Satisfied employees, above all, create satisfied customers, as an old HR adage teaches us. This applies to all sectors, but probably nowhere as strongly as in technical Equipment companies. Here in particular, employees make the biggest difference for customers. Satisfaction surveys therefore focus not only on customers, but also very strongly on employees' experience, satisfaction and growth potential. Other sectors can often learn something from these employee satisfaction surveys.
Both employee and customer satisfaction surveys matter
In the machinery & equipment sector, companies create satisfied customers primarily through their service. Whether this involves work on machines, aerial work platforms, excavators or, for example, industrial turbines. These machines and equipment must of course be good, but it is primarily through their service that companies really differentiate themselves from competitors. What matters then is technicians' knowledge, how they act and the support customers experience. Employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction in equipment companies are therefore both important areas of focus. This sector conducts a relatively large number of employee satisfaction surveys. And the findings are translated into these companies' HR policies and training activities.
Employee satisfaction surveys are not driven solely by staff shortages
Economic developments naturally influence these trends. At the start of the economic crisis, approximately 20 percent of satisfaction surveys in the sector focused on employees (80 percent on customers). But we now see that this figure is already around 30 percent. That is relatively high, especially compared with other sectors.
Of course, the shortage of technical staff also plays a role at Equipment companies. By closely monitoring employee satisfaction, companies can retain employees more effectively and make the work environment more attractive to new talent. But that alone is not enough to explain the strong focus on measuring employee satisfaction and employee experience (EX). In this case, this also holds the key to higher customer satisfaction and therefore to the companies' growth and success.
Employee satisfaction surveys in practice
A company such as CAT (Caterpillar) – a global market leader in its field – uses GrowPromoter's measurement platform for satisfaction surveys. This allows it to measure customer experience (CX) and conduct employee satisfaction surveys (and measure the relationship between the two). This provides new insights to continue developing work processes, HR policies, organizational development and training policies in a targeted way.
The correlation between employee and customer satisfaction is currently measured only to a limited extent, but it offers interesting new opportunities. For example, Equipment companies can match customers with employees with whom they have the best rapport. Modern feedback software also enables companies to conduct the satisfaction surveys required for this in an increasingly accessible, faster and continuous way.
The appetite for employee satisfaction data continues to grow
Customers' needs are also increasingly guiding the composition of the workforce. In addition, growing staff shortages continue to fuel the appetite for more information about employee satisfaction. In this sector, this certainly no longer applies only to skilled technical professionals, but increasingly also to other roles, for example in sales.
