Last weekend, I visited two gift shops just a few doors apart.

In the first store, I was greeted politely and left to browse. Nothing wrong with that. But nothing memorable either.

 In the second store, I was also greeted, but the employee told me that almost all of their jewelry was made on site. She then shared my favorite detail: that they also sell pieces made by local kids, with all of the profits going directly to the children. Very cool idea.

Talk about a difference in how I felt and the value that employee added to my experience and day.

That same principle of adding value happens anywhere service happens — in a retail store, at a restaurant, over the phone in a call center, from a bank teller, at a hotel front desk, or in any other customer engagement role.

The difference is whether the employee understands the value they bring and makes the customer better off for having interacted with them.

That’s the difference between just doing your job and creating an experience. And it’s the kind of shift leaders can help make happen.

Here are three things you can do to help employees see the value they give:

1. Share specific impact stories and observations – Tell them how their actions made a customer’s day or solved a problem. Focus on how the added value led to a customer happily making a purchase. 

2. Ask your staff questions about their customer interaction – “How did you make someone better off today?” gets them thinking beyond the task. “What value did you add?” gets the staff to be more proactive in adding value.

3. Connect the dots – Show how their role contributes to the company’s bigger purpose. Connect the added value to purchases, future visits, and referrals. When your team sees the value they add, they naturally add more of it.

So, let me ask, what if this week you focused on your staff adding value to every customer interaction?

You're one action away. Starting today.