The Key to Happy Customers? Take Good Care of Your Employees

The number one concern of most small business owners is the happiness of their customers. Happy customers keep your company going; they bring the business to you. So it makes sense that we put such a heavy emphasis on keeping our customers excited about our brand.

But what goes along with keeping your customers happy, is who’s helping to keep your customers happy: your employees. If you build a positive work environment for your employees, it’ll be much easier for them to be especially kind to your customers. It all starts with your team.

To remind myself of the importance of keeping my employees happy, I try to treat them as I would my customers, because both are equally as important. Here’s how:

I take their well-being seriously.

There are some companies that encourage their employees to come in even when sick. Though I understand not wanting to miss out on hours if not on salary, you have to consider the well being of the rest of your team members as well. If one person comes into work sick, you could have five more out the next day. This goes for taking time off as well. Typically, if all the work that needs to get done gets done and I’m notified well in advance, I’m pretty open to taking time off.

You keep your customers’ well being at the forefront of your mind, if you practice the same thinking for your employees, they’ll be happier, healthier, and more present when at work.

I encourage them to voice their concerns.

Just as many businesses have a place for their customers to voice their concerns- whether with a suggestion box in-store or a place to type comments online- I stress to my employees the importance of keeping me updated on what’s going on within their own departments. Micro-managing is not my leadership style so I won’t know every little detail of what’s going on within a department, but if something is big enough to disrupt work, I want to know about it so we can work together to fix the issue! Just as it’s important to hear out an upset customer and work through the problem.

I implement a reward system.

In a way, we reward our customers with great customer service, or periodic coupons and deals. It’s how we keep customers coming back and staying loyal with our brand. You want your employees to “keep coming back” too. I do this by providing flexibility (as mentioned above), giving raises where raises are due, and treating my employees in little ways throughout the year. If someone hits a sales goal, or does especially well on a project, I reward them with gift cards or lottery tickets. It’s a fun, simple gesture that lets my employees know I appreciate them, but it goes a long way.