Treat Your Employees Like They Are the Customer

“Treat your employees the way you want your customers treated – maybe even better!” Shep Hyken

The above quote is simply a line from one of my speeches. It is my customer service slant to the familiar Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would do unto yourself.” Telling people how to treat customers is one thing. Showing how you want them treated is completely different than modeling the behavior.

I received a case study written by Andrew Thomas, a freelance writer from Ohio. He wrote about global leadership and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain. There was something in the case study that jumped out at me, and it applies to the concept in the above quotation.

The Ritz-Carlton was hired to manage an existing hotel in Shanghai. They brought in many of their experts and determined that major renovations were needed. The first phase of the renovation was the Employee Entrance. This may seem strange to most, but it is the norm for the Ritz-Carlton. While the renovation was relatively inexpensive, it sent an important message to the employees (who were employed by the previous management company). They were able to demonstrate that they were expecting a new standard (higher) of quality and service and that the employees were essential to the process.

Worldwide many recognize the Ritz-Carlton as a quality organization. They understand the importance of outstanding customer service. Just as important, if not more so, is that they also understand the value of their employees, the internal customers.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.

(Copyright ©MMXII, Shep Hyken)