In this video, Tom Peters presents lessons from Southwest Airlines and its legendary found, Herb Kelleher, on how to treat your employees like customers - and why it is so important to do so. Watch:
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David Wyld, Professor of Management
Southeastern Louisiana University
Wyld About Management (http://wyldaboutmanagement.blogspot.com/) and
Management in a Minute (http://managementinaminute.blogspot.com/)
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90 comments:
This is great advice for any employer or manager. The employees are the key to your business. Having happy and motivated employees will lead to better business, more customers and higher revenues.
Also, Your employees are the face of the company. If your employees treat all the customer's fairly then that will create repeat business. Lower turnoever rate is another important factor of having happy employees. Everyone should be treated respectively.
If every business did this there would be a lot less turnaround with employment and a great deal of general happiness.
Useful advice in my opinion. You do have to treat your employees like customers and show them you care as a manager. This then keeps them happy which will have a positive outcome on the business.
I wish some of my past employers would have followed this advice! I would probably still be working for them if that was the case. This advice and the Golden Rule may seem silly, but are genius when implemented in businesses.
I agree with this video about treating your employees like customers. At one of my jobs I had a manger that was just so nice and positive all the time. He made you feel as if you were friends which made you feel less stressed. It made all of us want to do the same. He set a positive environment which allowed everyone else to feel and be positive.
This is very good advice to keep employees happy in their job. If you have happy employees, you will have happy customers.
I think that is wise advice. Employees are the people who help you help your customers, so why not treat them as if they were customers and make sure they stay happy at their jobs. That is such a great feeling to be at at job and really love what you do at that particular company. Great video.
This video was simple and to the point. It makes me think about that tv show Undercover Boss. Employees can make or break a business so keeping morale up is very important. Employees who dislike their supervisor(s) or feel as though they are just a body there to do a job are more than likely going to reflect the way they feel. Employees need to be treated properly and feel a sense of worth to be at their best.
Treating you employees as if they were your customers is pretty self-explanatory. Reminds me of that saying treat others how you would want to be treated. Show your employees with respect and you will gain respect in return. Kindness is the key to success.
This is good advice. I happy worker make happy customer. Happy customer buy your product. Good Feedback now you are growing more effective and efficient.
I agree with this video one hundred percent! Happy employees lead to a happy environment which leads to happy customers which leads to a higher profit. I know that whenever I go to a fast food restaurant, I am never satisfied. The employees treat the customers very poorly. Perhaps if they were treated with a higher respect, then so would we.
This is a great message for any employer or boss. You should always strive to keep your employees happy because then they will be more motivated to work even harder for you because they feel appreciated.
I agree with this video about treating your employees like customers. Employers should follow this message, because the treatment and politeness they give their employees should be the same as they would treat their customers. Employees are the reason the business is still going, they are the ones doing the work and keeping customers returning so they should be treated equally to customers.
I do believe that everyone should be treated with the utmost respect because it is what is expected from everyone. So when i hear that one should treat their employees like their customers I think its awesome however you do need more rules and structure with employees.
Treating your employees as customers is great advice. Employees is what helps your business become successful. If you treat your employees with respect they are more likely to work harder for you and your business.
This is a really good video. Having your employees the most important aspect of your business is a key component of the job, because without the employees that job would not happen. If you keep you employees motivated and have fun a work, your business would succeed.
I like this concept a lot because in a way mangers and employees do have a customer-like relationship. Employees are very essential to running your business from the ground up. In order words, no construction workers, no corner window office to work out of.
Keep the employee happy so they can keep the customers happy is always a good concept for a good leader (boss). You can't expect your employees to be helpful and friendly if they are completely miserable because of something you are or aren't doing as a leader.
Great message! It says a lot about your leadership when you learn to be respectful of your employees that are the ultimate face of the company.
Employees like to be treated well. A happy employee works harder and more efficient than an employee who hates their job. At my office I always try to help keep the other employees happy.
One perspective that have not considered; however, it makes perfect sense. Employees should be appreciated just in the way that loyal customers. This would increase productivity, employee performance, and success of the business.
If you have happy employees you business will be very good, make sure they have the things they need to do the job. it will work both ways in the company great products and service.
Tom Peters was has good advice to give. I learn something new every time I watch a video on him. I do think companies should teach their employees like customers because they are the ones that interact with the customers so they know what they need and want.
