Every employee plays a role in customer experience, but they often follow the lead of the CEO. At Progressive Insurance, employees follow the customer-centric mindset of CEO Tricia Griffith, which has led to the company’s stock quadrupling in the last four years.
Although there are metrics to measure and processes in place, Griffith leads with her heart and isn’t afraid to trust her gut. She puts people first by getting out of her office, taking customer calls, sitting in as agents handle claims, and surprising partners and customers with in-person visits.
Griffith has spent more than 30 years at Progressive, starting as a claims agent, so she understands the stress frontline workers face. She also recognizes the impact she can have on their engagement and loyalty and makes it a point to ensure frontline workers feel valued and seen. Employees who feel respected and valued for their work deliver amazing customer service.
Other insurance companies are cutting customer service to save money, but Griffith goes the other way and invests in things that make the experience easier for customers. She has championed digital claims and services like Snapshot Rewards to make the customer experience easier and more positive. Insurance can be confusing, especially when customers only contact the company when they’ve been in an accident or had trauma. By investing in digital tools to streamline the experience, Griffith makes it easier for customers to get back on their feet and back to everyday life.
What’s the most important skill of a customer-centric leader? Griffith says it’s listening to customers–both the compliments and complaints. She is constantly looking for what she calls ground truths from customers and employees–those core truths about the experience and the good and bad of interacting with a company.
By being vulnerable and authentic with her employees and customers, Griffith opens the door to feedback and sets the example for all employees to listen to their customers to better understand their changing needs. Customer expectations are growing, so Griffith works to ensure she is continually growing to serve her people better. And that growth and agility pay off with loyal customers and employees and incredible business growth.
Tricia Griffith is proof of the power of customer-centric leaders in shaping their companies’ focus and boosting the bottom line.
This episode is sponsored by Calendly. See how Calendly can help your team drive adoption and increase retention and growth at calendly.com/moderncustomer.
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Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist and the bestselling author of The Customer of the Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.