Customer Service and Employee Relationships

Kindness in the Workplace, Stories of Kindness

Benefits to Customers, Employees, and the Whole Organization

Customer Service and Employee Relationships go hand in hand. Organizations with strong customer service programs benefit from stronger relationships between their customers and employees. When customer satisfaction is high, job satisfaction, retention, and engagement all follow.

When companies are intentional with providing clients with quality service, they not only are more likely to create repeat business but also lead to a more positive workplace environment for staff. Happy customers create positive places to work. Something I was reminded of recently, however, is that these gestures of quality customer service also create opportunities for employees to build better relationships with clients.

Tea or Coffee?

Fellow traveling tea drinkers are totally going to relate.

Recently while traveling in Nashville I needed a “good” cup of tea. I stopped at the front desk to inquire if there was any place in the hotel to get boiling water.

The front desk clerk politely replied, “Would you like me to send a water kettle up to your room?”

I squealed in delight, “YES please!”

Something tea drinkers know, that maybe coffee drinkers don’t, is that making tea by boiling water through the coffee maker just tastes, well, like coffee. It’s terrible. Not gonna knock the stuff just isn’t worth drinking. Plus, I admit I am a little bit of a tea snob. And yes, I do carry my own Harney and Sons Fine Teas, Earl Grey Supreme loose tea bags with me when I travel.

A Brilliant Surprise

Not sure I’d ever thought that a hotel would provide a water kettle to a room, but it’s brilliant. To be honest, it has been one of my new favorite ways a hotel has provided exceptional customer service with just a little extra effort.

Providing something that isn’t quite the norm but will make many of your travelers equally happy. By the way, instant oatmeal is also terrible with coffee maker water…

She continued to explain, “We get lots of British travelers here in Nashville, so we have several on hand.” The hotel managers had really taken note of what their customers and employees were experiencing firsthand. Although a small solution, I’m sure it’s saved their staff all kinds of time instead of running individual pots or making rounds to refresh.

Knowing Thy Customer

My husband and I have discussed that a lovely cup of brewed tea is such a simple pleasure and one that we enjoy daily. Being able to have a hot well-brewed cup of tea in my hotel room certainly made me smile several times.

Grateful for the simple pleasures while traveling recently. I look forward to seeing how other hotels offer unique ways of enhancing their customer service, and as a result, strengthening the relationships their customers have with employees.

Join the conversation with me on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear what other unique hospitality, or any other strategies you’ve seen to strengthen customer service and employee relationships.