Independent furniture retailer Gillies of Broughty Ferry has announced the appointment of Jonathan Creese as its new, and first, Customer Experience Manager.
Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, Jonathan’s key responsibilities are to act as Head of Customer Service and develop new Customer Experience ways of working for the business.
Fresh into the role, Jonathan is currently undergoing a full assessment of current operational processes in order to establish any areas for improvement, transformation and/or automation.
“With recent and planned company growth, my objective is to help the business to future proof the operation and ensure we have the necessary people skills in place to deliver a world class level of service in an ever-changing world,” Jonathan said.
Whilst simultaneously working in the new role, Jonathan is also undertaking a Professional Diploma in Customer Experience with ‘The CX Academy’, which is aimed to help shape its CX programme and set clear goals.
Jonathan continued: “I intend to implement new procedures and staff training, increase modes of communication, re-frame employee attitudes, and deliver a level of service above customer expectations.
“I have recently implemented a Customer Experience Call pilot within our Head Office branch, whereby sales staff contact recent customers to understand how their overall Gillies experience was and identify areas for improvements that could enhance the customer journey. These initial findings along with Trustpilot reviews will help formulate our long-term strategy.”
Jonathan has been with Gillies since 2013 and has overseen a number of projects at the front end of the business. The newly created role will give Jonathan the opportunity to “gain real understanding of the back end whilst developing a new CX training programme for the company”.
“Customer Experience is the fastest growing business discipline and focuses on how a customer feels as a result of every interaction they have with the company. At Gillies, we are continually looking for ways to develop our staff and implement new ways of working which will make the overall customer experience more enjoyable and meet the rising expectations of our loyal customer-base,” Jonathan said.
“It can be unsettling moving into a new role, but as expected, the team have been brilliant in welcoming me to the office.
“I strongly believe that Customer Experience is the next evolution of traditional retail, and will require organisations to recognise that their customers are now looking for something different. It is important to recognise that customers no longer trust companies like they once did; they now trust the opinions and experiences of their friends, family and colleagues.
“The desired outcome of great Customer Experience is not just to exceed expectations, ultimately, we want to create a bond with our customers. Where they are loyal, engaged and connected with our brand. When that bond exists between customer and organisation, customers want to stay with us longer and talk positively about their experiences to their friends, family and colleagues. We passionately want our customers to become advocates of our brand.”
