the impact of customers on energy at work
research findings highlight the motivational customer
This is a short summary, for the Executive Summary, or the full report, please contact sophie.ejsmond@attiva.co.uk
Why research, why now?
Strong customer connection has always been one of the key principles of the Directed Energy® approach. Yet little research had been done into the effect of various elements of customer interaction on the level of employee energy in the workplace and how it impacts their ability to create rapid organisational change. Attiva therefore commissioned a group of MBA Students from London Business School to research the impact of the customer on energy levels at work in order to understand the implications for businesses today. This article provides a brief summary of the key findings.
Key findings
The Customer is identified as the factor that most positively impacts energy levels at work. This is true whether the customer is external or internal.
- Two thirds (66%) of respondents who considered themselves motivated and full of energy at work said their prime energising source was customers.
- 41% of all respondents, regardless of their current energy levels, said that customers had the greatest impact on their energy at work as opposed to other sources.
- Only 16% said they were significantly energised by their manager and a mere 9% by their leadership team or CEO. Respondents who said they were not full of energy at work said their prime source of energy was peers.
FIGURE 1. Q16 - Indicate who has the most positive impact on your energy at work
However, the customer is also the most energy draining factor at work, ahead of factors often thought to drain energy including as job structure, admin work, management, culture, politics and bureaucracy.
The following factors were shown to impact positively the customer connection:
- Level in organisation
The higher the respondents are in the organisation, the more the customer is the prime energising factor. - Time spent with customers
However, 1 in 3 directors and team members said they did not spend enough time with customers. - Knowing customer priorities
Knowing customer priorities has a positive effect on energy at work. Yet 30% of respondents do not regularly ask their customers for feedback - Looking for ways to exceed customer expectations
Regularly trying to exceed customer satisfaction has a positive impact on the level of energy at work. Yet 27% of respondents are not appraised on customer satisfaction. - Methods of Interaction
Most respondents found face-to-face interaction to be the most effective in working with customers, but nearly 50% use email as the primary form of communication. - Private versus Public Sector
Respondents working the private sector were more full of energy when compared with those in the public sector, they were more likely to be motivated by managers and less likely to have positive and productive relationships with customers. - Organisation size
Organisation size does not appear to be a factor, nor does the industry - so the view that smaller organisations are closer to the customer does not hold true.
Implications in summary
The relevance and significance of the customer connection on employee energy levels has been hugely underestimated.
When trying to generate rapid change it is vital to create a strong and productive connection between employees and customers. We believe there is scope for businesses to introduce simple yet powerful techniques to strengthen these connections and release energy for change.
Managers are usually considered to be the vital link in managing people’s performance, yet the research shows their role as energiser is limited. We believe that managers can stimulate greater productivity in their teams by helping their team members to have effective and productive customer connections.
The research bears out our experience on the ground. In the face of competing pressures, having the customer clearly in people’s line of sight cuts through the clutter and distractions of a change process. In our experience, the strategy starts to come to life only when the customer comes into the equation.