The Customer or the Employee?

In some industries, companies lament the death of customer loyalty.  In others, they recognize that loyalty is a tricky concept.  

Loyalty needs to be navigated carefully.  Consumers have choices, and the jump from one brand to another is often a simple matter of price.  Yet, some brands are almost legendary for the fierce customer loyalty that they elicit.  People will pay a premium for value adn quality, but they will also pay a premium when the company producing the brand focuses on things like employee welfare or nurturing the relationship they have with their customers.  These are things that people care about, and, all things being equal, trump the fads and price wars that can cause a customer to jump ship.

I love Land’s End.  They have my size.  Their clothes last a long time.  Once, I replaced two pairs of pants earlier than normal.  They both faded rather quickly.  I was disappointed, but, you know, it’s Land’s End, so I bought two more pair.  When I ordered the pants via their customer service number, I happened to mention that I was replacing my pants because they didn’t last as long.  The woman on the phone told me to send my pants back after I received the new ones.  She didn’t charge me for the replacements.  “Material performance.”  That was the reason she gave for sending me the replacements.  I love Land’s End.

If customer loyalty is important, why isn’t employee loyalty?  Why do companies waste time and money desperately pursuing customer loyalty while, at the same time, slashing budgets and utilizing lay-offs as a means to maximize profit?  That’s business, I suppose.  I obviously pissed away the money I spent on that MBA of mine.  I am naive, I know.  All this time, and I still don’t get it.  I don’t learn.  I guess I’m just one of those people, stuck in the rut, reliving the same year over and over again.  What was that quote?  Something about not having 10 years of SQL experience but, rather, having the same year of experience 10 times over?  

Or maybe I “get it” more than they think.  Maybe I see the mistakes that they are making.  Maybe the answer isn’t more of the same but something radically different instead.  Maybe, just maybe, the answer to the question “The customer or the employee?” isn’t as simple as they think it is.

If it is about loyalty, then maybe the customer will follow your lead.  Restore loyalty to your workforce and the miracle you’re waiting for might just happen.