Everyone should treat their employees like customers. It can really work a lot of wonders for your business. It can provide lower turnover rate, it can improve employee morale as well. If you help your employees accomplish their tasks better, they will help thier customers even more so.
This makes a lot of sense to me. If you treat your employees like crap, they're bound to grow to hate you. On the other hand, if you treat your employees as customers and treat them with respect, they'll be more likely to like you. If businesses did this more, there would definitely be less turnover as associated with job dissatisfaction. Nine times out of ten, when a person is unhappy with their job, it has a lot to do with their boss. I really think businesses should keep this in mind and try to do this more often.
I think that Peters is giving great advice. Treating your employees like customers let them know that they are valued, appreciated, and need. People are willing to work harder when they know that their work is going to be appreciated in the end. It gives them a sense of satisfaction and makes them happy knowing that they have helped to accomplish something.
Couldn't agree more. Your employees are so important to your company. Making sure they are happy, and that they know how much they are valued means they will be willing to work much harder to see the company succeed.
If employees were treated more like customers they probably wouldn't quit as much. I know at jobs I have had that I've gotten tossed around like a bagged lunch and it's made me quit.
Giving employees more respect and gratitude will go a long way. Ultimately it is the second best thing you can do other than giving them a raise.
After being employed for several years now, I agree with this article. I know I have worked hard to finish certain projects in time or to do what my boss asked of me, but only to be taken granted for. Sometimes it is nice to have your boss show you respect and compliment your work. Sometimes bosses forget where they came from and feel they are superior, when really their employees are the ones who make them look good or bad.
“You have to treat your employees like customers.” I think this is very important. At one of my previous jobs we were always told that the customers were right. This sometimes had a negative effect on how I thought of my boss.
Treating employees this way will make them feel like their wants and needs are just as important to their bosses as the customers’ needs should be to them. Great advice and it also evident that this is someone from Southwest’s team rather than the American airline that was being picketed.
I think that Tom Peters gave good advice in the video. Every one should treat their employees like customers so that the employees can actually relate to the customers, since they are the ones dealing with them.
I agree with Southwest Airline. You have to treat your employees like customers. If you treat your employees well, your business will be better off in the long run. Making your employees happy usually makes your customers happy. This is a great business lesson.
I completely agree! Majority of the time if employees are unhappy, it shows. Customers don't get the help or service they would with the help of a happy, satisfied employee.
This is good advice. If your employees aren't happy then your customers won't be either.
I think employee satisfaction is very important because if you don't have satisfied employees they are not going to represent the company how it should be represented or give great customer service to customers.
I guess treating your employees like customers really works. If huge companies like southwest and american airlines were pulling out this sort of thing, then I think it would be beneficial to check it out. Tom Peters always seems to deliver some great wisdom. Be nice to your staff, unlike a lot of Chinese restaurants. They are usually really nice to the customers, but terrible towards their help. They should take a little bit from this great advice from Tom Peters.
I think that is wise advice. Employees are the people who help you help your customers, so why not treat them as if they were customers and make sure they stay happy at their jobs. That is such a great feeling to be at at job and really love what you do at that particular company. Great video.
My boss could really benefit from watching this video. Sometimes I feel like I am treated like a second class citizen! In reality the employees are the company, without them there would be no customers. Everyone get happy and stays that way.
Showing an employee how much you appreciate them motivates them to do better so why not help them do better.
Great advice being that your employees are the people who mainly deal with your customers. So I think you should show your employers how much you appreciate them.
A very interesting video, Enough cannot be said about how important it is to treat people well, whether they are customers, employees, or even strangers. This video gives proof that you can win mostly anyone to your side by treating them with kindness and respect, like Kelleher. However, Donald Trump is a total asshole to everyone and is worth nearly 3 billion dollars more than the super-nice Herb Kelleher.
Very good video! Also, this is great advice for a employer or manager. Employees are very important in a business. If you have unhappy employees it will don no good to the business, rather than having happy employees which will help the business to be better.
I think it is important to do your best to make sure your employees are happy. Increased productivity and reduced turnover are a result of treating your employees like customers. Respect them and treat them right and they will work hard for your business.
I fully agree with Tom Peters about how motivated workers are the key to successful and productive employees. Demotivated employees can lead to a boat load of problems.
Happy and motivated employees are very productive workers. I believe that a lot of company does not understand the importance of making sure the moral of all the employees stay high. High moral creates good workers.
