Business VoIP and the Engaged Employee - Are You Missing Opportunities?

Customer satisfaction is a phrase used often in the business environment, but it generally refers to those customers outside of the company. How often does satisfaction focus on the internal customer base – the employee base? Their satisfaction is just as important as that of the external base if the company hopes to succeed.

Business VoIP provider, Nextiva, recently posted a blog highlighting the importance of employee satisfaction and engagement. The focus of the blog was Ann Rhoades, an expert in the area of employee engagement who believes in engaging and paying attention to the people responsible for carrying out the vision of the company.

A veteran of Southwest Airlines, Rhoades helped to found JetBlue Airways and today still sits on its board. She published a book on how to create a culture that the competition will envy. While building such a culture is possible, there are also specific mistakes to be avoided. The first – failing to survey employees.

Gather Feedback from Employees

Companies throughout multiple industries use survey tools via business VoIP platforms to capture feedback from the customer, but how many do the same thing with the employee base? This is an excellent tool to measure the level of engagement in an employee and how they feel about the environment overall. Do they plan to stay for the long-term? How do they feel about the training program? How do they like their supervisor?

This last question is essential as 80 to 90 percent of employees will leave a company because of their supervisor, according to Rhoades. To help ensure staff will respond honestly, use a platform like SurveyMonkey that allows for anonymity.

Don’t Hover on Mistakes

Too much focus on mistakes is another strategy to avoid. Negative reinforcement can easily kill engagement; especially if that is the only time the supervisor interacts with the employee. Of course mistakes have to be acknowledged so as to avoid repeating them in the future. But employees who already have a relationship with the supervisor based on positive experiences, they are more open to guidance when a problem occurs.

Motivation is not Always Based on Money

It’s easy to assume that employees will be more engaged and do a better job if they get more money to do so. But the employee only motivated by money is not likely to be engaged for the long haul. Those with an active interest in seeing the company succeed want authentic and meaningful recognition.

Nextiva spends considerable time working with companies to determine their communications needs, often delivering comprehensive business VoIP solutions to fit the environment. When those solutions are blended with the right internal strategies, the company is better positioned for success.