Engage 2.0

Engaging employees and customers is a source of competitive advantage in a world of increasingly commoditized offerings. But engaging employees and customers is not easy. Engaging people is an every day activity not a once in a while event. This means hardwiring the voice of the employee and the customer into the DNA of an organization. We call this ongoing process Engage 2.0.

1. Adopt a coordinated and integrated approach to employee and customer engagement. This means:
   
   
   • Using a consistent definition and approach to measurement
   • Providing customer feedback to employees
   • Encouraging dialogue and discussion between employees and customers
2. Take advantage of the principles of Web 2.0. Use online tools to create bottom-up feedback loops with employees and customers.
   
   
3. Take the pulse of employees and customers on a regular basis to assess progress and identify areas still in need of improvement.
   
   
4. Abandon the paternalistic management style of the past and encourage employees to take a shared responsibility for their engagement.
   
   
   • Employees who take personal responsibility for their own levels of engagement have dramatically higher levels of engagement than those who do not. The secret is to provide employees with tools to help them measure and pinpoint the areas that will help to engage them more.
5. Take a deliberate and organized approach to acting on employee and customer feedback.
   
   
6. Use customer feedback to identify development opportunities and reward and recognize employees for doing the right thing, specifically:
   
   
   • At-Risk Customer Management: Allows marketing managers to follow up with customers who have had a poor experience immediately after it happens.
   • Service Excellence Management: Ensures customer-facing employees are given recognition based on positive customer feedback.

PeopleMetrics has developed a series of measurement techniques and online tools that support Engage 2.0. To learn more about Engage 2.0 and the tools PeopleMetrics has available to support companies in fostering continuous engagement of employees and customers, please contact us.