Editor’s note: Karl Sharicz is founder and CEO of Quincy, Mass.-based CX consulting firm HorizonCX. Joe Camirand is firm’s VP of client services. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared under the title, “The power of empowerment.”
It is becoming increasingly popular for organizations to claim customer-centricity. That essentially means they are declaring to have transformed a business from one that focused primarily on products and services to one that values customers and customer experience above all else.
Without a lot of strategic thinking behind it, and not much in the way of changing behavior, some businesses are promoting their new-found processes and business evolution.
They often begin with aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns, communicating how much they care about customers and how much they are focused on improving the customer experience.
However, many transitions like this, or “transformations,” remain at the management or executive level. Some organizations may just “talk the talk” to win future business.
Unfortunately, we find the people that typically have the biggest impact on the customer experience, the frontline employees, are usually not even aware of what their role is in helping the organization’s vision of customer-centricity.
And, even when they are aware, they are not truly empowered to deliver upon it.
Many research studies show that when employees feel empowered, they are better at delivering to customer expectations and, in the process, are more engaged, more satisfied and become more productive employees.
If people with the right skills and a positive attitude are hired and properly onboarded and trained in whatever knowledge and skills they may be lacking, that at least establishes a foundation for empowerment.
Think about how many times you’ve encountered poor or unacceptable customer experience. How...