![\"Employee](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/recognition.jpg\")
\nThe third post in our Customer Service Week series by Samantha Saunders examines the importance of employee engagement and recognition.<\/strong><\/p>\n Recognition: Celebrate your customer service heroes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n At OmniServ, our biggest single UK contract is with Heathrow Airport, where we deliver assistance for passengers classified as PRM — People with Reduced Mobility. That\u2019s an industry and government definition; to us they are part of our valued customer base.<\/p>\n Heathrow is one of the world\u2019s busiest international passenger airports, and around 1.2 million PRM passengers use it every year. We also provide PRM services at Liverpool, Edinburgh, Stansted and now Manchester Airport, adding up to 1.8 million passengers a year needing assistance. OmniServ\u2019s other airport responsibilities include Portering, Bussing and Coaching solutions, Security, Airline Check-In and Baggage Handling, Aircraft Services, Cleaning and, through our travel retail division, Blackjack Promotions, Brand Ambassadors and Retail Hosts.<\/p>\n These varied services have one thing in common: they directly impact the consumer experience.<\/p>\n Research clearly shows that in businesses like ours, one of the first steps to delivering enhanced customer experience is to engage employees and energise them by recognising and sharing examples of great service delivery and positive customer feedback.<\/p>\n A 2017 report from CX experts the Medallia Institute highlighted the importance of involving team members. The report states that \u201cemployees are highly accurate in their assessments of customer satisfaction and the quality of their company\u2019s service delivery. If you give them more opportunities to share their insights and suggestions, you\u2019ll be far better equipped to understand and respond to your customers.\u201d<\/p>\n The teams on the \u2018front line\u2019 with direct customer experience can provide great insight and feedback on how they feel their own performance could be improved.<\/p>\n Research also clearly supports the argument that the morale and engagement of employees directly impact customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction directly impacts how well companies perform \u2013 a point which management consultancy Bain & Co has been making for many years.<\/p>\n Maurice Fitzgerald, former VP of Customer Experience for HP and HPE’s $4bn software division, says \u201cin high-touch businesses\u201d \u2013 ones where direct employee-customer contact is high \u2013 \u201cvariations in employee satisfaction explain 16.8% of the variations in customer satisfaction. Among well-represented industries, the nine hotel chains top the list at 61.8%, followed by 17 supermarket chains at 49.1%.\u201d<\/p>\n OmniServ is very definitely a \u201chigh touch\u201d business and our experience is that engaged and motivated employees contribute in a big way to customer experience.<\/p>\n Customer services companies \u2013 a category I would include OmniServ in \u2013 need to be talking to their staff and their customers, to find out what both groups think are important and what both groups think the company is doing well and needs improvement<\/p>\n It\u2019s also incredibly important to thank team members and reward them for doing an outstanding job, because if they feel part of the family, this will be reflected in their daily interactions.<\/p>\n At OmniServ, we have a variety of ways to thank staff. For example, we have the 110% Club program that recognizes employees who have really gone \u2018above and beyond\u2019 in delivering services. Those who score most highly are rewarded with trips to interesting and glamourous locations \u2013 but there is always an element of learning about customer service involved, to reinforce the key message, that customer service drives our business.<\/p>\n Other articles in this series:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n