Have you ever known the concepts of CX and EX? EX is: employee experience Employee Experience (EX), and CX is Customer Experience (CX) – customer experience. Let’s find out from the perspective of EX to CX
A classic dialogue between CFO and CEO once made waves in the management world:
CFO: “What happens if we invest in our employees, but then they leave?” CEO: “What if we don’t invest in our employees, and they stay?”
This question is not only a wake-up call about the value of Employee Experience (EX), but also a reminder of the inseparable relationship between EX and Customer Experience (CX). In the modern business context, when many businesses chase customers at all costs, they may be “trying to please” customers but forget that their employees also need attention, care and conditions to develop.
EX and CX – A cause and effect relationship
We all know that customer experience (CX) can make a big difference in business. But what is less noticed is that employee experience (EX) has a direct cause-and-effect relationship with CX. An employee who works in a good, recognized and motivated environment will serve customers with more positive energy, more creativity and more dedication. Conversely, an employee who is pressured, unappreciated, and unable to find meaning in their work can turn every customer interaction into a lackluster, even negative, experience.
Gallup research shows that companies with high levels of employee engagement often have a 10% higher customer satisfaction index and an average 20% increase in revenue compared to companies that do not focus on EX. So what happens if we only focus on CX and forget EX?
Trying to please customers but forgetting about staff – A high price
Imagine a luxury hotel, where the receptionist must always smile and handle all guest requests with the most perfect attitude. But if the hotel’s internal staff does not care about their welfare, does not listen to their opinions, and does not even create opportunities for them to develop, that smile will quickly become an “industrial smile”. Gradually, employees become exhausted and lose motivation, leading to mass turnover – and CX also declines.
A typical example is the aviation industry. When an airline focuses only on customer satisfaction without ensuring good working conditions for employees, the result is strikes, service decline and customer loyalty is seriously affected. CX cannot be sustained if EX is not invested.
Create an environment where both employees and customers are ” pampered “
So what do businesses need to do to avoid falling into the trap of “trying to please customers” and forgetting about employees? Here are some suggestions:
- Listen to employees the same way you listen to customers
- Conduct employee satisfaction surveys.
- Build a two-way feedback system where employees can contribute ideas and receive timely feedback.
- Invest in training and development
- Provide opportunities for learning and advancement.
- Make sure employees have enough tools and skills to do their work effectively.
- Create a positive working environment
- Balance between work pressure and benefits.
- Build a corporate culture based on respect and recognition of employee contributions
- Integrate EX and CX in business strategy
- Recognize that employees are not only executors but also “internal customers” of the business.
- Include EX in business KPIs to ensure that taking care of employees is not just a slogan but a real strategy.
Conclusion
If a business only “tries to please” customers and forgets about its employees, sooner or later, the customers themselves will feel the deterioration in the experience they receive. On the contrary, if a business takes care of both employees and customers, the brand experience will be enhanced naturally and sustainably. When EX is properly invested, CX will no longer be an exhausting race but become a positive cycle, where both employees and customers feel happy when accompanying the brand.
