INSIGHTS
Should organizations think of employees as their customers?

When most organizations think of their ‘customers’, they think of the people buying the product or service they’re putting out there. But if you want to drive sales, you need your employees to buy into your mission and values. So, is it better to be selling your brand to your employees first and foremost? At SSP Group, we believe this is important.

Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a real shift in work culture across the globe. Employees expect more from their workplace – they want purpose¹ and progression opportunities, and they want their voice to be heard by the higher-ups.

Employers are understanding that they need to do more to create a positive culture that meets their employees’ needs. So is it that much of a leap to argue that businesses should think of their employees as customers that they need to sell to?

I’d say this is especially true in support functions, where I’ve worked for over eight years. We’re there to make the business run better so that it can drive profit, growth, or whatever the organization’s goals are, that’s true. But when we think about how we do that, who our services benefit first and foremost, it’s really operations and frontline employees we need to think about.

Let’s dive a bit deeper into how support functions can shift their mindsets to work seamlessly with operations and the shop floor.

As support functions, who is our customer?

Let me be clear – I’m not saying that we ditch the notion of customers being the people who actually make purchases. Without them, you wouldn’t have a business to speak of. But you could say the same about your workforce too.

In support functions, we’re here to support the business. In my case, that’s by providing L&D to employees across SSP Group, a global hospitality, travel food, and beverage provider. For me, it’s about empowering our operations managers to develop themselves and their teams – they’re my customers. If we do our jobs in support functions, the people we’re actually providing our services to will be in a better position to do their job – looking after the consumer.

To me, the key challenge in allowing support functions to serve our customers – namely operations managers – is the disconnect we can sometimes find between our departments and those on the ‘frontline’. Just as a salesperson needs to understand their customer’s unique challenges and desires to sell them the right product, support functions need to get on the same page as our operations teams to give them the best possible service.

Closing the gap between support services and operations

So, how do we go about bridging the gap that can appear between support functions and operations? These are the top three things that, in my experience, help to do just that.

1. Mutual dependence

We need to know what to expect of each other, with really clear communication on both sides. Without support functions, operations teams wouldn’t have the backup they need to excel. Without buy-in from operations, support teams would be obsolete.

2. Role clarity and collaboration

Organization charts for big companies can be complicated, but we need to be clear on who does what and how we can work together. Maybe I need to bring in a skilled manager to help me develop a new L&D module, or maybe that manager needs me to create a new tool to help their employees with a challenge.

3. Communication and feedback

Just as you might ask consumers to let you know what they think of a new product, support functions need to get feedback from operations. Is our support helping? Do we need to make a change? Are we missing something important?

The importance of being real

The thread that ties all of this together is, in my opinion, being real. Clarity, communication, authenticity – they all help both sides of the business to get a realistic picture of what’s going on. Working in support functions, we need to know the good, bad, and ugly reality of life in operations to serve those teams properly.

My own role in support functions is helped massively by my 10 years’ experience as an operations manager. I remember the pressures and challenges that come with the role, and I can use that to relate to the teams I’m working with and find solutions that take those realities into account.

Of course, not everyone in a support function role is going to have that hands-on experience. That’s okay, but it means being real becomes even more important. You need to get down there onto the shop floor, speaking to managers and other staff – not as a PR opportunity, but as a chance to really understand the ins and outs of the job.

I remember one occasion during my time as an operations manager when I was expecting a visit from my area manager. Of course, on that same day, we were extremely short-staffed and had a huge delivery to put out. I was rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck in to help my team when my manager arrived expecting me to drop everything and show him around the store. Instead, I handed him a box and told him the quicker we got this delivery out, the sooner I’d be able to give him my attention. He probably could have summoned me for a disciplinary on the spot, but instead, he appreciated my honesty and was happy to help.

That brings me to my final point – your operations managers need to know why you’re there, too. You don’t want them to put on a show and give you the highlight reel of how great their store is and what a skilled team they have. They need to let you know what’s going well, yes, but more importantly, what isn’t. Where do they need your support, and how can you empower them and their teams to sell to their customer – the consumer?

Thinking of operations teams as support teams’ customers comes with a huge mindset shift. Just like businesses need to get to know their consumers so they can meet their needs, you’ll need to embed yourself in the world of operations to provide the best service for your customers.

 As the workplace continues to shift in response to the pandemic and the new normal that came after it, I’m looking forward to more of these conversations about creating workplace cultures that don’t just look good on paper, but actually benefit every employee every day.