Post on 19-Sep-2014
description
Virgin's Crown Jewels: Great Customer Service across 200 Companies and 29 Countries
Michael MurphyGroup Brand Manager - Customer Service Virgin Management Limited
4th February 2008
What are we gonna chat about?
So who are we?
Core values
People 1st
Sharing around the group
The consumer champion
So to sum up….
So who are we and what is our brand about?
1970’s: the brand is born
1980’s: early growth/survival
1990’s: entrepreneurial start ups
Virgin brand so far: Transport & Travel
Virgin brand so far: Leisure & Entertainment
Virgin brand so far: Retail
Virgin brand so far: Communications. Money.
Virgin brand so far: Health. Renewables. Charity.
200 companies worldwide, employing 48 500people, an annual Virgin Group turnover of £10.8bn/US$20.4bn
….one of the most exciting brands in the world
Some stuff you probably didn’t know about us…
VFest Music FestivalsMaryland: 72000 smiley faces, 2500 bodies tattooed, 40000 crabcakes eaten
Virgin Active South Africa2,889,256 customers in January 2007, producing 30282 litres of sweat per day
Virgin MediaOur cables laid end to end would reach the moon or around the world 30 times
Virgin CosmeticsTop seller sold in one year enough lipsticks to circle the earth end to end!
Virgin Atlantic Since our inception in 1984, we have served over 110,000,000 meals onboard
Virgin Trains1st European rail operator to use bio- diesel, reducing C02 emissions by 14%
Virgin Money UKDeveloping a credit card that once expired can be planted to grow a tree!
Virgin ColaPamela Anderson was the model for the curvaceous shape of our bottles!
Remember your core values
The Brand Values
How we do deliver our values?
Listen to our customers
Respect our customers
Love our People
Keep It up!
The Acid Test:
If our name was removed from any part of the customer experience, would customers still know it was Virgin Mobile?
thrive
happy
enjoy
life
dynamic
animatedvivid
flourish
elect
rifyi
ng
In th
e m
omen
t
No rehearsal unsc
ripte
dA
nyth
ing co
uld
happen
HOT
connected
Sw
itch
ed o
n
Unplugged
People 1st
every time
So what does “the boss” think?
“Convention dictates that a company looks after its shareholders first, its customers next and last of all worries about its employees. Virgin does the opposite.
For us, our employees matter most. It just seems common sense to me that , if you start off with a happy, well-motivated workforce, you’re much more likely to have happy customers. And in due course the resulting profits will make your shareholders happy.”
Richard Branson
Question: Should my perception of Virgin as an employee be any different from that of a customer?
No! If you don’t believe in it, it won’t ever happen!
Loving People – the Virgin Way
Inspire
MeasureSuccess
Reward
Train Grow
Empower
Recruit
Empowerment
Simplicity
Fun
Lead
Learn
Feedback
Push
Together
Learning from around the group
Our Customer Experience principles How Virgin Group companies put it into practice
To offer an experience that’s 100% human, treating customers with respect.
Speak from the heart, not a script. Talk to people the way they prefer to be talked to – with warmth and humanity. When Virgin Money sends people letters about their financial services they recognise it’s the customer’s money, not theirs. They don’t write in jargon but as one human being to another
To make the experience simple and easy, with no confusion.
In a world of clutter and technology, there’s nothing consumers appreciate more. Virgin Mobile launched with the goal of putting the customer first and to be a breath of fresh air in a confusing field of technology. It revolutionised the industry by scrapping peak rate calls and allowing customers to pay any way they like with no contract.
To give our customers what they really want. Virgin Megastores were the first major music retailer to introduce listening posts in their stores, allowing consumers to listen before they buy.
To get the right things right. Every time. Like Virgin trains – who built a power point into every seat – so you can get some work done without your laptop or mobile running out of juice.
To keep our promises. If we say it, we’ll do it.
Some companies show a lack of regard for their customers by making promises they can’t or won’t keep. Virgin companies do what we say – no lies and no backtracking, just action.
To challenge convention. No bollocks or bureaucracy
Virgin Direct’s index tracker investments broke the investment world’s greatest conventions and secrets by beating traditional fund management with an investment fund linked to the FTSE. “Wouldn’t it be great if your shares could beat the shares of all those highly paid investors?” You can, 90% of the time, if you just invest in all the FTSE top companies.
To add a personal touch to our customer experience: the little extras….
To never design what we do by assuming the worst in customers
As a customer, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a faceless bureaucracy or a member of staff who tows the party line. A little something extra can really go a long way to improve a their experience and their opinion of Virgin. E.g. A Virgin Trains manager took all the placemats from First class and folded them into fans for the passengers caught in an unpleasantly hot carriage when the air-conditioning failed.
Phone broken? No problem. Virgin mobile will send a replacement the next day. That’s before we receive the original back – we take your word for it.
The Virgin Mobile Customer Experience Charter
The Virgin Mobile Customer Experience Charter
As a customer, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a faceless bureaucracy or a member of staff who tows the party line. A little something extra can really go a long way to improve a their experience and their opinion of Virgin. E.g. A Virgin Trains manager took all the placemats from First class and folded them into fans for the passengers caught in an unpleasantly hot carriage when the air-conditioning failed.
To add a personal touch to our customer experience: the little extras….
The Virgin Mobile Customer Experience Charter
Speak from the heart, not a script. Talk to people the way they prefer to be talked to – with warmth and humanity. When Virgin Money sends people letters about their financial services they recognise it’s the customer’s money, not theirs. They don’t write in jargon but as one human being to another
To offer an experience that’s 100% human, treating customers with respect.
The challenges of being a consumer champion
Being the Consumer Champion
So, to sum up…
So what’s the answer?
Keep it simple
Do what you say
Take the leap of faith
Keep on checking
Stay true to your values
Love the locals
Thanks for listening!
Any questions?