Problems don’t start at the customer level; they start with employees and managers. But managers and employees may not see it that way. If a customer experiences a problem, it’s easy to blame that customer. However, smart leadership will look inward and see what can change internally to affect the external customer service experience. While this thinking is beneficial, it’s also important to act on it. Studies show that 90 percent of leaders believe an employee engagement strategy is important, but less than 25 percent will actually develop one. In developing this strategy, there are several key points to keep in mind. It’s important to build in some sort of regular feedback mechanism. Most employers only give periodic reviews—once every six months or so. This interval should shrink significantly; the most engaged employees report that they receive meaningful feedback at least once a week. Additionally, it’s important for leaders to listen to their employees and make changes based on employee input. Employees are on the front lines and often experience things managers don’t.