Pleased to see this morning’s initiative by Celtic to provide people with a more visible and accessible complaints procedure, including an “Our commitment to you” section. I know it’s almost blasphemous to use the word ‘customer’ in a football context, but when it comes to levels of service, it is useful to benchmark the ‘customer experience’ at Celtic Park, which is patchy and often disappointing.
I’ve been meaning to pick up this topic for a while but there is a Supporters’ Forum coming up next month, where various supporters’ groups will be given a chance to put issues of concern to the club, and I planned to raise it directly with the club before writing about it here.
Celtic have a great brand (if you indulge me with another blasphemous but useful term), born to feed the hungry, champion of the underdog, fundraiser for the poor and needy in Scotland and across the globe. We still have the unique Seville legacy – which is 11 years old today – and on Saturday, 47 years after their own crowning moment, the remaining Lisbon Lions will cast their considerable shadow over European football, but a great deal of the ‘customer contact’ reflects a club weary from more recent skirmishes. It needed be this way.
We are one of the world’s unique brand properties, like Disney, but a lot smaller, of course. Every customer contact, every public-facing decision, should reflect this. Disney understand this. They make you pay ridiculous amounts for their tat, but you pay willingly, because every customer contact reflects the highest service levels achievable. None of this comes on minimum wage, you need to select, train and retain good staff, who remain in place irrespective of available alternatives.
Legendary customer service is expensive, but if you own a uniquely ethical brand, paying that expense can be profitable.
Look around at brand management elsewhere. BP throw an environmentally responsible ‘better use of energy’ message at you straight from their home page, and they are one of the world’s most notorious polluters. Barcelona give their ‘More than a club’ message the prime spot (top left) on their home page, without a notion of irony around their tax or Qatar cash transactions. Apple have “Apple and the environment” prominently on their home page. They have little to do with the environmental movement, but they know how important to their business it is to maintain their unique brand.
Ethically, Celtic are miles ahead of any of these outfits but you need to go hunt for our considerable ethical works on the club website.
What should Celtic do when training, match day stewards, or kiosk staff (don’t start me)? What should we do when faced with an expensive business decision? Consult the brand values. Brand values are absolutely sacrosanct and the cost of maintaining them should be looked on as an opportunity to invest in them. At the moment lots of areas are under-invested in, reflecting completely different values to those who rush into the ground on match day.
Our values are to build a great football club which improves Health, promotes Equality, encourages Learning and tackles Poverty. Celtic do this through the very real help they give to thousands of people through Celtic FC Foundation. This is where we are today but all of this should have a higher profile.
When you visit the Celtic web site two days before season ticket renewal deadline day (today), you should be smacked around the senses with our work on Health, Equality, Learning and Poverty. Do that and the drag-through to renewals or merchandise sales will follow, ask Apple or Disney.
We need confidence in this strategy. I know it’s expensive, things are tight and demands enormous, but these values, this unique brand, is why we will flourish for another century.
If you want to raise a question at the Supporters’ Forum leave a note below.
Order your signed copy of Tommy Gemmell’s All the Best below.
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TBJ, no it’s not, and my gag wasn’t either:-(
So people get ready, there’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no ticket you just get on board
Tanner standing at the side of the pitch looking like a Cyberfud.
If Lenny goes I hope he says why
Twitter
Is awash with Lennon to Norwich
Short odds at the bookies
Sheik,
MM for me.
Or big Greenock in for a year then step up.
Celtic could do worse and look at the costco approach to quality of staff and pay and conditions it’s the envy of all their competitors …….
PL would see Henrik as a Season Ticket seller.He would need to have an experienced assistant,like Wim Jansen…..:)
Happy for Hibernian
Want them in top tier
Sevconians will be promoted
750000 reason’s
Our games corrupt
Just watched the Hamilton Hibs game and had to endure listening to Andy Wa@ker. Does that little diddy have a clue what he is talking about. Hibs first goal was the keeper’s mistake my ar@e. He must have licked someone’s ar@e to get that job
The Senior Management Team (i.e. those professionals who manage Celtic PLC) at Celtic will ensure the Celtic manager is not a novice if the sevco franchise are playing in the SPFL top league next year.
I predict Owen Coyle being in place by first week in June.
Confucius say “Man who confuse constipation pills for Viagra, crap in bed”
What does a Cyberfud look like?
:-)
Geordie Munro
Either or dude
I think Neil should realise his ambition
With our blessing
Weefra
You’re the mhan!!
A kindred spirit.
