The Mind Takeaway Podcast - Leadership, Psychology and Creativity

Tenacity, perseverance and being a good human being will get you far in life.

In this episode, we speak to Martin Newman, an expert keynote speaker, columnist, author and advisor on customer-centric transformation and customer experience.

Martin is also an advocate for diversity, social responsibility and employee engagement for all consumer-facing sectors.

He appears regularly on BBC TV and Radio, on Sky, ITV and Channel 5 and a host of other media channels such as LBC, The Times and FT to discuss consumer issues relating to the retail, travel, automotive and financial services sectors. Martin has worked for over 35 years leading the multichannel operations for some of the world’s most recognisable retail brands. These include Burberry, Intersport, Pentland Brands (Speedo, Berghaus), Harrods and Ted Baker. His bestselling book 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, is seen as definitive within the sector and was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Award 2019.

Connect with Martin

martin@thecustomerfirstgroup.com

www.thecustomerfirstgroup.com

www.customerserviceaction.com

www.martinnewman.co.uk

www.consumerfocus.tv

www.consumerfocus.fm

www.linkedin.com/in/martindnewman

Timestamps:

04:36 The importance of empowering your people and seeing leadership as a service role.

08:51 How to provide a great customer experience isn't just about efficiency and speed.

14:32 Leaders that do not focus on service can often overlook opportunities that impact the longevity and profitability of their businesses.

18:00 The dangers of short term decision making and the damaging knock-on effect that can have on both customers and employees.

21:58 Business owners' decisions and employers' expectations ultimately dictate how companies approach sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

22:50 When businesses scale to a certain size, they feel they have to behave differently, losing their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity.

24:45 95% of consumer-facing businesses (maybe more) see customer service as a problem and are even ok with unhappy customers venting about lousy service on social media.

30:33 Companies that look after their staff provide flexibility, offer ongoing training and education and recognise that they get better-skilled people who stay longer in the company.

43:21 If you want to understand what's working and what isn't, walk the floor, talk to your people and listen to what they have to say.

44:26 The difference between data and insight; brands are drowning in data and measuring the wrong stuff, outputs instead of inputs.

48:40 Martin shares a great example of a company that truly empowers its employees.