A letter from Cirrus published in The Grocer highlights the need for leaders to engage employees so that they in turn engage customers.
While price does appear to be the main reason for Asda’s popularity (‘Asda wows shoppers to take the crown from Tesco’), it is far from the only reason. For many shoppers, customer service makes a big difference to where they choose to spend their cash. It’s about a lot more than ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘have a nice day’. It relies on employees being deeply engaged with the brand values of the supermarket.
Asda’s promise of ‘Saving you money every day’ is a bold assurance that relies on people bringing it to life. At Asda, ‘trust’ is a core belief. It is at the centre of the Leadership Framework, apprenticeships and Mum2Mum mentoring scheme. It has also become ingrained in day-to-day activity.
Trust relies on relationships between employees and customers, and between employees and business leaders.
It’s up to leaders to engage employees with the supermarket’s vision and values, so that they in turn engage customers every day.
Simon Hayward, managing partner, Cirrus
Read this letter on The Grocer website.