Renewed both mine and my Bhoys ST this week.
The Celtic are a drug and I will always be hooked!
Hopefully will pass that onto my bhoy.
We may all get depressed about the injustice / cheating /corruption in the Scottish game and feel we get shafted at every turn coz believe me, I do. I may criticise the plc suits and believe me I do.
But their ain’t many finer feelings than seeing those green & White hooped jerseys emerging from the tunnel .
Just like from the darkness into light.
Hail Hail
geordie munro
Think I know your mrs, and I think she would be a contender to manage the ole Cellic. IMHO of course, you are entitled to yours as you know her better than any of us. :-))))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
“Think I know your mrs,”
Weefra, if you really work on a farm there’s a very good chance :)
Doesn’tlurkhere csc
Wasn’t aware of the rumours that our manager is leaving. Not good for the soul. He deserves a job for life at Celtic Park, not Norwich. Can’t get my head round that.
John Collins, no matter how good, did not think of the good of Celtic when he left. Mind you, the corruption at UEFA, which somehow ignored the fact that Monaco is not a part of the EU, helped.
bognorbhoy
Once again you are a man who don’t shrink.
BTW I had to insert an clarification addendum to your joke on http://www.dontshrink.com
“Poke” is an innocent word in Scotland, but in the USA it has only one real meaning and in a joke about a man, his pregnant wife and snails …. you get my drift.
Actually made it far funnier for me though.
Thanks again and HH
eddieinkirkmichael
21:47 on 21 May, 2014
There’s a lot of suppositories in what Confucius say
Rectum?
Damn near killed him!
ttt
Daft question really >}
Ok, say Celtic approach the suits from all the clubs witha a proposal to reform the refereeing system, to make it transparrent, and the referees accountable for their decisions on the pitch, demote them if they don’t perform to a set standard, simple stuff.
Make things like refereeing the team you support a non starter, but most of all make them justify their decisions, and if they get them wrong, demote them and take away their cash.
If Celtic got the backing of the majority of clubs, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t, the
clubs could then approach the sfa, make it public that it’s the will of the clubs, I very much doubt the sfa could turn round and refuse.
How could they justify keeping the status quo ?
As I said doing nothing ain’t gonna work.
HH
Would Neil seriously leave us to go to Norwich?? I mean Norwich!!!!
Surely a wind up ?
I refuse to believe it
My friends in Celtic,
Henrik Larsson is a legend and IMO the most productive player ever at Parkhead.
He is not ready for management at Celtic. To employ him at this level now would be premature and could tarnish his legendary status.
Some day, maybe but not today.
HH.
RWE
How is Tony doing after his fall ?
Hopefully recovering
Hail Hail
GCT, this is what one looks like ;-)
Cyberfud
There must be Piles of these jokes about to hit the fan.
burghbhoy
Thank you, but, I have no problems supporting our team. Some folk, like it or not, seem to look for issues with Celtic and the way they are run. ME, I just feel so privileged to, first of all, being able to afford a ST, and secondly, being part of the greatest family on the planet. Like you, we are so happy supporting our beloved Hoops, shame about the guys that find issues. IMHO. :-))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
We’ve got to fork out big time this
Season big time
25 million for the next few years
Will keep us miles ahead
That’s including wages some fantastic
Bosmans out there along with youth players
Last 16 would be nice
No matter who’s in charge
Mackay 2/7 for Norwich job,NL
11/4 2nd fav,the manager markets are very volatile.
Connaire12
Good luck tomorrow.
What are the chances of Hibs blowing it and getting beat 3-0 at Easter Rd?
http://youtu.be/TzN2g60BMA0
FWIW I don’t think Larsson would relish the goldfish bowl again.
!!bada bing!!
21:57 on 21 May, 2014
Mackay 2/7 for Norwich job,NL
11/4 2nd fav,the manager markets are very volatile.
A £50 bet is enough to touch odds, believe it or not. I dare you
NFLandNorwichisanoCSC
geordie munro
live and work on the ole farm. Think yer bein’ a bit harsh on yer ole mrs there, but found it funny anyhoo. Lesdawsoncsc
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Evening all.
ET, excellent point about the prehistoric style of football encouraged by hopeless refs.
Sheik, I believe Celtic can even get to the last eight in the CL. All our employees should feel that is possible.
Oh dear! What’s Chick Dung going to do now…?
For weeks he’s been wetting himself about a fantastic Championship containing Sevco, Hearts, Dunfermline and Hibs.