One of the most common issues CEOs encounter is a lack of employee interaction. Many spend so much time dealing with board members, clients, colleagues, and upper management that they can’t squeeze in meetings with lower-level workers. However, CEOs who carve out their schedules to meet with team members, specifically frontline employees, can gain valuable insights to make their company an industry leader.

What are Frontline Employees and Why are They So Important?

Frontline employees directly interact with customers and clients. They are often the first point of contact within the organization. Examples include cashiers, sales associates, customer service reps, restaurant servers, nurses, and teachers.

These workers understand how customers react to various products, services, and marketing approaches. They can identify what’s working and point out pain points and areas of improvement. A meeting with these workers can provide insight that can help companies refine their approach to boost customer service and offer unique products that solve everyday problems.

Key Insights to Gain During Meetings

CEOs should set up meetings with frontline employees, but they must ask the right questions to make these meetings productive. Here are some to focus on:

• Product Issues: What are typical customer complaints about the company’s products and services? Organizations can use this information to make improvements.
• FAQs: What questions do customers ask often? This information can help companies develop an FAQ section on their website to address common concerns and reduce the need for reps to spend time answering the same questions repeatedly. FAQs can also be developed into blogs and other forms of content. They may also identify what’s confusing customers.
• Identify Obstacles: What are the biggest challenges that present themselves during work? Do employees feel any processes can become more efficient in improving customer service and productivity? Would any tech products make the job easier?
• Wait Times: How long is the typical customer service interaction? Most companies have systems monitoring phone call length, but employees may identify issues contributing to more extended interactions. Once problems are determined, companies can limit wait times and ensure customers receive a prompt and satisfactory resolution.
• Product Feedback: Businesses can base their product satisfaction rates on sales and reviews, but customer service reps may provide additional feedback. They may learn about customers requesting products that have been discontinued or may be temporarily out of stock, providing deeper insight.

How to Interact with Frontline Workers

Interactions between CEOs and frontline workers are essential. The question is, how can you make them happen in a business setting? Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Set up Regular Meetings: Set up monthly, weekly, or biweekly meetings to ensure you maintain communication.
• Integrate Methods for Ongoing Feedback: Meetings are great, but CEOs should also encourage frontline employees to provide feedback on issues as soon as they encounter them. For example, an employee may have a particularly positive or negative experience when dealing with a customer or work system. Companies should provide systems (emails, collaborative online workspaces, etc.) wherein employees can provide updates as soon as those incidents happen to allow for immediate action and ensure nothing is forgotten.
• Practice Active Listening: CEOs will better absorb all frontline employees’ say through active listening. They should paraphrase and ask questions. This approach ensures they have a complete understanding of customer and employee needs.

Additional Benefits of Frontline Workers-CEO Interactions

Interactions between frontline workers and CEOs provide valuable insight into customer satisfaction, but they offer an additional benefit- they make workers feel heard.

When employees feel their company values them, they offer the following benefits:

• Increased Loyalty: Employees who feel valued stay with their companies longer, reducing the need for expensive and time-consuming talent acquisition that can damage an organization’s reputation.
• Enhanced Productivity: Workers who know their superiors respect them feel motivated and remain productive throughout the workday.
• Better Mood: Employees feel gratified knowing their employers take the time to hear their opinions and insights. They are in a better mood during work hours, which results in higher levels of customer service.
• Boosted Profitability: Increased efficiency, lower turnover rates, and improved customer service boosts profitability, leading to overall growth and success.

Want to learn more about interactions that make your company more successful? Sign up for our newsletter today.