Transform Your Employees Into Powerful Brand Advocates
By Eva Lim Sheau Lee
Imagine if a local restaurant staff used language like "It's my pleasure" instead of the more common, "You're welcome" or “It’s ok” when you thank them. You probably would be caught off guard.
Well, you might hear this at a fast food joint like Chick-fil-A. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, was struck by how Ritz-Carlton's employees responded to the guests' requests with "My pleasure." He believes this perhaps helped Ritz-Carlton stand apart from its rivals, so he also began implementing it at his restaurants.
What Chick-fil-A tried to do was create a ritual that helps sustain culture transformation, resulting in improved customer service. They were looking to implement a "servant leadership" culture where employees enjoy serving their customers and are grateful for having them. Small rituals like the responses they use can go a long way in helping cement the intended culture. This perhaps explains why Chick-fil-A managed to keep their customers returning and scored 87 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, far beyond the industry average.
Intentionally shaping a compelling culture, like Chick-fil-A, can help transform employees into powerful brand advocates, especially when they truly live the culture. So, how else can you build influential brand advocates among your employees?
Offering your employees relevant development programs is another way to influence culture, as shared by Fahad Naeem, Country Director at Randstad Malaysia, in the eighth episode of the "Ask the Expert" series. He further explained that comprehensive industry training enables employees to build specialisation, allowing them to add value to their customers, clients and partners. Our Budaya Training Series is an excellent example of a training program that helps unlock individuals' potential while cultivating high-performing teams within organisations.
When teams are trained in a growth culture environment, they can see past their blindspots and avoid tunnel vision, influencing their behaviours positively. With a broader perspective, they will spend more energy creating new value instead of defending the old. This is why Budaya includes “growth mindset” as one of the topics in its training program.
Other than that, Fahad emphasised that organisations must create a trusting environment where employees feel safe and comfortable being themselves while providing a space for them to grow. This can be driven by leaders who role model the right behaviour by acknowledging and working on their shortcomings. With a shared goal in mind, leaders and team members will begin to support each other in becoming a better version of themselves, thus, boosting their self-confidence.
Keep in mind that culture is the soul of an organisation. When you intentionally shape a growth culture like at Randstad Malaysia, your employees are more likely to share their incredible transformational journey with others, thus helping build a stronger brand image for the organisation.
Ready to transform your employees into brand advocates? Schedule a free personal consultation with the Budaya Team to help cultivate a growth culture where employees can thrive, allowing them to share their positive experiences outside work.
About Fahad Naeem
As the Country Director at Randstad Malaysia, Naeem manages business strategies, finances, talent recruitment processes, and operations. With ten years of experience in the HR industry, Naeem avidly shares new labour trends and developments with Randstad's employers.
About Randstad
Randstad is a leading global talent recruitment and solutions company where we take the lead in shaping the world of work by matching talent with companies to reach their full potential.