Customer satisfaction through employee engagement
The starting point
Haberkorn is Austria’s largest technical supplier. Customer satisfaction is a significant aspect of the company vision. For this reason, they started measuring customer satisfaction years ago, tracking overall satisfaction, net promoter score, internal sales, external sales – all the important indicators were regularly quantified.
However, the question arose internally as to whether one could initiate changes simply based on these indicators. What conclusions could be drawn from the NPS falling a few percentage points when simultaneously satisfaction level with respect to internal and external sales did not change? In order for Haberkorn to realize its vision of the greatest customer satisfaction, a new approach was needed.
Our assignment
The topic of customer orientation was not a new one at Haberkorn. So far, it had neither permeated the internal culture nor the daily business practices significantly. It was our task to turn customer orientation into an effective management tool and embed it into their everyday business practices.
Implementation
We consciously approached this assignment with an eye on the micro-tasks and daily challenges of establishing customer orientation....
"We constantly ask customer and observe the changes, but do not know specifically how to react to these findings."
Our answer: A deeper analysis of customer needs revealed the drivers of customer satisfaction – not just whether or not the customer is satisfied. Operationalizing the drivers of satisfaction ensures that we can address the areas in which change is needed and streamline the measurement process.
"How do our employees learn to recognize and apply the drivers of customer satisfaction?"
Our answer: Get everyone involved. A driver model that was developed and approved in a number of workshops was conveyed to employees across all departments through train-the-trainer sessions and a collaboratively designed card game.
"Now that everyone is motivated and knows what to do – how do we make it happen?"
Our answer: Bottom-up & Top-down. The departments independently develop measures that they can implement within their departments. Simultaneously, certain select projects were initiated. All projects ran through a continuous improvement process (CIP). This ensures that striving for improved customer satisfaction is a matter of daily business for every employee.
"It’s working! How do we keep it that way?"
Our answer: Throughout the entire project Haberkorn proactively informed the workforce. The employee magazine, the intranet, posters in the reception area, flyer and a project logo increase the visibility and perceptibility of this topic.
By tackling this with both individual and broader initiatives, the greatest possible customer satisfaction has become a Haberkorn value that is actively practiced. The effects of this can be observed in the overwhelmingly positive customer feedback. By printing their positive comments on flyers and hanging them up in all their branches even after the project was concluded, continues to sustain the spirit of these initiatives.
Drivers of success in this project
- Participatory approach through customer and employee interviews
- Quantification of the relevance of customer satisfaction drivers
- Playful concept implementation among employees
- Train-the-Trainer approach in implementing changes company-wid