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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Every credit Kit.
Now then Kit, how did you know?
New York
Father and Son
When i was 21 i had a big massive poster of Bob Marley in my flat.
25 years later i met a burd who says to me, “you had a big poster of Bob Marley in your flat didnt you”
I knew how to impress the burds.
Fast Car
Redemption Song
Love the line in that, “from the moment i could talk, i was ordered to listen” so true,
SONG FOR MARCELLA
Welcome to….The Twilight Zone… Do Do DO Do
kitalba
03:10 on
22 May, 2014
Or…………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSwL9deXNW8
Harry Chapin.
Lunch beckons.
Ultimate sacrifice Kit.
And glory guards Clanricard’s grave, Sing, Oh! they died their land to save,… We’ll watch till death for Erin’s sake
macjay1:
I was listening to that at the weekend past.
These guys weren’t into talking about it….
Kit some of the links you’ve posted on you tube. Look at the commentents beneath them!!! And they’re only days old, this thing will never be over, my god.
McBhoy:
I gave up reading them a long time ago, I’m left thinking that hope dies last and after we’re gone that’s the most precious thing we leave behind. Because in our own day, in our own time, we never took the chance to face down the hate, so we passed it onto our children and clothed it in hope.
Kit, i’m no clever, an ive been taught a few things in my old age, things i didnt know, about myself, by someone close, everydays a schoolday, if your willing to learn.
Kit, i like that, hope dies last, its optimism, god bless you an me.
McBhoy
The Twilight Zone is where it’s happening!
Seriously….
Search ev’ry kingdom where breathes a slave
McBhoy;
There’s nobody thicker than me, but I know where my heart is.
PJBhoynyc:
Just like old days only no Kano nor Pablo.
PJBhoynyc
you’re out there ya mad bassa, WTF??
Anyway, ahm away to ma kip, ive got to be up in another 14 hours, so its been great chattin, keep it REAL, whatever that means., hail hail. 10 in a row, PL’s a bam or great?
Bulls 3 Matadors 0
Kia
Ba: Absolutely; time flies!
Roll on the Windae…..
bKia =Kitalba…. Obviously
PJBhoynyc:
I know a cure for shakey hand syndrome.
PJBhoynyc:
You got me thinking there about time, I might be wrong but I think it is coming up for six years, come November, since Kano got sick.
Morning blog
Sorry Paul,can’t hack the old marketing and corporate speak of ‘customer’ a ‘brand’.the problem lies inthat they are definitive as to what we are about ie our club, charity & fighting poverty etc
.this customer thinks the brands rejection of a living wage brings the brand into disrepute.
I am also a touch uneasy with the brands approach to its irish heritage and origins.i say that as a member of its founding diaspora and with all respect to all followers of the brand.
.i would prefer if our brand advertised itself as a leader in our sport, radical in outlook and dissenting at every turn to ensure governance in our sport ensures a fair game.
Have a great day Celts.there will be fans about and being mad about Celtic long after me you and the corporate&marketing ‘speak’ has gone.anyway is the customer always right? lol…who knows
BillHicksonmarketingCsc
An Tearmann
06:01 on
22 May, 2014
Good Morning An Tearman
I agree not very comfortable with the marketing and corporate jargon, hope CQN posters not being viewed as same
Off to work for next 4 days, enjoy your time in the hills hopefully catch up soon
Good morning from a dry pleasant ML1. Isin’t is always such in ML1? Naw!
Anyway fellow bloggers, just to make you all completely jealous, I’m off to the fabulous Isle of Jura this morning. Train to O-ban, passenger ferry from Tayvallich, a new experience. What is that about every day is a schoolday? Hope I don’t learn anything about seasickness. the ferry only holds 12 people so should be “Exciting”. Hope the pilot misses the Corryvechan whirlpool.
Message to BT
I’ll try to get you the proper Jura glasses this time. The last ones were “Tasting” glasses which only hold a quarter gill, that’s why your cup was running over.
No Emails, no chinese carry out, no curry shop, no McDonalds, no Asda, one pub, imaging getting barred! Peace perfect peace, watch out, trout, I’m a coming.
to catch ya. “See” you all in a week. A Ceiling Gone – – –
I’ll bring you some proper heavily peated Jura , to wean you off that awful Islay Ardbeg!
Love and peace
Good morning friends from a dry but cloudy (the ones that tend to be full of rain) East Kilbride.
Connaire12 if you’re around?
Best wishes at the hospital today, prayers offered .
Vinny
kitalba
04:50 on
22 May, 2014
PJBhoynyc:
You got me thinking there about time, I might be wrong but I think it is coming up for six years, come November, since Kano got sick.
*******************************
Morning Kitalba, hope you and the family are all well amigo!
Re your post above, November 2009 making it almost five years that our friend Martin Kane has been suffering. We all helped to get him home from hospital a year later 2010. Perhaps we should mark it somehow?
Vinny
HH
Anybody been into Ticket Office this week, going in to renew my ST later this morning?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!