Balancing customer and employee experience

Customer experience (CX) has always been at the core of all business operations. But in recent years, employee experience (EX) has gained momentum with 83% of organisations shifting their focus on building a people-centric culture. This is widely a result of the global pandemic, which has forced businesses and people to rethink the way the working world operates. Employees began prioritising their wellbeing and employers started listening to their employees to create a working environment that will allow the employees and business to thrive. However, in doing so, some organisations have developed a skewed perspective in prioritising EX, viewing EX and CX as separate entities.

Organisations in the public sector play a pivotal role in Australians’ lives as they offer essential services. However, the public sector is faced with numerous requests daily and in wanting to accommodate to citizens, EX has been slow moving. For the public sector to achieve sustainable growth over a long period, it needs to begin prioritising both employee and customer experience simultaneously. Especially since citizens have high expectations today. With inflation and the cost of living increasing, more citizens are leaning in on support services. It is necessary the public sector considers EX and CX as two sides of the same coin, and only then will it be able to alleviate both.

Consistency across customer experience and employee experience

As CX directly affects a business, naturally many organisations focus solely on CX and exhaust their resources on this one particular area. However, in doing so some organisations like the public sector have branded EX as “nice to have”. In today’s business climate, EX and CX go hand in hand because CX is a direct reflection of EX which are the interactions and the context of those interactions any employee faces at work. Only when the public sector views both customer and employee experience under the same lens will it be able to avoid the kind of technological silos that are created by one-sided attention.

For example, if employees are still utilising outdated technology or platforms, it tends to overcomplicate their simple tasks with additional steps and as a result, take a longer time to complete that task. This then impacts CX directly because citizens who have submitted requests or enquiries are having to wait over a longer period to have their queries resolved.

On top of this, with the current economic climate, citizen requests are more likely to increase and with outdated technology or platforms, employees will be unable to keep track of the overwhelming number of requests coming through. Ultimately, these requests then end up creating a backlog. When the public sector identifies EX and CX pain points, they will be able to draw out an employee and customer journey map that highlights which areas directly connect an employee and customer and which areas could better connect them. This provides the senior management with a better overview of the entire journey and allows them to make the necessary changes.

Driving value simultaneously

To ensure the public sector is driving value in EX and CX, it first needs to understand what constitutes EX and CX, and the importance of prioritising both. Only when this realisation is made, senior management can develop strategies to prioritise both, without having to impede the other.

This presents an opportunity for the public sector to identify creative ways to directly connect employees and customers. This is an important task given the nature of the organisation; the public sector must ensure it connects employees and customers in a manner that EX and CX is able to take place simultaneously. To do this, the public sector must develop a total experience strategy that includes EX and CX. Hence, technology should be a tool leveraged to its fullest capacity as it is key in resolving this issue. For example, by investing in customer and employee engagement platforms it allows the public sector to hear directly from customers and employees on their pain points, what can be improved and most importantly, what they need. With this data, senior management can then plan accordingly with the resources available to provide solutions.

To further drive value, the public sector will need to address problems faced by employees and customers in a timely manner. By investing in an automated platform that allows customers to record their requests, employees can focus on addressing their requests quicker with less pressure and citizens do not have to wait a long time to have their queries resolved. Hence why it is pivotal for employers to listen to their employees to gauge this. Especially with its demanding nature, by engaging in regular feedback, the public sector can identify problems immediately as they begin and provide solutions before things worsen. This is pivotal because each employee may face a different issue at work and employers should not assume an all-for-one solution and put a bandaid over something that varies from person to person. In the similar sense, not all customers experience the same pain points.

Communication is key

Communication is vital to every organisation, not just the public sector. But in this case, effective communication will drive value for all parties involved. When senior management tactfully communicate with their employees, they provide a space for employees to feel comfortable in highlighting their issues. Similarly with surveys, senior management can provide a space for customers to share their experiences and identify how the public sector can continue to provide effective assistance to them. When communication is effective, it can educate, inform and engage both employees and customers to achieve the business growth it desires on multiple fronts.

This is an opportunity for the public sector to further strengthen its relationship with its employees and customers. It can also assist employers in better visualising the customer and employee journey maps to identify the intersections and how to allocate resources accordingly.

As the working world continues to navigate uncertainties, it is important that organisations respond accordingly to their employees’ and customers’ needs. Only when EX and CX are enhanced at the same time, it will drive value for the public sector. It is a simultaneous process, and the public sector will need to invest in this area accordingly. With an effective communication and total experience strategy, the public sector will be able to identify the areas it needs to improve on and allocate resources where immediate attention is required. With these efforts, the public sector can propel forward and effectively cater to both employees and customers.

Image credit: iStock.com/Sewcream