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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Unless there’s been all kinds of mayhem happenin’ that I’ve not heard of I think Neil Lennon’s home life has got a lot quieter since Sevco began the ole journey.
So maybe he has left for budgetary/footballing reasons.
tonydonnelly67
12:14 on 22 May, 2014
That’s nonsense and you know it.
Comforting nonsense, much more pleasant than the reality, but nonsense just the same.
Potential for Lenny to be a celtic great, so sad that he’s moving.
dbbina
hopefully no hunguffery but a successor in immediately
as i had wind of this beginning of last week.
and if i knew then, im sure the board knew way before i did ;-)
Gary67, disagree, should and will are different things, no garuantees. Someone who thinks they should could blow it.
Good luck, Neil.
It’s been a blast.
Wonder if he’ll be on the leet for the Spurs job …
FF
TD 67,
Maybe not the whole reason but I guess it was part of it.
HH.
Sad.
Unlike O’Neill, Strachan & Mowbray…Lenny never did get the chance to spend a few quid then.
Stuart Baxter spotted at Glasgow Airport………….
Shocking
Wouldnt blame him if he didnt fancy another summer searching for products and explainging to fans why virgil an forster had to go.
C’mon Paul67!
New article:-)
Personally I don’t want John Collins any where near Celtic, and I mean personal.
The immediate concern has to be which players will now leave.
Totally gobsmacked…!!!
Time for Neil to live somewhere where he and his family can go shopping together without fear, if true good luck then
But indeed if it is true then it should have come from Celtic park 1st
If we indeed have to get a new boss, he will find himself with no goalie and his best centre half sold for the balance sheet before he has his feet under the table
Moyes no , coyle no, Henk no,
67 Heaven with his finger on the pulse this morning….
“I cannot believe some CQNers are being duped by the media…..Neil Lennon is going nowhere, and he is saying nothing since THAT is exactly what the hunmedia want…. any comment at all from Neil will be twisted to suit their agenda of subtly discrediting him to our fans, just like they did with WGS……..DIVIDE AND CONQUER…..have a nice, well-deserved, holiday, Neil……”
God Bless you Neil.
You took what Scotlands scum threw at you and came back on top.
All the best for the future.
Big Arthur fae the shop in Shawhead tellt me on Saturday it wd happen yesterday. Shows how much he knows!!!
THM, Lenny already is a Celtic great.
Just an opinion.
Is it too soon for John Kennedy, possibly with an experienced assistant (Houston)??
Ernie lynch
Sorry I forgot that you know every thing, what am a like.
Thanks Lenny.
Moyes for me.
SydneyTim, nice to see you searching for the positive angle to help attract a new manager:-)
Why has his agent released a statement that we read on the msm instead of the club on their official site
RRDH- I wish you had been wrong with your ole scoop.
And just when we were on the verge of [yet another] Generation of Domination we fill the tank with diesel instead of 100 octane.
very surprised at this mornings news.
the reason will come out (unless it’s a non football related issue, in that case, keep it in the club) but I wouldn’t rule out a difference of opinion concerning current players staying and how that affects budget.
Chris McLaughlin saying N Lennon was concerned about his budget level for next season.
No official word yet but already we have those who know why he left and those who know we won’t get someone decent in . Place is full of clever dicks
Good Luck Neil and thanks for everything. You will always be a big part of us.
And thanks for announcing in time for Paul67 to change his new article.
You are a class guy. HH
Guus Hiddink, anyone … ?
LUNCHTIME QUIZ
The King is dead, long live the King…
Who will be Celtic’s next manager.
No rules today.
Neil Lennon has confirmed he has left Celtic after four years as manager following talks about his future.
It is understood that the former club captain had been considering his position for some time despite securing a third straight Scottish title.
“I have parted company with Celtic,” the 42-year-old Northern Irishman said in a brief statement.
“The club are in a very strong position and I wish the fans and the club all the very best for the future
tonydonnelly67
12:23 on 22 May, 2014
You’re learning.
So that’s a start.
And I agree with you about Collins.
kinglubo
12:06 on 22 May, 2014
——————————————-
100% …. Neil Lennon good luck to you and your family. HAIL HAIL
Ayrshire is Green and White
Lenny will give his reasons and unless he blames peter Lawell, Ernie, moonbeams…etc will not believe it.
But every other quote from every other person is gospel.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has left the Scottish champions after talks with the club’s board this morning.
Lennon took charge of the first-team in a caretaker capacity after Tony Mowbray was sacked in March 2009.
The Irishman was given the job on a full-time basis at the end of that season, and he led Celtic to three successive Scottish titles, and two Scottish Cup successes during his time in charge.
His team also reached the last 16 of the Champions League in 2013, beating Barcelona at Celtic Park on the way to qualifying from the group.
Lennon’s agent Martin Reilly confirmed the former Celtic skipper had decided to leave the club after talks with cheif executive Peter Lawwell and the board.
A statement from Reilly read: “Neil has parted company with Celtic
“He wished to thanks the club, the supporters, Peter Lawwell and the board for their backing and wishes them all the best in the future.
“It’s now time to look to the next chapter.
“As it stand Neil is not in talks with any other club.”
Sad to see Lenny go.
Best of whatever he decides to do.
Predictable stuff already from the usual suspects.
HH Lenny
Neil
Heartfelt thanks and appreciation for everything you have done for Celtic FC.
You stood tall and strong as a player, captain and manager.
YNWA
Logical (still in shock)