decrease the EX-factor. Today, employees look for the latest tools and software for working seamlessly. EX also includes the image of the company in public. And, it is not just the HR who is responsible for it. All other departments are equally responsible.

Adoption Of CX And EX

Businesses have now started to understand the values of Employee experience and Customer experience. Both these concepts have been around for a length of time. However, their inter-relation is an entirely new concept. The rise of new roles like Chief Customer Experience Officer has strengthened this notion. Most organizations have started understanding that happy employees lead to happy customers. Thus, organizations must stop running these programs in isolation to reap the joint rewards.

Today, EX has been added to the already existing CX. Digital technology is making it even better. The right technology has made it possible for companies to collect real-time data, both from customers and employees. Moreover, the right feedback, at the right time is being welcomed wholeheartedly. Now, most companies are on the way to merge their EX and CX plans regardless of the industry.

Moreover, the pandemic has altered the way businesses are run. No one knows for sure, the outcomes even after vaccination is completed. Everything will depend on the effects of the vaccine. Thus, humans, as well as businesses, have started to adapt themselves to changing circumstances. Today, most businesses have identified the need to incorporate customer experience and employee experience. To be sustainable today, a business has to be adaptable.

Ways To Connect EX And CX

Today, you will find plenty of evidence to suggest that EX depends on what the company does. Moreover, it has a direct impact on CX. Today, you will find out ways to connect both.

  • Concentrate on the frontline. Customer services and experience starts building up from there. Every company needs to pay attention to the front liners. The top management has to make efforts to reach out to this section of employees. Furthermore, it creates a lot of understanding. The front liners are the main drivers of your business. Most policies are being made today, based on the feedback of these front liners.
  • Organizations should go beyond the written data. Sometimes, they don’t reveal as much. And organizations realize that, when it is already late. Ask colleagues and juniors how they feel. Moreover, ask for suggestions. They are the ones who interact with customers and can tell you the actual facts behind the figures.
  • Creating conscious engagement is the key to the great amalgamation of CX and EX. The boardroom and the front liners have to work hand in hand to create meaningful CX. Engaged employees can help to create value for both the organization and the customers. They can also reduce churn rates. Business outputs also increase. Everyone tends to work towards a shared goal.
  • Employee and customer feedback are interconnected. It can help the management measure the pulse of the business. Moreover, it allows businesses to fetch real-time data. And, thus it helps the business to act accordingly. If there are resource constraints, it comes to the fore during such a connection. 
  • Performance-led culture is something that companies need to stress on. People's performance is a driver for customer experience. If the employees are upbeat and energetic about their journey in the company, it reflects on customer interactions as well. It has been observed that almost 80 percent of customers want to deal with a human, rather than a bot.

Why is CX And EX Equally Important?

Truly speaking, the experience of any kind is a holistic concept. A clear connection between Employee experience and Customer experience has already been established. Companies with highly engaged employees grow revenues at the speed of 2.5x. You have to remember a few points before you connect the dots.

Employees Deliver The CX

All your frontline employees as well as back-office staff can run the show for you. They are the key behind the customer journey. Without understanding the EX strategy, you cannot devise a CX strategy. Employees are an important touch point for your business. The interaction that a company has with its employees can directly affect brand perception. Managing employee interactions is a better way to deliver according to customer insights. The hard skills or technology come next.

Employees Are Customer As Well As Brand Advocates

Every employee is a customer in any B2C organization. Therefore, their work needs to be managed well. Your employees will turn into brand advocates if taken care of. Never ask your employee how they feel. But, you ought to ask them if they can confidently push the product or service in the market. Consider your employees as a segment of your customer base. Moreover, influencer marketing is on the rise today. Employees can be a part of your marketing strategy. If the experience is managed well, they can become your long-term customers. Moreover, they will be vocal about the company in public circles. You will start getting new customers through employee channels.

Converge External And Internal Brand

The company’s internal brand and culture has a carry forward effect. What you will practice inside the organization, is what your employees will carry-forward. What you promote inside the head office, has to be promoted at the storefront. The employees will not only listen but replicate what the company exudes. Experience is thus a holistic concept. One without the other is considered limp. You can now get the best CX and EX interactions if you decide to amalgamate the two.

During the current turbulent times, it is the only way forward. Combining both will give you a competitive advantage over others today. So, practice both EX and CX, to develop your company. Treat the employees lower down with utmost love and care. You ought to handle them with velvet gloves. Moreover, you should make the environment growth-oriented. That will make the employees foster love and care. Moreover, the employees need constant encouragement. Most businesses are going online. The human factor will be missing after a point in time. So, as a company, come up with measures that can replicate the same tone.