Customers or Employees – Who’s More Important?

Who's more important - Customers or Employees?

Customer service is very important to business success. So as a leadership consultant and employee trainer, I’m asked to provide customer service training frequently. Employers want their employees to serve their clients or customers better to increase revenue. But here’s an important question for every manager to consider: Of your company’s customers or employees – who’s more important?

An employer’s focus on the customer makes sense. The customer brings in the revenue, so serving the customer will make a positive impact there. The employee, often, is viewed as an expense – something to be controlled and managed. So the customer is deemed more important. Don’t treat your employees like employees.

In this image, I use an optical illusion effect made popular by Joseph Jastrow. He shows that our perception can make one thing seem bigger than the other, when in fact they are the same size. The same is true for the relative importance of your customers or employees. Treat them with equal importance. Here’s how:

  • Ask your team how to keep them more satisfied in the workplace – listen and improve
  • Think of your employees as assets or talent, rather than expenses
  • Never interrupt your employees when they are serving a customer
  • Always treat your employees with respect – always
  • Keep your employees happy – and they’ll keep your customers happy

Constantly reassure your people that you think neither customers nor employees are more important to your company. They are equal. Your business can’t succeed without both. You haven’t peaked yet!