In the 1981 article "The Employee as Customer," L.L. Berry states that, whether managing customers or employees, "the central purpose remains the same: the attraction of patronage through the satisfaction of needs and wants." So whether we deal with customers or employees, the interaction is the same. It requires that we satisfy their needs and wants.

Customers who are satisfied have higher repurchase intentions. Employees who are satisfied have higher intentions of staying with the organization, leading to reduced turnover.

We can no longer afford to view our frontline employee as a low-paid servant or a replaceable unit. We must transition to seeing them as customers. Employees are not only individuals who must listen to management, but also people to whom management must listen.