Despite the fact that study after study continues to support the critical role that employees play as ambassadors (or detractors) for the organizations they work for, not all organizations are focused, as they should be, on their staff first. If you’re interested in boosting your marketing, you need to first start inside–with your employees. Seem a bit counter-intuitive? Maybe. But consider that, particularly for service-based organizations like healthcare organizations, the interaction between employees and customers is a key part of the service experience. If your employees aren’t energized and engaged–and serving as passionate brand ambassadors–what kind of service experience do you think your customers will have?
But don’t just take my word for it. A recent study by The Forum — “Delivering the Brand Promise Influences Consumer Spending“– showed a direct link between employee satisfaction and patient (or customer) satisfaction. In addition–as we well know–the research also supported the fact that those with higher levels of satisfaction are more likely to recommend the product or service (or in this case, the hospital) to others. That’s not rocket science. Yet, why do so many companies continually seem to “not get it”?
Well, it’s not easy. Consider the multiple moving parts (touch points) involved in a patient’s experience — whether with a hospital or clinic. For those outside of the healthcare realm, consider the many touch points involved in a dinner out, or refinancing a home loan.
What to do? Start by building internal partnerships this report suggests–marketing should collaborate with other parts of the organization (like HR, operations or sales) to “ensure that your hard work in creating great products, targeted messaging and promotions is not wasted with a poor delivery experience,” say the report authors. Now, more than ever this is critical.
“In our increasingly social world, the power of the customer is growing fast,” says Dr. Frank Mulhern, one of the authors of the research. “They can share a negative or positive experience with hundreds of their peers in the few seconds it takes to post a Facebook status. Viewing employment engagement and recognition as part of a marketing strategy can help ensure a brand’s reputation remains healthy and strong, resulting in better customer experience, more referrals, and a healthy bottom line.”
Are you taking steps to engage your employees? Do you know where to begin? Our white papers Your Employees and Your Brand: A Critical Connection and Branding Through Your Employees offer some tips and suggestions. What are you waiting for?
