This is an except from a conversation with Michael Murphy, Group Brand Manager for Customer Service at Virgin. Michael will be speaking about Virgin, its challenges, and strengths at Customer Service is the New Marketing on February 4 in San Francisco.
Of course, we all face plenty of challenges. A major challenge for all of us at Virgin Management and one that keeps me awake at night is how to keep the unique Virgin look and feel as we continue to grow and diversify. Virgin is a very diverse group of companies, united around a simple goal of being the consumer champion. We’re in everything from airlines to online gambling, from healthcare to bridal wear – in 29 countries around the world. How do we maintain the essence of Virgin, but still deliver a differentiated service in each territory and industry sector? Maintaining and keeping alive the core values can get overlooked, and that is where I can support the businesses – through shared learning from the rest of the group.
Virgin Management is not so much of a traditional head office as a guiding and supporting function for the group. Each business runs their own show and we trust them to represent the name of Virgin. But where the group really benefits is the fact that most issues and challenges have been faced by someone within the group around the world. We can learn form each other and avoid repeating the same mistakes!
An obvious challenge is working with third parties and suppliers to deliver our service. It would be fair to say that not every business values it’s customers in the same way as Virgin does, and finding the right partner is the first big step to getting it right. Building the relationship and educating a partner to think outside the box and see the value of going the extra mile for a customer is a big challenge, no matter where in the world our businesses are located!
For example, in some of our businesses we outsource our call centre function. We bring the Virgin marketing and customer service together and choose smart partnerships with business who are equally expert in their field and take the time to help them learn the Virgin way of valuing and loving our customers.
One final point to note is that making mistakes is a tough but acceptable part of our culture. It is how we learn and has helped us continually evolve what we do and how we do it. You shouldn’t hide mistakes, but hold them up so you can learn from them and make it better in the future.
This excerpt from a conversation with Michael is just one of the many things you may hear and learn about at Customer Service is the New Marketing. Be sure to check out the web site for more information on the full speaker line up and how to purchase a ticket.
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