Talking CX: How to Build a Winning Team Culture and the Importance of Empathy.

Cheerful employees will likely be more productive and deliver an exceptional customer experience (CX). Yet empowering your team to work at their best is easier said than done.

We spoke to Rhian Anstey, insight6 specialist for North Wales and Chester, to discuss how to create a winning team culture and the importance of empathy.

Name: Rhian Anstey?

Location: Chester and North Wales??

Joined insight6: February 2021?

Previous job: Rhian owned her own franchised Vodafone stores.??

Professional background: Rhian knows customers inside out, having spent her whole career in retail. Rhian’s experience took her from managing high-street jewellery stores for Ernest Jones to setting up a retail telecoms business.??

What is the one thing a business must get right to improve the customer experience?

For me, it starts with your people. You are more likely to deliver a positive customer experience (CX) with a positive culture in your workforce.?If your team aren’t happy or engaged at work, it will translate to your service and customers.

Businesses are facing challenging times, particularly on the staffing front. It is getting harder to attract and retain talent, so it’s essential that you know how your team feel to show them they are cared for and valued.

I'm a fan of Stephen Covey's concept of an 'Emotional Bank Account' as a great way to foster relationships, a system of emotional deposits and withdrawals. I've used this concept with teams. I'd invest in someone's emotional bank account so that when I needed to lean on them for extra support, they were willing to do so. I think that a two-way relationship with your team is essential.??

What advice would you give a business looking to create a positive team culture??

I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a culture where everyone feels heard. Winning teams have the autonomy to make proactive decisions within their role knowing their manager has their back.??

Winning teams are given the autonomy to make proactive decisions within their role knowing their manager has their back - Rhian Anstey, insight6.??

I think companies that operate in a traditional top-down pyramid structure are the ones that struggle the most in creating a positive team culture.?People at the bottom of the pyramid often deal with customers daily; therefore, they can offer you valuable insight from an operational and customer perspective.

An immense frustration for customers is when the person they are dealing with needs more information or authority to solve their problems. Then, it becomes a lengthy process of working up the chain of command. Instead, empowering your team to deal with and resolve situations is best.

Good two-way communication across the business is critical to success – ensuring that it doesn’t get diluted as it goes up or down the chain.???

What are some of the barriers to creating a winning culture???

When a business is weighed down by its procedures, it can quickly lose empathy for the customer and its employees. You must step back and think, ‘how would I feel if I was going through this scenario?’?I have worked closely with Moneypenny over the last year, and they offer a great guide on how to build empathy into customer care.

I would like to let you know that feedback is important. The one simple (but essential) thing leaders can do to improve employee engagement is regularly check in with employees.?Conducting an annual survey and failing to act on the results wastes everybody's time; this approach offers no value, and your team will see that and are unlikely to engage with it truthfully.

You need access to fast,?actionable feedback?from your team that makes them feel highly motivated, engaged and respected.??

At insight6, we offer a total feedback solution -?instant insight. Our system?can analyse the feedback from your team and customers. Moreover, the system will enable you to benchmark your business against others within your sector, helping you achieve a world-class customer AND employee experience.

Who do you think is at the top of their game from a CX point of view? And why???

I recently attended a Moneypenny - the UK's leading provider of outsourced telephone and web-based communications - culture day and was blown away by its attitude towards support and culture.?

As a firm, Moneypenny emphasises employees making their workspace personal by encouraging photographs and personal items to be around. They understand that their employees spend much of their time at work and want them to feel happy and comfortable.?

Moneypenny regularly asks their employees for ways to improve the workplace. The team suggested adding a bar so the team could socialise and celebrate success together! A bar was installed in the building, a perfect example of listening and acting upon feedback.

Other initiatives they have implemented based on feedback range from a green ambassador to create an eco-strategy for the company, borrow-a-bike for lunchtime cycles and work clubs to bring employees to get together. The company's attention to culture shows; the teams are happy, and you get a sense that they genuinely love where they work and are part of a community.??

Could you tell us about a bad customer experience? ?

Naturally, I’m fussy about the customer experience, given my retail background! I understand that mistakes happen, but what interests me is how these things are dealt with. That's why a career in CX was a great move!

One experience has stuck with me. I was recently disappointed with the service when ordering a new car from my local car dealership - I had bought three cars from them previously without a problem, and I was a loyal customer.

The new car was due in December, so I called them when I heard nothing. They told me they were sorry, but there had been a delay, which would be another two weeks. After two weeks, I had to call them again to be told that ‘they had just received an email to say it would now be January’. The same thing happened again in January. ?

A car is a high-ticket item, and, like most of us, I rely on a vehicle to get around. I understand there have been issues with stock supply, but I felt the dealership in this scenario was trying to avoid delivering bad news.?

As a valued customer, I would have appreciated an honest conversation to help manage my expectations. The lack of communication made me feel they had the sale and no longer saw the value in staying in touch. This is very shortsighted, given my lifetime customer value.

Unfortunately, for that dealership, I cancelled my order for the car I wanted and bought a car I liked less with another dealership. The service from the new dealership was greater, which made all the difference.?

What attracted you to the insight6 franchise? Why did you want to own a CX business?

Having built up a lengthy retail career, I was ready to go it alone and focus on helping others to deliver excellent customer experiences using my expertise.??

In 2019, I bought two Vodafone stores in Wales and built the company to enable me to open a third store in England. But then the pandemic hit, and I had no way of moving my business online due to the nature of the franchise agreement.

Then, I found the insight6 franchise opportunity. I ran the two franchise businesses alongside each other?for the first 18 months. Still, I realised my passion was helping other businesses grow, so I decided to move away from the Vodafone franchise in August 2022.

I enjoy a challenge and the managing my own insight6 franchise is pushing me to grow professionally - Rhian Anstey, insight6.

The fact that insight6 delivers customer experience (CX) solutions?across various sectors, not just retail, leisure and hospitality, still excites me. I enjoy a challenge, and managing my CX franchise pushes me to grow professionally. The brand has opened up new opportunities for me in the professional service sector, such as working with financial services firms to evidence their Consumer Duty actions and ensure good customer outcomes.

What is your favourite part of the job???

With the variety of work, I get to do as a customer experience (CX) consultant and the breadth of the sectors I work across - there is always a new challenge!

For me, the 'wow' moments when you work with a sector that isn’t traditionally at the cutting edge of CX and inspire them to up their game and profits are priceless. CX is about how you make a customer feel; you can translate that across to any sector.

Managing feedback is a crucial part of the CX process, so working with the right partner is paramount to transforming your business. At insight6, our unique?icx6 philosophy and partnership model?is your guarantee of great service.

Rhian Anstey is our insight6 Specialist for North Wales and Chester. She was recently shortlisted?in the Top CX Professional category of the Customer Experience Magazine CXM Stars 2023! Please reach out and connect with Rhian on LinkedIn.?

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At insight6, our unique and tailored solutions allow businesses to transform their customer experience cost-effectively, from end to end, with the dedicated support of a local expert. To find your local CX Specialist and discover how we can transform your customer experience, call +44 (0) 800 970 8987 or visit?www.insight6.com.?

?#CustomerExperience #WinningCulture #Empathy