Experts of Experience | Episode #50: Breaking Down The Link Between Employee Experience and Customer Experience

Presented by Salesforce Customer Success

Host: Lauren Wood
Guest: Tiffany Bova, Advisor, Speaker, and Author of The Experience Mindset and Growth IQ

Release Date: October 2, 2024

Introduction

In Episode #50 of Experts of Experience, host Lauren Wood delves into the intricate relationship between employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) with renowned business leader Tiffany Bova. Tiffany, the author of The Experience Mindset and Growth IQ, brings a wealth of knowledge from her executive roles in sales, marketing, and customer service across startups and Fortune 500 companies. This episode uncovers how aligning EX with CX can drive substantial business growth and enhance overall organizational performance.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between EX and CX

Lauren Wood (00:00):
“69% of employees say they'd work harder if they were better appreciated. Companies that excel at customer experience have 1.5x more engaged employees than companies with a record of poor customer experience.”

Lauren opens the discussion by highlighting critical statistics that underscore the importance of employee engagement in delivering superior customer experiences. Tiffany emphasizes that without addressing employee satisfaction, efforts to enhance CX will plateau, leading to stagnant Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and ongoing customer churn.

Tiffany Bova (00:31):
“If you continue to pivot to CX without thinking about employee, you're just going to reach your plateau.”

Journey from CX to Integrating EX

Tiffany recounts her journey from focusing solely on CX to recognizing the pivotal role of EX. While at Gartner Group, she witnessed the rise of digital transformation and its impact on marketing and customer engagement. Her initial work primarily emphasized sales, marketing, and customer success, with only a cursory mention of employee experience.

Tiffany Bova (02:05):
“I had nine other paths to growth. In a 55,000 word book, I think I mentioned the word employee five times.”

Her tenure at Salesforce provided firsthand insights into how fostering a strong organizational culture and innovation drives growth. This realization led her to research and demonstrate that companies integrating both EX and CX achieve up to 1.8x faster growth rates.

Tiffany Bova (05:37):
“We were the first to prove this causation between what aspects of employee experience have the greatest impact when an employee touches a customer on customer experience.”

Key Findings and Practical Insights

Lauren shares compelling statistics to reinforce the discussion:

• 69% of employees would work harder if better appreciated.
• 1.5x more engaged employees in companies excelling at CX.
• 61% believe employers need to better listen to their feedback.
• 62% would work harder if treated better by their employer.

Lauren Wood (07:24):
“If we focus on the employee experience, the customer experience will come.”

Tiffany provides practical steps for organizations to balance EX and CX:

1. Journey Mapping for Employees:
   Understanding the employee's journey, similar to how customers are journey-mapped, to identify pain points and reduce effort.

2. Employee Effort Score (EES):
   Implementing measures akin to Customer Effort Score (CES) to gauge the ease of employees in performing their tasks.

3. Cross-Functional Ownership:
   Breaking down silos by fostering collaboration between departments like HR, Marketing, and Customer Service to ensure both EX and CX are prioritized.

Tiffany Bova (08:42):
“Are we just moving tasks over to employees away from customers? Our metric, our KPI is NPS score, and we’re ignoring employee satisfaction at the same time.”

Real-World Examples and Challenges

Tiffany shares a personal anecdote about a frustrating customer service experience due to rigid processes, illustrating how poor EX can negatively impact CX.

Tiffany Bova (12:19):
“The manager was telling them they couldn’t stay on the phone longer than 30 minutes. That was a process problem.”

She highlights how neglecting EX leads to employee frustration, which in turn affects customer interactions and overall satisfaction.

Lauren Wood (14:22):
“If a customer knows that the employee they’re interacting with is not being cared for, the customer is less likely to trust that company.”

Ownership and Organizational Structure

A significant barrier to integrating EX and CX is the lack of clear ownership. Tiffany points out that:

• 70% of organizations have no clear ownership of employee experience.
• EX often falls under fragmented responsibilities across HR, Marketing, and other departments.

Tiffany Bova (14:52):
“An advisory board consisting of individual contributors from customer-facing roles can help bridge the gap and bring employee insights to the executive level.”

Implementing Employee Effort Tracking

Tiffany introduces the concept of Employee Effort Score (EES) as a parallel to CES, suggesting its implementation across various tasks to monitor and enhance EX.

Tiffany Bova (21:58):
“Ask employees to rate the effort required to complete tasks. If effort scores are high, it's a signal to address underlying issues affecting both EX and CX.”

Influencing Executive Leadership

For CX leaders aiming to influence executive teams, Tiffany recommends:

1. Collaborative Journey Mapping:
   Partnering with customer service managers to map out and identify inefficiencies.

2. Highlighting Data Integration:
   Demonstrating how integrating systems can reduce employee effort and improve CX metrics.

3. Starting Small:
   Focusing on specific, manageable projects to showcase the benefits of aligning EX with CX.

Tiffany Bova (25:03):
“Start where I said, journey map something. Look for pain points and get your counterparts together to fix them quickly.”

The Role of Technology and AI in Balancing EX and CX

The discussion shifts to the impact of emerging technologies, particularly AI, on EX and CX.

Tiffany Bova (33:43):
“AI can eliminate mundane tasks, allowing employees to focus on more meaningful work that requires critical thinking and empathy.”

However, she cautions against relying solely on technology without addressing underlying data quality and process issues.

Tiffany Bova (35:12):
“AI is embedded in our tools now. Maximizing its potential requires clean, integrated data and thoughtful implementation.”

Practical Steps for Leveraging AI

Lauren and Tiffany outline strategies to effectively integrate AI into organizational workflows:

1. Data Readiness:
   Ensuring data is clean, centralized, and accessible to maximize AI’s benefits.

2. Employee Training:
   Equipping employees with the skills to utilize AI tools effectively.

3. Incremental Implementation:
   Piloting AI initiatives on specific tasks to demonstrate value before wide-scale adoption.

Tiffany Bova (37:37):
“If you're a startup, make the right data decisions from the start. Larger organizations face more challenges due to legacy systems and silos.”

Personal Experiences and Final Insights

In the concluding segment, Tiffany shares a positive customer service experience that exemplifies the impact of passionate employees on CX.

Tiffany Bova (42:39):
“The fastest way to get customers to love your brand is to get employees to love their job, period.”

She underscores the importance of leaders staying connected to frontline operations to understand and improve EX and CX dynamically.

Tiffany Bova (46:36):
“Go out on the ground, experience day-to-day operations, and identify opportunities to enhance both employee and customer experiences.”

Key Takeaways

• Integration of EX and CX:
  Aligning employee satisfaction with customer satisfaction is crucial for sustainable business growth.

• Clear Ownership:
  Establishing clear ownership and collaboration across departments ensures both EX and CX are prioritized.

• Employee Effort Metrics:
  Implementing measures like EES helps organizations monitor and improve employee experiences in real-time.

• Strategic Use of AI:
  Leveraging AI to reduce mundane tasks can enhance both EX and CX, provided data quality and employee training are addressed.

• Leadership Engagement:
  Active involvement of leadership in understanding frontline challenges fosters a culture of continuous improvement and empathy.

Conclusion

Episode #50 of Experts of Experience offers a comprehensive exploration of the intertwined nature of employee and customer experiences. Tiffany Bova’s insights provide actionable strategies for organizations aiming to harmonize EX and CX, ultimately driving better business outcomes. By prioritizing employee satisfaction and effectively integrating technology, companies can create a resilient and thriving environment for both their employees and customers.

For more insights and inspiration on leveling up your customer experience, subscribe to Experts of Experience and stay tuned for future episodes with leading business minds.