Andrew McMillan specialises in employee engagement, customer experience and the leadership required to create the link between the two.
Previously, he spent 28 years working for the John Lewis Partnership, starting as a management trainee to becoming responsible for customer experience across the department store division.
John Lewis Customer Service:
McMillan started his career as a management trainee with the John Lewis Partnership at Brent Cross.
He quickly moved up through the management ranks and led a number of selling teams in different branches culminating in managing the furniture floor in the flagship Oxford Street branch.
From there he moved to the head office to take charge of the department stores’ Intelligence Team. They act as an internal business consultancy reporting on competitive strategy, product differentiation and value, catchment area demographics for new branches and customer service.
In 2000 Andrew was asked to lead on customer service for the department store division. The role not only saw him manage chain-wide customer complaints but develop JLP’s market-leading culture and attitude towards customer service and sales with the 20,000 customer-facing Partners in 26 John Lewis stores across the UK.
That customer-driven culture is something that has now became synonymous with the John Lewis brand and during his tenure John Lewis won awards for customer service from Which?, Verdict and Retail Week and were frequently cited in the media as a leading customer oriented organisation.
While at John Lewis, Andrew advised other non-competing organisations on their customer service strategy, becoming a recognised expert in the field.
Andrew McMillan – Keynote Speaker:
As a keynote speaker, Andrew McMillan has spoken at conferences around the globe and across all business sectors.
Andrew’s aim is to make individuals and organisations happier and more fulfilled through a sense of collective purpose, so they engender trust, loyalty and advocacy from their customers while becoming more productive and, as a consequence, more profitable.
He helps organisations join up their own internal dots to create their unique link between employee engagement and a consistently great customer experience.
Whatever sector, Andrew places an emphasis on understanding what makes (or can make) them different and special to their customers.
Often different parts of an organisation believe they have different purposes, but Andrew enables them to cut through their differences in perception and experience.
By uncovering inherent values and a shared enthusiasm he brings about employee engagement and growth.
Andrew also looks at the roles of leadership, communication, trust and enjoying work in creating success. In presentations, he explains that great customer experience cannot be taught but reflects a great internal culture.
Speaking Topics include:
- Consistently delivering differentiated customer experience to define the brand.
- Leadership and change in a behaviour driven organisation.
- Authentic marketing.
- Defining and shaping organisational culture through storytelling.
- Fun at work to enhance commercial success and productivity.
- Selling though service and relationships.
- Managing complaints to enhance reputation.
- The challenges and future of retail.
