How To Improve Your Employee and Customer Satisfaction: All At Once.

You need a change.

We all need a change.

Yet, many believe that sticking to what works or what used to work is the best approach...

Just because your parenting approach worked with your first child, it doesn’t mean it will be as effective with your second.

Silence was and (at times, still is) considered golden in certain contexts, such as workplaces. But similarly - just because it used to appear beneficial at some point, doesn't mean it will today, tomorrow, or the day after that.

According to a research survey by Spotify, more than 61% of workers like to listen to music while working.

Even more interestingly, 90% of workers perform better and an astounding 88% produce more accurate work.

This should be enough to show you that changing things up every so often is needed.

Otherwise, what stops us from living the same day, everyday?

You wake up, snooze your alarm, grab your phone, brush your teeth, have your coffee, commute to the office, sit & work, go back home, sleep, and be ready to do it all over again the next day.

This is why you are excited when something different suddenly appears in your day.

Seeing friends, going on a date, going to the gym.

Or even more so when something unexpected happens.

I realized this when I overheard a guy at the gym express his amusement at the sight of a coworker from a different department mistakenly wander into their office space.

This is how badly we crave change that this guy got joy from the sight of an unfamiliar face simply making a "mistake".

Listening to a story like this leaves me slightly concerned.

There has to be a way to make your days more enjoyable.

There has to be a way to make you look forward to your days.

To your job.

This, however, doesn't only apply solely to employees.

Business owners, you as well.

What can you do to increase your employees' satisfaction? Consequently increasing their retention at your company?

You've tried it all: Casual Fridays. Half-day Summer Fridays. Free lunches. Complimentary ice coffees with Nespresso pods and milk frothers.

Doesn't get better than that, does it?

And yet, your employees still seem to not be entirely content. Why do they keep on leaving?

Why are they not positively reviewing and recommending your company to future prospects on Glassdoor or LinkedIn?

You may not think about it enough and believe that it is a lesser concern.

But, really sit back for a minute.

And think about the amount of time and effort that is put into recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training new employees over and over.

Not a business owner?

Well the same goes for managers or supervisors, like my good friend from "L'Entrecote Café De Paris", Roberto.

He aims for 2 things:

1. For his customers to consume and spend more.

2. For his team to be doing their jobs, happily & without complaining.

How can he fulfill these 2 conditions?

1. Cultivate a joyful and motivated team atmosphere.

2. A spirited team dynamically transfers positive energy to customers.

3. Positive team energy improves service, enhancing customer satisfaction.

4. A better service experience leads to positive memories and perceptions of the restaurant.

5. Customers are then more likely to return and spread a positive word-of-mouth.

Therefore, it is clear that improving your employees’ moods is crucial.

It leads to an increase in positive ambiance and energy felt across the establishment, leading to more satisfied, loyal & returning customers.

So how can you enhance your employees' moods and satisfaction?

Let's dive in.

Incorporating music will be the best decision you make for your business.

As all of us can relate to it, we'll continue using the restaurant business as our main example today.

According to several studies, "food is 50% of the experience in a restaurant while the atmosphere is the other big part of it."

The area, the decor, and the waiting staff are all crucial, but the music is the main part of the atmosphere.

Through scientific experimentation, it has been discovered that music can completely change our experience in a restaurant.

The same way that internal factors such as mood and hormones impact us, external factors like watching TV or listening to music also influence the way we eat.

In fact, music is the main external factor that changes the way we eat.

Numerous studies have shown that listening to music while eating is likely to increase our food and drink intake.

This solves Roberto's first concern.

Music makes our lunches and dinners waaaay longer.

Interestingly, the rhythm of the music also influences our rhythm and the pace at which we chew our food.

As per the laboratory experiments conducted by McElrea & Standing, people eat faster when they are exposed to speedy tempos, whereas slower and downbeat music makes us eat slower and drink more.

Lucky for you if your business has a liquor license!

Generally, we tend to think that we can only judge our food with 4 of our senses, those being taste, sight, smell, and touch.

This is funny when realizing that hearing may actually be the most important one.

Think about it.

• Chips taste much better when they are crispy.

• The pop of popcorn is as enticing as its taste.

• The sizzle of a steak on the grill enhances its flavour.

• The snap of a chocolate bar breaking is part of its appeal.

Sound definitely changes our perception of the taste of food.

Logically, it is then easy for us to understand that music has a profound impact on our perception of a dish.

Adding onto that, music creates energy. It creates the entire vibe, that atmosphere that develops the flavour of our food.

This is why there is always music playing in a successful restaurant.

This is why people eat much more when there is music playing.

This is why we end up paying more when there is music playing.

Likewise, another study showed that there is a clear positive correlation between liking music played at a restaurant and a customer's level of affection for that restaurant.

This means that the more you like the music played, the more your subconscious will like that place. And the more you will crave and desire to go back to that place.

I mention the subconscious because in these situations, when eating and engaging in conversations at restaurants, we are not attentively and consciously paying attention to the music.

But, the music played still holds the power to break through and reach our subconscious.