Again I agree with Mr. Peters. I am lucky that I currently work for someone who treats me as an employee like he would any guest. I think that it gives the employee a reason to come to work because they feel wanted and appreciated. If a manager or someone in an administration treats their employees like garbage then that employee has less incentive to get up and get to work in the morning. I truly think that giving an employee the same treatment as a customer makes not only your environment better but the business itself.
Great leaders instill in their followers the desire to follow because they know their leader is looking out for them.
Treating your employees as if their are customers, is a great strategic way of keeping the employees, minimizing turn around and cost. If I ever have the opportunity to become a manager of a business this is a managerial decorum that I will most definitely integrate.
I think Top Peter’s idea of treating employees as customers is a good one. It’s vital that employees feel respected and appreciated by their company, boss, or supervisor. If employees are respected they will take more pride in their jobs and the company. However, I agree with others in that employees need more structures and rules.
Since the employees are key to your business, there should be no question in making them happy! Treat others as you would want to be treated. It means a lot when your manager shows that they care and appreciate all your hard work!
I couldn't agree more with what Tom Peter's was saying in this video. I believe that if more managers treated their employees like customers their productivity and company morale would increase. This concept makes perfect sense.
This is good advice, I couldn’t agree more with Tom Peters in this video. Employees are the most important in a business, and having happy employees who love their job will definitely help the business.
I agree with this video about treating your employees like customers. At my current job, I have a manager that always tries to be positive regardless of how the work day is going. He set a positive environment which allowed everyone else to feel and be positive.
This is great advice for managers. I think that if more managers treated their employees like customeers then people would be more likely to like the place that they work at.
Employee appreciation goes overlooked often as a direct relation to company success. Wouldn't gratification and appreciation lead all employees to strive for more and better things for their employer? Treating employees like customers might not be the best way of puting it though.
That was very interesting! I totally agree! If the restaurant business you definitely need to treat your employees like customers because if you don't value your employees they will quit or they won't give their best service which will hurt your customers.
I do agree with this statement. If you dont appreciate your employees then they won't appreciate you. If you show them that you value them and appreciate all that they do for you, then it is more likely that they will be willing to work harder and longer for your business.
I think treating your employees like customers is a unique idea. It makes a lot of since; having your employees happy and satisfied will lead to better business.
I completely agree with this philosophy. Your employees are the make up of your company. If you respect them and make them happy, they will more likely be dedicated workers, especially since their aren't too many jobs accessible that show a lot of respect to their employees. In the worst situation, there are employers that feel as if they did the employees a favor by letting them work for them for the little pay they get. The most efficient running and happy companies are the ones that treat their employees like customers.
Keeping employees happy keeps customers happy. Very simple yet not put into motion enough. How refreshing is it to go into an establishment and be greeted with a happy face who actually cares about their job. It creates a wonderful atmosphere in business!
Yes your greatest asset to any company is their employees. If you dont treat them as nicely and make them as comfortable as customers you will lose a ton of business.
Tom Peters is a wise guy and I always find myself agreeing with him. I can see why Southwest has so much success; If theres one thing I've learned about operating a business, its that happy employees make happy customers and because of the exceptional service Southwest offers, I always opt to fly with them instead of delta, american airlines, etc. Plus the 2 bags check in for free is pretty sweet too!
I think that this is very true. If you don't treat your employees well, they will have no motivation to treat the customers well or even stay employed at your company. Happy employees make for happy customers.
Well, there must be some truth in this statement to treat your employees like customers. Being successful in his business with SW airlines along with 37 years at the job, he must know what he is talking about. Southwest Airlines is still a successful company. I try to fly them whenever I can. I believe their service is excellent. The employees are helpful and sometimes funny on the flights. I think it would be a great place to work.
I agree with him that you should treat your employees the same way you treat customers. If employees are not treated with respect or treated fairly, then they will not want to work there and the working environment will not be very good. Happy employees is one of the keys to a successful business.
i agree most part with this. its because i dont see most companys living up to it. customers should always be number 1 and should do what ever they need to make them happy. also the employees needs to be happy so they can treat their customers happy.
I think this is a great way for a company to look into treating their employers. Employers work really hard for their business and they should get treated for doing such. We always put customers at the top of the charts but employers should be number two after them with little difference in how they are treated. I have seen both sides of this in a couple of businesses.
