We know customer experience begins with front-line employees. In this blog, Kevin shares how we advise our clients in various industries like retail, restaurant, financial services, and sports & entertainment who are working to address front-line interactions. This is true for us as a research company and any company working in research.
By Kevin Scheppman
I’ve spent most of my career in marketing research and data collection, either conducting or overseeing both qualitative and quantitative projects. I know research from the operations side, and I’ve also worked directly with internal and external clients. If you are a professional with any type of leadership role, I believe it is extremely important to prioritize the following practices.
1. Clear Communication
Whether you are dealing with employees, peers, or clients, it’s critical that your communication be clear and concise. Keep people informed of progress at appropriate intervals; it builds their confidence in you. When individuals feel informed, their comfort level increases, which in turn builds trust. When communicating with employees or direct reports, it’s also important to share pertinent details and briefly explain your rationale. This leads to agreement and acceptance and occasionally generates dialogue to help secure a complete “buy-in.” Communication is a two-way street.
2. Policies and Procedures
For all market research studies, there must be a framework to work within. It is important for responsibilities to be assigned and expectations set. Place emphasis on maximizing workflow, efficiency, and whenever possible, simplicity. Don’t overcomplicate things. Established policies and procedures guide everyone on the performance path to success. However, this needs to be monitored constantly. When opportunities for improvement are identified and verified, changes need to be made and clearly communicated. Policies and procedures also need to evolve due to technology, changing business conditions, and other factors. When necessary, implement updates and communicate why they are being made.
3. Culture of Learning
Education can come in many forms, including:
formal education,
on-the-job training,
conferences and seminars,
secondary reading,
individual experimentation,
independent study,
observing,
working side-by-side with a peer.
Encourage employees to become more knowledgeable and aware. Information must be shared. Questions must be welcomed. A corporate mantra that I believe in is: “There is no such thing as a dumb question except one that isn’t asked.” Individuals should not feel too intimidated to ask any questions they have, regardless of how rudimentary or complex they might think them to be. When a question is fully answered and completely understood, true learning has taken place.
If this sounds like the type of relationship you’re looking to form, connect with The ExperienceBuilt Group team today.