Five minutes with… Philippa Park
Five minutes with… Philippa Park Corporate Account Manager – Film, TV, Travel and Events – Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental
1.In what ways do you connect to destinations and tourism businesses to the extent that you’re able to deliver a real understanding and knowledge of Scotland’s tourism product to visitors?
We have branches across Scotland and our employees provide expert local advice, which really adds value to visitors’ experience. As well as this, our business model allows us to connect with tourism bodies and collaborate with different companies. Whether it’s sponsoring the Edinburgh Tattoo or being patron sponsors of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, we’re fully immersed in all things Scotland. Last year, we were appointed as VisitScotland Information Partners (VIPS) to assist them in spreading tourist information across the country. This ongoing commitment and drive for future collaborations means that we’re equipped with the passion and knowledge to help tourists get the most out of their visit to Scotland.
2. Customer service can at times feel scripted, stiff, inauthentic. What inspires great customer service and encourages your team to go ‘off script’ and deliver an outstanding customer experience, beyond the norm and customer expectations?
As part of a family-run business, our employees take a common-sense approach and our culture is very much about putting the customer first in every decision we make. Of course, we love and embrace innovative technology, but sometimes it’s nice to speak to a friendly face or just have a chat on the phone – we adapt our approach to suit each individual.
We’ve also recently partnered with Trustpilot and gained a five-star rating in a short space of time. This rating is no surprise to our employees who regularly receive outstanding feedback. But seeing the positivity in black and white is really rewarding and motivating.
3. How do you use data to create an amazing customer experience before the customer has even stepped through your door?
We have a dedicated digital marketing executive who monitors data and trends to ensure that we’re uploading the type of content our customers want to see. Our regular A/B marketing tests help us determine the most effective methods of communications. We also monitor how our customers navigate through our website in order to improve the booking process and user experience. As a result of this data-driven research, we recently improved our online booking service which now includes PayPal.
On top of this, we send customer satisfaction index surveys and collate the responses and feedback to change policy or practice if need be.
4. What can all businesses do to deliver amazing customer service that costs absolutely nothing at all?
We try to always be organised and ahead of the game, but not necessarily ahead of our competitors because we pride ourselves on being different. The easiest and most powerful form of customer service is to simply be friendly. While it’s important to remain professional at all times, as the saying goes, a smile costs nothing! I think our customers like that about us. Adopting a friendly approach breaks down barriers and allows our customers to fully trust us. Having that trust makes for an easier and more seamless customer experience.
5.How many touch points (on and offline) would you say you have on average with each of your customers?
There really isn’t an ‘average’ customer because we cater to such a wide range of people. Every retail customer will speak to a member of staff in branch when they collect and return their vehicle. Corporate and travel trade customers have a corporate account manager as well as a dedicated reservations team, both can be contacted by phone or by email.
Having a wide range of communication tools means our customers’ needs are always catered to. It’s important to ensure each of our touch points are as effective as possible and that we’re always seeking to continuously improve.
