We all know that customers are central to the fate of businesses. However, most business owners are more likely to focus on things like providing good customer service, offering competitive pricing, building a strong sales team, and developing creative marketing strategies. This often leads to employers overlooking one of the most important things, happy employees.

The truth is that the success of a business lies in the happiness of the employees who run it. Unhappy employees can negatively impact the productivity, turnover, and overall efficiency of the business, which, in turn, has a snowball effect on the customers. So, if you want a customer-centric business, invest in your employees first.

Here are some tips to keeping employees happy:

1. Set the example – To lead by example means to guide others through your behavior instead of your words. Your intention is to inspire others to copy your behavior.
2. Prioritize work-life balance – Prioritizing things helps save both time and energy. Thus, allowing team members to set a perfect balance between their work and personal life.
3. Be transparent and honest – Transparency and honesty in leadership means keeping your employees in the loop, sharing the good and the bad (while not oversharing), and welcoming honest feedback from the members of your team.
4. Open Communication – The ability to communicate effectively in the workplace can increase overall productivity and create a strong team. Quality communication in the workplace can eliminate unnecessary problems and promote better performance and engagement.
5. A positive work environment – A positive working environment is a workplace that promotes employee safety, growth and goal attainment.
6. Employee Empowerment – Empowering employees is simply giving your employees more freedom and making them more accountable in every task they handle. 
7. Recognize and reward employees – Recognition and rewards helps employees see that their company values them and their contributions to the success of their team and the company overall.
8. Offer more benefits – Offering benefits to your employees is important because it shows them you are invested in not only their overall health, but their future. A solid employee benefits package can help to attract and retain talent. 
9. Make things fun – Have a games area or fun office games and activities available. If you want your team to stay motivated and refreshed, you should be encouraging them to take regular breaks that allows the other part of their brains to become engaged.
10. Always say ‘thank you’ – It’s a well-known fact that people like to be valued at their jobs, with appreciation being one of the most sought-after forms of praise in the workplace. It’s motivating and encouraging, and it creates job satisfaction, thus resulting in better performance and less turnover.

Implementing these tips will show increased productivity as well as a much lower rate of absenteeism. Happy employees are more engaged, inspired, and innovative, and will often go the extra mile to deliver an exceptional customer experience. They are key to building a strong reputation, brand image, and competitive advantage.