Recognising staff that go above and beyond is vital and rewarding them is a great tool for staff retention.  Feeling valued in your job makes you want to stay in your – it is that simple!  Staff retention creates a team of engaged people who want to do their best and this will result in more growth for your business.

Recognising positive behaviours are small steps to creating a big difference in increased satisfaction for the customers.  Look out for the following:

• Are customers being greeted when they enter your business?
• Is the greeting friendly and inviting?
• Are customers being approached with an offer of help?
• Do your staff attempt to build rapport?
• Do your staff have knowledge of your products and services that they pass on confidently?
• Do your staff attempt to add on to the sale?
• Are all customers being farewelled and invited to return?

Winning the loyalty of your staff will enable you to win the loyalty of your customers!

Imagine working in a business where you are not valued, never complimented and are just another employee.  You go work each day and you start to do only the bare minimum as you do not see the point in giving your best when you are never recognized.  You will become discouraged and this will definitely be picked up by customers.

On the other hand, imagine working for a business that values you and encourages you to do your best each and every day.  You become more focused and want to do well for them and their business.  You will then be more motivated to provide top service to each and every customer who will return if they receive great service.

“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” – Simon Sinek

Building a customer base from loyal returning customers will provide your business with many advantages, including:

• Increased sales and profits
• Increased productivity
• Greater employee satisfaction
• Good social media feedback which is becoming more and more important
• Reduced marketing costs
• Loyalty from customers
• Enhanced Teamwork between employees
• Retention of quality staff increased    

See the below article on a business in Singapore and how they achieve Customer Loyalty!

The Singapore National Eye Center has a unique approach to improve customer loyalty and boost staff morale. It does so without spending a fortune in the process. In the attractive main lobby, management simply posts customer compliments in a prominent area called the “Staff Recognition Center.”

Alongside each letter hangs a picture of the staff member cited, and a certificate of appreciation signed by the Managing Director.

Imagine how these staff members feel when they come to work each morning. Just walking through the lobby they know they are appreciated – not only by their customers, but also by their organization. Imagine how customers feel when they come for their appointments.

They already anticipate receiving good service, and are more likely to express their appreciation when they get it. This is win–win–win at its best: the customer wins, the staff wins, and the National Eye Center wins.

Why does this improve customer loyalty?

This effort will improve customer loyalty by rewarding staff, empowering customers and providing the company feedback. Although simple, the program is highly visible and customers do take notice.

Key Learning Point To Improve Customer Loyalty

If you’ve been searching for a way to increase morale and inspire customer loyalty, the solution is simple. You can follow the Singapore National Eye Center’s lead. When compliments arrive, be sure to share the news – not just in the staff cafeteria or the in-house newsletter. Make sure customer know their input matters, too. Improve customer loyalty in this manner and everyone will notice.

Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission. Ron Kaufman is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling “Uplifting Service” book and founder of Uplifting Service. To enjoy more customer service training and service culture articles, visit UpliftingService.com.

How we can help

Customer Care helps many businesses recognise and reward their staff and the process is simple:

• The business chooses what they want to test – this can be either whether the staff member encouraged add on sales, asking of open ended questions, an invitation to return etc
• We then send shoppers in and test the KPI
• If the staff member is successful, the shopper will identify them and tell them that they have done a great job and the Manager will receive a copy of the report
• The Manager can then reward the staff member with a voucher or something similar
• The report showing the success could then be put on a staff noticeboard or in a newsletter

What really matters in any workplace is the management helping the employees feel appreciated.  Appreciation is a fundamental human need and appreciation of the work your staff do through recognition confirms that their work is valued by others.   

Pip Elliott, General Manager, Roy Morgan Research NZ, says:

“Overall, New Zealanders in paid employment are a contented bunch. More than three quarters of them are satisfied with their jobs. 

“Our findings indicate that an employee’s job satisfaction is influenced by key certain factors. As expected, a healthy pay packet is one of them, but recognition for one’s work is the most important.

Talk to Customer Care regarding the implementation of an Instant Reward Programme.