We’ve all heard the saying “the customer is always right.” The sentiment behind this is simple. Businesses can only succeed if they continue to retain customers. However, in the process of pleasing customers at any cost, companies often have no problem creating a revolving door of lower level employees who rarely spend more than a year or two working there. If a business wants to truly succeed, it would do well to treat its employees in much the same way it treats its customers, creating a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship.
Recruitment
When a person starts shopping at a store, there is usually some incentive as to why he chose that store rather than a competitor. This goes beyond a store selling whatever it is a person’s looking for. What made him go to Target instead of Walmart? Managers have to think of what separates their company from the rest of the pack, and make those characteristics incredibly clear to the consumer. By making people feel like they’re part of something, companies ensure they have a customer for life.
In much the same way, a company should make it incredibly clear why working for it will be much more enjoyable and rewarding than working for a competitor. The company’s intentions and business model should be completely transparent in order to attract employees who will be a perfect fit within the business. Companies should also create a sense of community and family within their workers, so employees enjoy coming to work and performing to the best of their abilities each and every day. Putting on community-building events and friendly employee contests, as well as creating an open line of communication between everyone involved in the company can go a long way toward forging a long-lasting bond between employer and employee.
Development
Customer relations begin right as they walk into the store for the very first time. It’s important to cultivate a positive relationship in a variety of ways to ensure they return again and again over time. Businesses do this by offering guidance and assistance to new customers. Employees will often point consumers toward similar or complementary products after noticing purchases. They also make sure the customer found everything they were looking for. By doing so, they ensure the customer got the most out their visit to the store.
The best way for a boss to ensure that employees stick with a company is to offer professional development opportunities which focus on improving specific skills in specific employees throughout their career. Offering quarterly assessments allows employers to discuss with their workers what they’ve done well over the past few months, and what they can focus on in the future in order to improve. In much the same way that employees will ensure customers got the most out of their visit, bosses can ensure employees get the most out of working for the company. By making it clear to a company’s workers that their professional development is of utmost importance, a boss will create an environment full of successful individuals.
Retention
After a company “hooks” its customers, it also has to retain them in order to make sure they don’t stray and become income for another competitor. To do this, businesses offer incentives from time to time, such a a store credit card, discounts, and special offers. If you’ve ever signed up for a casino membership card, you know this all too well. Companies will also continue to improve their services through solicited customer advice, usually in the form of surveys.
Businesses can work to retain employees in a similar fashion by offering performance-based bonuses and discounts on certain products. However, the best way for bosses to retain employees is to make it clear that advancement within the company is assured to those who work hard to deserve it. No matter how much an employee enjoys working within a company, if they have no chance for advancement, sooner or later they’ll begin to look elsewhere.
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