MyEmployees: The Way To A Great Customer Experience Is Through Motivated And Engaged Employees

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Below is our recent interview with Matthew Coleman from MyEmployees:

Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to MyEmployees?

A: As a manager, you know that customer service is the most important key to your success. The way to a great customer experience is through motivated and engaged employees. So how do you get your team to perform at the their best everyday? By using the easiest employee recognition program in America to reward your employees and show them how you appreciate all their hard work. When leaders need an easy and effective way to reward their best employees, MyEmployees is the answer they turn to again and again. The mission of MyEmployees is to engage America’s workforce, one manager, one employee at a time… forging stronger companies in the process. We empower leaders to create memorable moments that recognize team members for remarkable contributions in the workplace.

Q: Can you give us insights into your products?

A: There are 3 main reasons why so many leaders love using this program:

#1 – Your program is turnkey. You’ll get everything you need for a full year of your customized program shipped to your store right up front. Then, all you do is submit your winner’s name each month, and we send out their personalized award.

#2 – You have your very own engagement coach. You get all the benefits of having your very own recognition manager, but on our payroll. At the start of your program you get a 15 minute conference call with your engagement coach to talk about ways to get maximum benefit out of your program. Your engagement coach makes sure you look good by making sure your program runs smooth all year long.

#3 – Your results. Since your program is turnkey, and your Engagement coach is with you every step of the way, your program is smooth and consistent. You get to enjoy more motivated employees showing up to work on time with a good attitude, improving morale and attendance. Your engagement coach shows you how to tie your company’s objectives and initiatives into the program and how to encourage your employees to achieve them, so you’ll see an increase in profitability. All of that leads to a workplace culture where people choose you over any other place to work, so you see a reduction in employee turnover.

There are two award types: solid wood plaques, and laser cut acrylics. Each program type is completely customizable! You can call them Employee of the Month, Associate of the Month, Sales Superstar, or “Whatever Makes Sense for Your Business of the Month”. And by the way, there’s no charging by the word or letter; all of the engraving is included with your program price.

Wood plaques: Forget that pressed particle board you find at the discount trophy shop. Your wood plaques are made from solid American Walnut. Each plaque undergoes a 6 point quality inspection, so you’re guaranteed there are no scratches, dings, or chips in the finish. Your company’s logo is printed at the top in full HD Color on every award. Your custom award title will be etched with a precision laser onto the brass plate. The solid wood plaque is a beautiful, classic look, and an award your employees will cherish.

Laser cut acrylics: There aren’t many ways you can make an impact on an awards presentation that outshine the sleek stylings of acrylic awards. Clean crisp lines; a solid, mounted base; your company’s logo printed in full HD color at the top, and all the engraving is done using our PLS 6.150 Laser Engraving and Cutting Platform. Your custom title will be etched with a precision laser into each award. The pride and prestige will be written all over your employee’s faces as they watch you hand over their stylish acrylic award.

The recognition doesn’t stop with the monthly awards. Another awesome tool included in your program is the Spot-on Kit. There are nearly 300 opportunities for peer to peer or manager to employee recognition in this box. Personal handwritten notes of thanks and praise are some of the most powerful ways a leader can connect with a member of the team. On top of that, when employees use them for peer-to-peer recognition, you end up creating a workplace culture where teamwork and cooperation are the norm. The SpotOn Kit really helps build team morale and increases employee engagement.

Ok, now for the coolest part about our program, what is basically your secret weapon. You heard me mention the Engagement Coach a few moments ago, and since this is the part of the program that all the managers love the most, I have to tell you even more about it. This is someone who stays with you through the life of your program. It’s the same person every month that you turn your winners in to, and is familiar with you and your team.

The cool thing about the Engagement Coach is that his or her sole purpose is to make sure your program works as efficiently and smoothly as possible. Your engagement coach sends you monthly reminders to turn in your winners, so if you get busy, like we all do, they are gonna give you a call or shoot you an email to help keep your program on track.

Once you turn in your winners to your engagement coach, your nameplates go into the US mail within one business day if you’re using the plaque program. If you use the acrylic program, we will engrave and mail your award within 2 business days.

So smooth. So fast. So easy.

Q: Can you share some secrets that improve employee recognition success?

A: Using a strategic employee recognition program, leaders can reward employees in a way that makes them feel accomplished and special, without monetary compensation or incentive.

At MyEmployees, our typical client is a franchise or national chain store manager. He or she has little, or no, say over hourly rates for employees; that’s all set by the corporate office. Instead, they use an employee recognition system that honors top performers with dignity and respect.

The key is building the recognition program with a strategic plan.

Start by choosing the things you want to improve in your business. Make that part of your recognition program. What gets recognized, gets repeated. Give your team a target to hit and focus your their attention like a laser-beam on the things that matter to you and to the success of your business.

These are some common things that crossover most industries:

· What’s their attitude like everyday?
· Do they clock in on time?
· How helpful are they to other employees?
· How helpful are they to customers?
· Are they available if needed to work on short notice?
· How committed are they to the success of the company?

These are a great start, but you also want to get as specific as you can so your choice for winner(s) is clear and fair. Try to separate employees by department or job duties. Try breaking them down by shift. Managers should also check out other companies in their industry for ways they rank employees and measure performance.

