I’m not talking about Black Friday and what customer experience strategies retailers employ to entice shoppers to part with their hard earned cash.
I’m talking about the Thanksgiving holiday and the positive effects vacation time has on employees and consequently customer experience.
Today is Canadian thanksgiving.
As people are celebrating with their friends and family around a turkey dinner, they’re also improving the customer experience.
Yes, customer experience.
We all know time away is a good thing.
Vacation allows us time to relax and enjoy doing things outside of work. It’s a way to balance out our lives with other activities that are not work related and with people outside of work.
We regularly hear about the studies conducted on work-life balance and the direct correlation they have on our health.
One study in 2015 showed that working long hours is linked to significantly higher risk of stroke.
You could say vacation time is a health imperative!
It’s also good for business and customer experience.
There is a strong correlation between employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and company profitability.
A recent article by the Independent cited that a number of Swedish companies “are moving to a six-hour working day in a bid to increase productivity and make people happier”.
The results are impressive.
“Toyota centres in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, made the switch 13 years ago, with the company reporting happier staff, a lower turnover rate, and an increase in profits in that time.”
Employees got more done in less time, were happier and had more energy both at work and in their spare time. They also took less time off.
It just makes sense when you think about it.
Happy employees enjoy what they do and are proud of the company they work at.
It shows in their willingness to help customers and go the extra mile to ensure customers are having a good experience.
Customers in turn can sense when an employee is genuinely sincere in their energy or faking a smile or thank you.
Companies are rewarded accordingly.
Vacation allows us to recharge so when we do come back to work, we can do so with renewed energy.
The happier and more engaged your employees are, the happier and more engaged your customers are.
The happier and more engaged your customers are, the more profitable your business is.
So to all you Canadians out there sitting down to turkey dinner (and to all of you that take the time to enjoy vacation doing the things that bring you joy and energy) just remember, that bite of turkey with stuffing is not just delicious, it’s good for your health, your customers and your company!
Happy Thanksgiving!