Who’s more important—your customers or your employees?

The customers and the employee are very important simply because customers are external while employees are internal. The employees relationship with the customers matter a lot and it is what will draw customers to you.employees are your product that market your goods and services to the customers. 

Thank you for the invite Ranjan.

In my belief, In service industry,  both are equally important  but customer takes the precedence as our business is sustained by a customer .

While the employee creates the credibility for the brand with his passionate contribution and core work ethics, customer helps grow our business with word of mouth publicity with one time pleasant experience that has the potential to multiply.

A business without growth cannot sustain their employees  however efficient they may be .

Both

This is a fairly easy question to answer if you analyze a big business and simplify it down to a lemonade stand. A business is basically an extension of the founder. To understand this, let's keep it simple and take the lemonade stand approach. You have set up a lemonade stand. You are now the founder of your lemonade stand. Customers come to buy some lemonade. You do not have any lemons, water, and sugar. You ask your friends to get the ingredients for a small fee. They are now your employees. You do not know how to mix the ingredients together you ask your mom to do it for a small fee. She is now your employee. You sell the lemonade and give the agreed amount fees. If you were able to get the ingredients by yourself, mix it by yourself and sell the lemonade to the customer, you would gladly say you are very talented and very important. But when you expand this lemonade stand analogy to a  Fortune 500 company you understand that you would not be able to meet the needs of the customer by yourself, and if you were able to meet the needs by yourself you would say you are the most important part of your company. So at the end of the day the only reason you were able to close the customer, was because of your friends, and your mom. Without them you are not even in business, and just a guy with no lemonade. So who is more important? your customers or your employees? Easy to say your employees. Because without your employees, you are not even in the position to say you have customers.

The more important one in any organization is the one whom awaiting for. Either to buy or purchase. We have to appreciate more the one whom we supplied to, The customers are each and everytrhing. As a manager; sometime you have to approach directly your customers because customers are the kings and not employees.

Therefore; Through administrative management theory or principle; not only employees that have to work rather managers also have to work. Hence; customers are more important compared to employees. Thus; for me customers are my boss who suppose to be praised compared to employees who depend their salaries which is highly contributed or dependent indirectly or directly from the customers and me as a boss to act as a middle towards giving them such kind of salary obtained.

It should be noted that; the issue is "who is more?" customers are the kings who has to be praised and sometime be appreciated compared to employees who has to be maintained in a sense of team working so as to handle these customers in a very good and desired style towards achieving organizational goals and objectives.

Customer is important, while the employees are more important.

I THINK ITS CUSTOMERS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EMPLOYEES. BECAUSE THEY GIVES BUSINESS. IF U ARE NOT GETTING BUSINESS THEN HOW CAN U MANAGE YOUR EMPLOYEES.

When employees are satisfied with their Job and company, they'll give their%, which automatic results in customer satisfaction. If companies used to take care of employees' need, employees will pay off by putting extra effort towards their roles n responsibilities. So in my opinion, a satisfied employees base will create a satisfied customer base for the company.

Hello,

If the customer is first then my employees should be at least second which is not an excellent apprach, i beleive all the time people should be first, in other words not numbers and targets which may result in no reward for staff effort and this will size the loyality of the staff, PEOPLE SHOULD ALWAYS BE FIRST.

best regards

Both are important to business, But if you want to make a difference you should take good care of your people or employee and in return, your employee will take good care of your business.

A customer is the first to be attentive and respectful but that doesn't exclude your employees which are the stepping stone of your business.  Without them you have no business as well as your clients. Employees should be examine carefully that they are rewarded for their dedication on the job and  expertise in luring potential prospects.