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Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Employee Experience Makes Or Breaks Customer Experience
Empathetic Brands Start From the Inside Out. Here Are Three Ways to Break Down the Silos Between EX and CX. Shot of call center operators working in the office. Call center agent working with his colleagues ... More in modern office. Smiling handsome businessman working in call center. Customer experience is everything. This is a mantra most business leaders have rallied behind by now. From initial brand awareness to personalized post-purchase support, organizations have grown increasingly intentional about making customers feel seen, heard, and valued through every interaction with their brands. In rushing to improve customer experience (CX), many may overlook another fundamental truth: Employee experience (EX) is also vital to shaping customer outcomes. So what happens when customer experience efforts aren't mirrored internally, and employees aren't extended the same care and attention they're expected to give? A 2024 PwC report found that 82% of U.S. and 74% of non-U.S. customers want more human interaction in their brand experiences. But according to the 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report, only 21% of employees globally felt engaged at work. By 2025, this decline in engagement was found to be among the top 7 workplace challenges, costing the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity and poor management. A recent Quantitative Marketing and Economics study further confirms this by finding a direct, causal link between employee engagement and customer satisfaction. In other words: while consumer-first strategies are undoubtedly important, when they're implemented at the expense of employee wellbeing, they backfire in costly ways. Employees are the ones who deliver the human experience customers want. When they feel unheard and unseen, disengaged, and burned out, they can't extend that care to customers. As one World Economic Forum article notes, empathy is one of the most critical leadership skills for the future of work, and more importantly, a key driver of innovation and employee engagement. And in an economy where both customers and employees demand meaningful engagement, empathy must flow in both directions. To create an authentically empathetic brand, leaders can't treat CX and EX as separate silos. Instead, they must acknowledge that one flows into the other, and align internal culture with the external promise. Here are three places to begin breaking down those silos: Listen Like a Leader, Not Just a Manager Many organizations typically collect customer feedback through surveys, support tickets, or NPS scores. But what about doing this internally too? According to the Center for Creative Leadership, empathetic leaders outperform in collaboration and innovation because they listen deeply and respond thoughtfully. And when employees feel safe enough to share challenges, ideas, or concerns, companies gain insight into what's really working (or not). In her conflict resolution framework on The Empathy Edge podcast, organizational development professional and CEO of Seattle Conflict Resolution Kristine Scott outlines three simple but powerful steps for managers navigating tough conversations: validate the emotion, state the boundary, and offer support or options. This can also mean creating intentional moments where employees feel safe to speak and confident they'll be heard. It means investing in employee check-ins, feedback loops, and listening sessions as strategic tools, not just HR nice-to-haves. And as this Harvard Business Review article reminds us, listening well is not only a first step to aligning employee needs with business goals, it's a teachable, trackable leadership skill that every leader can access. Equip Managers to Model Empathy Internal culture isn't as shaped by C-Suite memos as it is by those everyday interactions employees have with managers. Yet they're often undertrained, overburdened, and most overlooked when it comes to empathy training. According to Harvard's Professional & Executive Development platform, teaching managers reflective listening, empathetic communication, and psychological safety techniques helps address burnout, distrust, and disengagement among teams. And as MIT Sloan Management Review puts it, empathy within teams turns warm hearts into cold hard results. But it still needs systemic support, because while training leaders to be more empathetic is necessary, organizational structures must reinforce it. When empathy exists only in pockets but is not supported by the environment, that's like planting healthy seeds in nutritionless soil and still expecting an abundant crop. Align Policies with People, Not Just Profit When leaders ask whether organizational policies honor their people, it might mean rethinking rigid schedules, performance metrics, or communication norms. It also means considering the mental, emotional, and psychological toll of customer-facing roles. A 2024 Current Psychology study found that emotional exhaustion in these roles has a mediating impact on employee turnover intention. But when employees know that the company has their back, not just during peak performance, but during hard seasons too, they're more likely to stick around and go the extra mile. Here's the bottom line: Empathetic organizations don't begin with clever ad campaigns. They begin at the Monday morning meeting, with leaders who listen, managers who care, and internal systems that reflect both values and humanity. For loyalty from our revenue-driving customers, we must first invest internally in empathy for our employees and understand how employee experience impacts customer experience.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Investor (VMMSX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Non US - Equity category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Investor (VMMSX). VMMSX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We classify VMMSX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels. History of Fund/Manager VMMSX finds itself in the Vanguard Group family, based out of Malvern, PA. Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Investor made its debut in June of 2011, and since then, VMMSX has accumulated about $844.81 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 7.91%, and is in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 10.47%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 16.97%, the standard deviation of VMMSX over the past three years is 17.7%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 17.13% compared to the category average of 16.68%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.63, which means it is hypothetically less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -2.58. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, VMMSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.75% compared to the category average of 1.06%. From a cost perspective, VMMSX is actually cheaper than its peers. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $1. Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included. Bottom Line Overall, Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Investor ( VMMSX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Emerging Markets Select Stock Investor ( VMMSX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now. Your research on the Non US - Equity segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (VMMSX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Vanguard Developed Markets Index Admiral (VTMGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
There are plenty of choices in the Non US - Equity category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is Vanguard Developed Markets Index Admiral (VTMGX). VTMGX has no Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, but we have been able to look into other metrics like performance, volatility, and cost. Zacks categorizes VTMGX as Non US - Equity, a segment stacked high with options. Non US - Equity mutual funds like to invest in companies outside of the United States, an important characteristic since global mutual funds are known to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. These kinds of funds can often extend across all cap levels, and will typically allocate their investments between emerging and developed markets. Vanguard Group is responsible for VTMGX, and the company is based out of Malvern, PA. Since Vanguard Developed Markets Index Admiral made its debut in August of 1999, VTMGX has garnered more than $31.54 billion in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Investors naturally seek funds with strong performance. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 11.29%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of 10.32%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. VTMGX's standard deviation over the past three years is 17.64% compared to the category average of 14.53%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 16.72% compared to the category average of 14.16%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. VTMGX has a 5-year beta of 0.87, which means it is likely to be less volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a negative alpha of -2.21, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, VTMGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.07% compared to the category average of 0.91%. From a cost perspective, VTMGX is actually cheaper than its peers. Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1 Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included. For additional information on this product, or to compare it to other mutual funds in the Non US - Equity, make sure to go to for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (VTMGX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund (WAGOX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?
Having trouble finding a Non US - Equity fund? Well, Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund (WAGOX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. WAGOX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. We classify WAGOX in the Non US - Equity category, which is an area rife with potential choices. Investing in companies outside the United States is how Non US - Equity funds set themselves apart, since global funds tend to keep a good portion of their portfolio stateside. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels. Wasatch is based in Salt Lake City, UT, and is the manager of WAGOX. Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund debuted in November of 2008. Since then, WAGOX has accumulated assets of about $113.48 million, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. WAGOX has a 5-year annualized total return of 8.64% and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.26%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame. It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, WAGOX's standard deviation comes in at 22.15%, compared to the category average of 17.21%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 21.26% compared to the category average of 17.18%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Investors should not forget about beta, an important way to measure a mutual fund's risk compared to the market as a whole. WAGOX has a 5-year beta of 1.11, which means it is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a negative alpha of -6.9, managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, WAGOX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.50% compared to the category average of 1.09%. So, WAGOX is actually more expensive than its peers from a cost perspective. While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,000, investors should also note that each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included. Overall, Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund ( WAGOX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and higher fees, Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund ( WAGOX ) looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now. For additional information on the Non US - Equity area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into WAGOX too for additional information. If you want to check out our stock reports as well, make sure to go to to see all of the great tools we have to offer, including our time-tested Zacks Rank. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Get Your Free (WAGOX): Fund Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
