EMPLOYEES AS WOM AMBASSADORS

<!–[if gte mso 10]>

Southwest Airlines founder, Herbert D. Kelleher was spot on, when he said “you have to treat your employees like customers.”

We often talk about the importance of creating a positive corporate culture so your employees will go forth and prosper. And by “go forth and prosper” I mean “provide excellent service that will increase positive word of mouth from your customers.” And that’s all very important. However, another important goal that many often lose sight of, is maintaining positive word of mouth from your employees. Not from customers. Directly from your employees. Let me tell you a little story…

In college, I had a friend, who we’ll call “Sarah” who was a server at a local restaurant. She hated the job because of the poor management who overworked and talked down to the staff. As a disgruntled employee, she told us – the entire floor of a dorm – about her experiences as well as all the horror restaurant stories that occurred at that location. Now she would never tell her customers these stories and she still provided excellent customer service, simply because she needed the money. However, the damage was still done. Now I, along with 40 people on our floor and all of our friends will never eat at that chain again.

Like all things WOM, the internet has the potential to spread these negative (or positive) messages to millions in just moments. There are tons of sites, such as Job Vent , where employees can post their rants and raves about their employers. So trust me, you want to take the little extra steps to get your employees on your side.

If you create the right corporate culture, you can accomplish both of the aforementioned goals, obtaining positive WOM directly from your employees and as a result of their work ethic and service. If you need help, just take a few notes from Zappos.