We know the American workforce is stressed and uncertain coming out of the pandemic.
It’s an issue that business leaders are dealing with as they consider how, when and if to bring people back to the office.
Here’s something you may not have thought about. What about your customers?
They are also stressed.
So the challenge for companies in the coming months and beyond is multi-dimensional management of personal interaction.
Meaning, not only are you faced with how to best integrate employees who have been separated, who have developed new work habits, and are probably dealing with increased loneliness. You also must think about how your team is going to interact with customers who have gone through their own transformation.
It sounds complex.
It’s also a huge opportunity when you put it in the context of the customer experience.
With every opportunity comes risk.
Last week I sent you an email (that you can read here) about the latest report from Gallup on the State of the Global Workplace that focused on what the report said about the effect of the pandemic on workplace engagement.
In the United States and Canada, engagement actually ticked up a percentage point, but at the same stress, worry and sadness all increased.
Translated: American workers put their nose to the grindstone, but it came at a cost.
Well, those same people are also your customers.
As we continue the process of fully opening up the economy, we are getting back to the level of personal interaction we had before.
That doesn’t mean that everybody is the same as they were before.
Quite the contrary. Each customer will bring with them their own comfort level, their own dynamic and their own perceptions.
How are you planning for that?
It’s more important than ever to think about the customer experience. It would be short-sighted at best to dive back in just like nothing happened. Your customer may not be ready for it.
The principles of “How You Do What You Do” and “Only and Exactly” that Joe Pine & Jim Gilmore teaches in OnStage: Customer Experience Training is vital in this context.
Reading customer’s non-verbal cues about personal space. Paying attention to a client’s potential trigger points. Understanding the different communication styles. These are the business tools that have to be sharpened or, in some cases, relearned.
It’s like you’re starting over.
Remember, your customers and potential customers aren’t going to give you a second chance. They’ll leave and go somewhere that gives them that comfort level.
Or they’ll just fade into the internet background.
Now is the time to analyze your systems, procedures and training to make sure it’s not a missed opportunity.
I’d love to talk to you about your business and what we can do to ensure you are prepared for this new reality. Take our assessment of your employee and customer experience and then book a strategy session with me.