Employee Attitude Improves Customer Satisfaction

Measure Employees Job Satisfaction with Opinion and Attitude Surveys

Aug 29, 2009

Employee Attitude Affects Customer Satisfaction, Piotr Bizior

Business managers and owners can improve customer satisfaction and profitability by addressing employee attitudes using employee job satisfaction and attitude surveys.

Though excellent products and services, a strong financial picture, and a great business model are all important factors in business success, there may be nothing more important to the success of a business than customer satisfaction and employee job satisfaction.

Employee Attitudes Affect Customer Satisfaction

Studies show that attitudes of employees correlate closely with customer satisfaction, which correlates with business profitability.

Customers prefer to do business with employees who have positive attitudes and this preference brings customers back time and time again. Since it costs less to support a sale to a returning customer than attracting new customers, a high percentage of retained customers correlates with higher business profitability.

Measure Employee Job Satisfaction and Attitude

Business owners and managers can readily determine employee's job satisfaction and attitude with a job satisfaction survey. Free samples of employee attitude surveys are readily available. Two of the most widely validated are the Job Descriptive Index (JDI; Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969) and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ; Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967).

The Downside of Employee Satisfaction Surveys

There are risks involved with asking for employee opinions and attitudes. The business manager who seeks employee attitude information but fails to act on the resulting information may cause further deterioration in employee attitudes. Managers must recognize that measuring employee attitudes, whether by formal survey, focus groups, or informal discussions, implies a commitment to act on the information received. Failure to do so implies a lack of caring or concern for employee opinions.

Managers Can Affect Employee Attitude

Writing in "Creating a Positive Employee Attitude in the Workplace, " JoAnna Brandi notes, "Customers respond better to a company that provides them with a quality product at a fair price served up by positive, upbeat, can-do people...who wants to do business with a grump?"

Brandi offers seven suggestions for improving employee attitudes.

Be a good role model. Employees will reflect the attitudes of their management.
Practice positive self-talk within the work group. Positive thinking is contagious, as is negativity.
Ban whining and complaining.
Practice and teach win/win, looking for positive ways to solve problems for all stakeholders.
Eliminate drama, focusing instead on positive discussions based on facts and directed toward solving problems rather than placing blame.
Encourage brief stress-reduction techniques such as short meditations, deep breathing, and in-place exercises.
Focus on the present moment and solving current problems rather than re-living the past.

Managing Employee Negative Attitudes

Help employees shift their attitudes from negative to positive. Barbara Brown, writing in "Improving Employee Attitudes" suggests a list of nine behaviors that help negative employees understand behaviors they can take to change their attitudes. These include:

Taking the initiative to begin work tasks.
Taking on new assignments on own initiative.
Being resilient in adapting to changing environments and needs of the job. Give new ways a try even if initially skeptical.
Willingly implement changes even if disagreeing with them.
Working efficiently to complete assignments.
Focusing on opportunities and what can work rather than what can't work.
Performing assignments in a positive way, with positive interactions with customers and co-workers.

Positive Employee Attitudes Improve Profitability

Business managers can implement a customer satisfaction program, beginning with measuring and addressing employee attitudes and job satisfaction to increase customer retention and improve business profitability.

For more ways to help employees improve attitude, see Positive Attitude in a Personal Growth Plan.

Help employees succeed with the information in The Complete Process for Finding Career Success.

The copyright of the article Employee Attitude Improves Customer Satisfaction in Customer Relations is owned by Jerry Lopper. Permission to republish Employee Attitude Improves Customer Satisfaction in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.