Here are three common ways programs go wrong, with some tips for overcoming them:

First, keep your recognition program current and up to date. Like anything else, if you don’t use it on a consistent basis, it won’t be successful. Timing is everything. If you forget to pick your winners for a few months and then try to play catch up, you’ll only get a partial benefit compared to what you’d see by staying on track. If you show your employees your recognition program is important to you, it will be important to them, along with the goals that we associated with the recognition.

The second most common reason is managers allowing employees to pick the monthly winners. It’s OK to let employees take part in the process, but voting can’t be the only deciding factor. If you let employees pick your winners, one thing is for sure: they’ll pick the most popular people in your business. It may take a few months before you realize it, but you’ll soon see your best people get upset at you and any less deserving employees who were picked over them.

Third, don’t skimp on the presentation. This is the employee’s moment in the sun. Make a big deal about it. Get the rest of the team together. Explain why this employee was chosen. Take a picture with them and their award. Post it to social media or on the break room bulletin board. Not only does your winner get a chance to shine, but other employees hear exactly what it took to win, and they’ll work harder toward those goals for next month, too.

Q: Why is it important to award top performers?

A: You only have two kinds of employees: loyalists or mercenaries. Loyalists know you genuinely care about them, they believe in your cause, and they bond with other employees. Mercenaries, on the other hand, are always looking for the next biggest check – whether it’s with your company or not.

If your only differentiator is you pay the most, don’t be surprised when they pick up and leave for $5 more an hour! If you don’t show them appreciation for their work, and you don’t care about their successes, why should they be loyal to you? If all you offer is monetary rewards, then YOU are creating mercenaries in your workforce.

Employees want to be recognized for their work. Mary Kay Ash built a multilevel marketing empire based on this understanding. In her words, “There are two things people want more than sex and money, they are RECOGNITION and PRAISE.”

Yet Gallup Research found that 65% of American employees said they had received no recognition from their manager – IN A YEAR! No wonder we have so many people with a mercenary mentality in the workforce today

The difference between loyalists and mercenaries is based on their level of engagement. Do your employees show up to work excited and thankful to be a part of your organization?

If you are currently thinking: “Why should I worry about that? It’s not up to me whether people are motivated at work. That’s their problem.” Which is partly true. Employees do need to take personal responsibility for their attitudes at work. At the same time, if you don’t recognize your employees, it will fast become your problem too.

Gallup’s research is monumental for another reason. Not only does it show the negative effect of not recognizing your employees, it also shows the positive impact that recognition can have on your company. According to the study, businesses that recognize their employees have nearly double the odds of success than their counterparts. Those in the upper 99th percentile have FOUR TIMES the success rate than those in the lowest percentile!

Employees that are engaged in their company – meaning they believe in the mission and they show up on time with a good attitude – catapult the business to success. Employees with a loyalist mentality also have lower turnover, fewer excuses for missing work, rarer safety accidents, produce better products, have higher customer satisfaction, and send more profits straight to your bottom line.

The facts don’t lie. The number of engaged vs. unengaged employees will determine the level of your success. If employee engagement is important to your success, then you should make it easier, not harder, for employees to enjoy their work, feel appreciated, and constantly do their best. Letting employee engagement levels fall where they may is putting your success in the hands of luck. You have the responsibility to create an atmosphere that encourages your employees to give their best every single day.

Your success as a manager depends on it. If the majority of your employees are not engaged workers with loyalist mentalities, YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED AS A MANAGER. How can you rise to new heights if your employees keep jumping off the boat? You need to start recognizing your employees or you will continue to stall on the path to success.

Napoleon said it best, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon. Give me enough medals… and I’ll win you any war.” As a manager, the responsibility for your employees’ engagement rests directly on your shoulders. For the most part, people want to do their best, get rewarded for it, and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from both. If they don’t, you shouldn’t have hired them, and you probably need to let them go.

You need to have a team that works together in order to be successful yourself. You can’t leave your company’s success or your achievements as a manager up to fate. Once you have the right team, its time to correctly reward them for their efforts.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: In 2019, we’re already seeing our biggest January in company history. We’re expanding our sales team and customer service team (Engagement Coaches) in an effort to reach even more leaders throughout the country and continue to further the company mission.

We’re also super excited to announce that we just launched our latest app, Rise by MyEmployees, on the iOS platform (android coming soon). This app gives great leaders one more tool in their arsenal toward creating a workplace where employees come to work because they want to, not because they have to.

Did you know that forgetting to tell one of your top employees “great job” or give them a pat on the back has devastating effects on their productivity and motivation?

Sadly, Gallup reports that two thirds of employees say they haven’t received any recognition for doing good work in over a week, and those employees, who are probably some of your best employees, are twice as likely to quit in the next year.

Look, we all get busy. Forgetting to show someone appreciation doesn’t make you a bad leader. You just need a little reminder every now and then to make sure no one falls through the employee recognition cracks.

Rise by MyEmployees is a super simple mobile app that sends you a quick reminder any time an employee goes too long without being recognized for doing a good job.

It’s easy. First, load Rise up with your employees. Next, any time you praise an employee for doing something… like covering a shift, or going above and beyond for a customer, or helping out on a project… open up Rise and type a short note. Rise keeps track of all your notes for 60 days, so you have a full record of who you recognized and why.

And, finally, here’s the best part…

So you don’t ever let another great employee go too long without hearing “nice job,” Rise sends you a reminder when they’re 10 days from the last time you showed them some love. Whenever you make a new note, Rise resets for another 10 days.

Rise by MyEmployees is an easy to use app that keeps you at the top of your employee recognition game.

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