This is a given. Having emotionally intelligent employees will help any organization dive into the great divide of providing a spectacular customer experience, at any given point in time. Are you aware that 90% of top performers in various businesses have ‘Emotional Intelligence’ in common? Their levels of self-awareness and self-management get them ahead and may even outrank their colleagues who have elevated levels of IQ – because IQ is simply not enough – when trying to satisfy your end customers.
Now you must wonder what ‘Emotional Intelligence’ really is. It is simply the ability for an individual to recognize their own emotion alongside other people’s emotions, distinguish between different feelings and label them correctly, use emotional information to guide their thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve their goals.
In the business world, high EQ levels in leaders will certainly foster stronger emotional connections with employees. But, do keep in mind that it’s also important to encourage your employees to utilize an EQ approach in their day-to-day responsibilities, especially, in terms of nurturing meaningful customer experiences to increase brand loyalty and to increase your customer base – because you can never get enough of an increasing, loyal army of followers.
Emotional Intelligence is for Everyone
EQ is for everyone – starting from your front-line managers to your front-line executives. There is no difference there. If you look at your front-line customer executives, they have to deal with various customers who are indifferent, hostile and simply difficult and it can be a nightmare for them. And it is obvious that situations of this nature can wear out these executives down, reduce a positive attitude towards their work and result in low levels of employee engagement. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?
When you provide a foundation that creates an experience that engages your customers as well as your employees, they are bound to feel valued, respected and will continue to work harder towards your business goals. EQ is essential to foster empathy within your employees and will lead to an outstanding customer experience. Without EQ, your employees will not be able to turn a negative customer experience into a positive one. Including EQ will empower your employees to translate the crappiest customer experiences into the best out of the rest and will ensure great customer interactions sooner than later.
An Empathetic Workplace is Always Great!
You should also know that emotional intelligence is crucial to empathy, engagement, and productivity. And, with advancements of technology, you can always understand how your employees are feeling about their day-to-day tasks, their colleagues, their work environment by using a voice of employee solution – which will help you make better decisions on what would serve best for your employees. This will make your employees feel special, put them at ease, and in emotion management, reduce stress levels and encourage positive feelings. When a company advocates this, employees will show compassion and nurture a supportive emotional culture. With employees of this nature, your customers will be satisfied and your business will thrive, way up high.
Empower Your Employees with EQ
This is essential and is possibly one of the best employee engagement success factors as well. When your employees are empowered to act with emotional intelligence, it will eventually help them build stronger customer relationships. It’s equally important for you to provide a voice of customer foundation that empowers your employees to empathize, engage and connect with customers sincerely. Having this foundation in place would help them go beyond delivering merely good customer service and translate it into a great customer experience that is informed by listening to the voice of your customers via an emotionally intelligent platform.
Nurture EQ for an Enhanced Customer Experience
When an organization uses an emotionally intelligent approach, it creates a positive, overall customer experience – where customers will feel great about the interaction they had with your employees and your employees will feel great about making a positive difference in your customers’ lives. A win-win situation right there.
Keep in mind, at the end of the day, your customers can make or break your brand. So long, as you ensure to create positive customer experiences that keep them happy, you’re safe in their hands.