Former John Lewis and Virgin Atlantic customer service expert to share advice for car dealerships at CDX

2:18 pm, May 10, 2017

HOW DO you engage your customers? How are your staff relevant to that? And how can the customer-centric ethos of major businesses such as John Lewis and Virgin Atlantic help your dealership, whatever its size?

That’s exactly what you’ll learn from top-flight consultant Andrew McMillan, who’s on board with us for a customer service workshop at CDX17 – only 13 days away now!

McMillan spent 28 years with John Lewis, the last eight of which saw him responsible for customer experience across the department store division, where he developed the company’s market-leading culture and attitude towards customer service and sales. While he was at John Lewis, it won awards from Which?, Verdict and Retail Week for its customer service.

He subsequently formed his own company, advising organisations on customer service strategy, specialising in employee engagement and customer experience, and becoming recognised as an expert in the field, working with a number of high-profile private-sector clients, including Virgin Atlantic.

In demand internationally for his skills and expertise, McMillan is coming to CDX17 at Silverstone on Tuesday, May 23 where, as part of the RAC Customer Care Forum, he’ll be giving top tips to dealers about ensuring positive customer activity.

His presentation – entitled Being Chosen – will be full of powerful insights on creating a distinct customer experience, leading teams and engaging employees, and will answer highly relevant questions such as why would customers choose your business over others, and what attitudes and behaviours should your business be adopting to ensure potential customers always choose you?

McMillan told us: ‘In essence, we’re talking about a philosophy and a belief in engaging people in a way that you want your customers engaged, and that will work in any organisation. It’s a general principle that I’m talking about and not something that can just be done in John Lewis or Virgin Atlantic.’

He added: ‘Creating a powerful reputation so that you are proactively chosen by your customers is critical for long-term success.’

McMillan’s broad experience, which includes advising the automotive sector, will ensure that dealers find his workshop a compelling and must-attend part of CDX. ‘I’m very much looking forward to being there,’ he said. ‘I love the scale of CDX. It’s phenomenal!’

CDX is the biggest event of its type in the automotive industry and is FREE to attend for dealers. We’ve got all sorts going on: the Live Stage, the Car Dealer Theatre, the Discovery Zone, workshops and breakout sessions.

There’ll be keynote speakers from Google, Twitter, Facebook and the SMMT, as well as panels with key industry figures, including car manufacturer bosses. And we’ve got a multitude of suppliers lined up with a vast range of products and services to help you turn a profit. Not only will there be special day-only offers but there will also be innovations that are either fresh to market or in the early stages of adoption.

CDX17 will be absolutely jam-packed with ideas, services and technologies to transform your dealership. Can you really afford not to be there while your competitors gain the advantage?