Happy Employees Make for Happy Customers

Disneyland promotes itself as the “Happiest Place on Earth.” It must be hard to live up to a slogan of that breadth and magnitude every day. But they do. And just like the Disney Corporation, we at Consumer Cellular understand the importance of making our customers happy.

I want to discuss what it takes to create a happy experience for our customers. And I believe it starts with our employees. Consumer Cellular was recently recognized by The Oregonian, the state’s largest daily newspaper as the top mid-sized company to work for in the state of Oregon. As co-founder of the company, that makes me very happy. Let me tell you why.

We received top honors in our class as a result of an independent employee survey conducted by The Oregonian. As part of the survey, employees were asked to measure the effectiveness of their company in several key areas. The questions ranged from “are you getting the formal career training needed” to “do you feel like you are part of something meaningful?”

When the survey dust settled, Consumer Cellular came out on top. But that’s not the only reason why the results made me happy.

I’m happy because of what this level of employee satisfaction means we can do. Simply put, it means we can continue providing you with great service. According to Alexander Kjerulf, author of the book Happy Hour is 9 to 5, “Studies show very clearly that when employees like their jobs, customers get better service and are more satisfied.”

Now that’s the kind of sound logic that seems to make sense to me.

If our employees are happy, it stands to reason our customers will be happy, too. And we are, after all, in the customer satisfaction business. With no contract to bind you to our cell phone plans and service, we must go above and beyond, every day, to serve you well. We strive to not just meet your expectations but exceed them.

In business, you can’t just wave a wand and say, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” to create a bit of magic. But you can treat your customers and employees with respect. Keep your promises to them. Share your vision. And be compassionate.

Doing those things makes me happy.