We’ve all been there: interacting with a store employee or customer service representative only to feel immediately of their distain and frustration with their job. There are many factors that can lead to frustration, but one of the most common is working for an organization with a bad company culture, especially one that isn’t transparent. Companies that aren’t transparent are full of office politics, bureaucracy, and nonsense and don’t make employees excited to come to work. That culture can quickly seep into the customer experience and make it difficult for customers to enjoy simple interactions with employees.
To improve the customer experience, you must start with the employees and the overall company culture. Employees across multiple industries say transparency is one of the most important things about a workplace—instead of feeling like just a cog in the machine, transparency helps employees see their place and helps them feel valued at work.
There are a number of things that can be done to improve transparency, and they all start from the top down. When leadership is open and honest with employees and shows it cares about them, that feeling will filter through the company until it becomes a strong part of the culture. Common practices to improve transparency include the following:
Honest communication. Transparency starts when leadership is open and honest with employees, which means they have to interact with employees, especially those on the front lines. This can happen through company-wide meetings or small group interactions. In larger companies where it can be difficult for executives to visit the contact centers to talk with employees, leaders can record videos with company news and updates to broadcast instead so every employee gets involved.
Open doors. Even something as simple as opening an office door can have a huge affect on transparency. An open door shows there’s nothing to hide and that the manager or leader is open to sharing and to suggestions. Encouraging employees to open their doors whenever possible creates a culture where information can more easily be shared.
Collaboration technology. Employees who feel isolated from the rest of the company can easily get frustrated and feel they don’t belong. Providing collaboration technology to front-line employees, like cloud software or instant messaging, can allow them to always be in the know with what is happening in other parts of the company.
Share news. Find a way to candidly share updates with employees, whether it’s a newsletter, email update, or in-person chat. Transparency means every employee knows what’s going on, and that doesn’t happen unless information is shared. It also means sharing more than just the good news—if there are rumors swirling around or if the company is going through a rough patch, be open and address that with employees. It’s better they get information straight from the source than to hear different versions from other sources; plus, it helps them feel invested in the success of the company.
A lack of transparency can cause stress for employees, especially if they are worried about their job security. Improving transparency throughout the organization can create a more cohesive place to work, which will almost immediately be felt by customers throughout the company.
Blake Morgan - www.forbes.com