Herb Kelleher was right about treating employees the same way you would treat customers. The leader seemed to be respected by the employees he apparently supervised because after deciding to retire, the ad they wrote about him showed appreciation for being treated fairly and the loyalty he illustrated with them. The gentleman probably felt treating employees this way would gain their trust and dedication to the company's ability to succeed.
I believe companies should treat their employees like customers.
I think this is a great idea. You should treat people like you would want to be treated. When you treat your employees like you treat your customers you get a happy employee and a happy customer. I feel that more companies should use this because it could be very helpful in their management environment.
very good advice! At my old job my boss treated me horrible and I know with experience that working at a company where the boss treats the employees as they are customers it is so much rewarding! Happy employees will bring in more customers!
This is one of those things where I feel like what is being said isn't really what's being said. Yes. It's basically about respect. But your employees are just like customers. They will buy your product if they feel it is good,ethical, etc. And they will tell other people. They will also tell other people if they are mistreated. But in addition, they are also investing their time, energy, and money (purchase of services/product/etc) into your company, just like a customer is. That makes them no different. So why should they be treated any differently? They shouldn't.
This is definitely true, you have to have happy employees for your business to grow, they need to feel good when they accomplish work and help their job become stronger. If you have a high turn around in employees you are hurting your business.
There are so many valid reasons why you need to treat your employees well. They respect someone who cares and are willing to work hard for that person; they are your most valuable asset; they reflect your company in every interaction they make with the customers. And really, it's just too costly to have high employee turnover. I like how Tom says people can look at advice and say "that's great", but you really need to make the motto one of the basic tenants that you live your life by. The simplest advice is often the most true.
A company's employees are everything to a company. If you have an amazing boss, then you will want to be a better employee for him. I have an amazing boss at my job because he is always trying to make sure everything is far, he is fun to work with, and always looks out for his employees. I love my boss and that is what made me want to stay at my job instead of going to an old job back home. Being the best boss you can be, can make a world of difference.
Tom Peters has a very valid point. It is so important for a company to treat its employees well. The better of a relationship that is bbetween the two, the better the company will benefit as a whole.
I really love this man, there has not been one video that I have watched of his that I didn't like or agree with. I also agree with this point, treating your employees like customers is key to a successful business... I think the better you treat your employees the happier there are with you and the company, resulting in less turnover, absenteeism and high employee moral!
Good video, as always. The advice given is true and can be utilized within any business or company. Southwest has continued to lead over many years and theres a reason for their success. When you've got happy customers, they give their all to ensure you're company is going in the right direction.
As simple of a concept as this seems, it's surprising how many managers do not abide by this. If you keep your employees happy, as you do your customers, it will make a world of difference. Happy employees make productive employees which leads to success and progress.
Employees satisfaction is a great key to running a successful business. In a business you want you customers to be happy but to make that happen your employees must be happy also. Your employees are the ones who interact with the customers so making them happy will in return make customers happy. A business will be more productive and efficient if the employees are happy and enjoy working.
I completely agree with this statement. I have worked in the service industry since I was 15 and being treated fairly is key to the success to the company. If employees aren’t happy then they won’t care about your company. They wont have the motivation to strive for success. I think its crazy how on one side of town they were picketing one airline and on the other side of town they were throwing a party for another. I think that most companies should model their businesses after southwest because there strategy has proven to work. Happy employees generate happy customers.
This is a managerial perspective that I strongly relate to because of personal experience. I work for an employer who has little trust and confidence in his employees and doesn’t understand how to create positive work environment and health morale across the business.
If I ever become a manager or small business owner, this perspective is the way I will run and make my decisions.
I believe that if you treat your employees correctly with trust, respect and curiosity that you will have a strong team that in return gives trust, respect and curiosity. Treating employees like customers is a interesting perspective. The better you treat employees the better results you will see as a business
Clearly Southwest is doing something right even though we don't know exactly what because the CEO wouldn't give us any further explanation. What we can take from this piece is that if you are doing right by your customers and they are happy and loyal then that model should be used with your employees. It's a win win situation.
I've always heard great things about Southwest and how they treat their employees. I think that they are a great company that everyone else should take note of and learn from. Companies could save more money in the long run in they keep their turnover rate low like Southwest.
I think that is wise advice. Employees are the people who help you help your customers, so why not treat them as if they were customers and make sure they stay happy at their jobs. That is such a great feeling to be at at job and really love what you do at that particular company. Great video.
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