The importance of employee and customer satisfaction

A lot has been said in press and books that link employee satisfaction to customer satisfaction. It is a logical link, isn't it? An employee who is not engaged wouldn't necessarily engage a customer in a way that generates sales or revenues - that is why there was this Best Employers Study recently.

Optus of Australia, partially owned by Singapore Telecommunications is said to be in a peculiar or endangered situation. Apparently, their engagement level, as measured by Hewitt Associates has dropped from 48 per cent in November 2003, placed in the indifferent zone, to 40 per cent, at the edge of the serious zone.

Simultaneously, major customer accounts appear threatened. A study by McKinsey found that Optus is company at risk of losing $140 million (Not clear if this means US$ or AUD) in voice and data contracts.

This shows once again that it is very important, if not crucial, to dedicate sufficient time to employees. May be there is also a relation to the outsourced customer service?

(By Asia Business Consulting)