I first heard this quote on a documentary about the Maloof family, who emigrated from Lebanon to the US and created a business empire across a number of business categories. I have also heard it quoted by Richard Branson and others.

Customers and clients are what keeps a business going, and determines if a business thrives or stagnates. Customers and clients can influence friends and colleagues to either use your services or buy your goods, or recommend against it.

It is the employees, however, who have a huge bearing on the client/customer experience, as it is the employees who are at the coalface selling and implementing the goods and services you offer.

If your employees feel engaged in their work, they are more likely to take ownership of the task at hand and ensure the customer or client has a positive experience.

How do you treat your staff well and improve their engagement?

• Listen to the Staff – your employees often see things from a different perspective, and can often have suggestions about how something could be done differently or better. Your staff often have their ears to the ground in ways that you may not. Always be prepared to listen, and let the staff know that you are prepared to listen, but also be clear that not every suggestion will be implemented, that final decision lies with you.
• Try to provide flexible working arrangements – in small and medium business, we need to attract good staff in different ways to big companies. Providing flexibility to staff members can have a significant impact on their home life. Allowing staff to attend children’s swimming carnivals, assembly, starting a little earlier or finishing a little later so the family can organise the juggle can work really well as long as the staff know that it is a two-way street.
• Pay staff at or above market rates – I am a big believer in “pay peanuts and get monkeys” in many facets of life. Paying well can mean that staff members under the standard financial pressure (that most families are under) are not always on the lookout for a more lucrative offer to come along. Always remember that the recruitment and on-boarding process is costly in dollars and time, and the staff mix is especially important in SME’s.
• Set (high) expectations and be consistent – always set the bar high. The high water mark may not be achieved, but you will get close. Set the standard yourself and show the staff by example what you expect. Make sure all are clear of what is expected, otherwise it is unfair to all involved. Also be consistent across the board with all staff.
• Provide ongoing feedback – rather than waiting for an annual review or similar, provide feedback, particularly good feedback (especially if it has come from a customer or client). Providing the ongoing feedback shows that you are prepared to take the time to invest in the development of your staff, not just once a year.

The biggest thing that I can say that will help your staff produce the result for your customer or client, is to care about your staff. Take an interest in what they do in their spare time, try to be across the big things that are happening in their lives, without prying. If you care about them, they will care about you, and they will show that by going the extra mile for you and your customer or client.