This is why a good and well-curated playlist in a restaurant increases the likelihood of cultivating brand-loyal customers. People will create positive psychological associations between this incredible music selection and the quality of the restaurant.

So what can you do to leverage this?

Firstly, as a business owner or manager, you would start by adding music to your establishment.

"That's easy! I can just go on Spotify and make a playlist myself."

Beware, my friend, not that fast. This isn't as simple as it may seem.

Let me remind you of the laboratory experiment we sourced above by McElrea & Standing.

The results revealed that the pace of music was effective in enhancing both food and fluid intake:

• Faster music tempo: More intense chewing and increased eating pace.

• Slower music tempo: Slower eating, higher bar bills.

• Background music: Decreases eating speed; slower tempo encourages more drinking.

• Overall impact: Slow music (while controlling for volume, temperature, and lighting) prolongs dining time and increases restaurant bills.

And this is only one part of it.

There are certain types and genres of music that lead to higher spending.

You would really have to take your time, examine your clientele, and spend numerous hours (and days) researching and selecting the appropriate songs that:

1. Are not too loud.

2. Don't have any reverb.

3. Don't have any stridencies.

4. Fit with the restaurant's vibe and atmosphere.

5. Don't have any surprises or bizarre parts throughout the entire song.

And the list goes on and on. I haven't even mentioned how you need to make sure that playlist you make is at least double the length of the time you are open and operating.

Why, you ask?

Do not forget about the you and your team.

Imagine hearing the same playlist on repeat every 6-10 hours.

By doubling it, at the minimum, you hear it again every other day.

Which for some, may still be a lot.

Regardless, this is why you need a music consultant and curator.

The same way you outsource your social media posts and campaigns to a professional marketing company, how are you not going to outsource the creation of professional, tailor-made playlists to a music consulting company?

And this is even more concerning when you consider the important role of music in satisfying and retaining your consumers.

"Ok great, so I don't have to take this into account as it only applies to restaurants, right?"

I wouldn't be so quick there either.

Remember, we used Roberto and his delicious restaurant only as an example.

In fact, music plays a subtle but surprisingly powerful role in employee well-being.

This applies to employee well-being as a whole, no matter the type of business.

So, if you are involved in any way in any business — be it as an owner, manager, supervisor or an employee — I would keep reading.

Besides simple enjoyment, music has always had a deeper connection to our emotions. For thousands of years, music has been associated with love, heartbreak, joy, social bonding and even, through tribal war rhythms, intimidation.

It's known that music can increase levels of the well-being hormones oxytocin and dopamine, while reducing those of cortisol (which is associated with stress).

And this, checks Roberto's second point of concern.

No complaining. Just happiness.

Take a second.

Think about the huge stress-related absenteeism that is experienced across diverse workforces around the globe, costing employers more than $31 billion annually.

Now... wouldn't it be wise to use and invest in innovative tools like music to increase the well-being, and thus the efficiency, of your workforce?

"Wow, Julian. That is indeed a lot of money to just let go... is it too late to start now?"

It is never too late.

You'd be joining an increasing number of employers who have started to introduce music in the workplace as a means to soothe stress, calm work anxiety, and promote creativity and concentration.

Many employees have reported feeling more motivated while listening to music and consequently feeling more interested in what they are doing.

According to a survey, 71% of staff who are allowed to listen to music at work reported being at least somewhat more productive.

Gathering responses from more than 1,000 U.S. workers, 18 years of age or older, and employed in office environments, reveals that:

• ~10% do not know about the music policies.

• Only 9% work in environments where music is disallowed.

• And 44% are free to listen to music without any restrictions.

And the remaining 38%?

Also allowed to listen to music. But with some restrictions, such as wearing headphones.

Among those allowed to listen to music, 85% said they enjoy turning on the tunes at work.

I think that's enough data for today.

And I know you get the point.

Conclusion

Whether you knew it or not, music constantly influences you, both subconsciously and psychologically.

Restaurants, bars, hotels, office spaces - why are they all suddenly shifting focus in their operations towards music?

They've already understood the psychological effect that music has on their employees, which can then be transmitted and passed on to their clients - almost always influencing their spending and more importantly, their brand loyalty.

After reading this, you've understood it too.

Music is the answer. Use it wisely.

I've put it into this flow chart for visual aid and clarity.

Before I go, I'd like to leave you all with this little disclaimer:

Just because I am a huge proponent of incorporating music in the workplace, it doesn't mean that I don't value the etiquette and acceptable behaviour that comes along with it.

Please be considerate of your fellow colleagues.

• Wear headphones to not disturb those around you.

• Control the music volume so that you can still hear a colleague calling for you or the phone ringing.

• And most importantly, do not abuse of this privilege. Don't ruin it for the rest.

If this isn't the case in your work environment yet, I encourage you to become the one who suggests it. Whether you're in a decision-making position or not.

Send them this article.

Explain that there is scientific backing.

And more importantly, you lose nothing. Things will either stay the same or some kind of benefit will come out of it.

Never say no to anything without trying it first.

Thank you for reading.

See you next week!

Much love,

Julian

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