APRIL 208

We’ve come a long way in a short time! If you asked me 6 months ago I wouldn’t have dreamed we’d have enough content for a dedicated Customer Experience newsletter, let alone having to crop the content.

I think this goes a long way to show how much passion and commitment many of our colleagues have in the business, and the desire for our customers to see and feel this.

Delivering a consistently great Customer Experience starts with us, that’s why you’ll see a lot in the newsletter around bringing in great new colleagues and giving lots of new knowledge to us existing ones.

Late last year we invested to develop 25 “Master Practitioners”, you can see the projects they have been working on to make our lives easier, and in turn, help deliver that great experience to the customer. You will also see examples from colleagues who have just picked up the baton and run with it, which is fantastic.

Whilst we’ve achieved a lot, there is an awful long way to go. Overall our Service scores are improving, there is however, a lot of inconsistency, demonstrating the need for more of us to get involved and see how we can make a real difference.

I really hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and learning what some of your colleagues have been busy with. We’d really appreciate your feedback too, so please get in touch! Shaun Myers & Heather Grisedale

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCEBUILDING A BEST IN CLASS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the My Brenntag questionnaire! For more information, look out for the CX poster on your sites!

BRINGING OUR CX BRAND TO LIFE

WHAT BEHAVIOURS AND ACTIONS DO YOU SEE FROM YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU?

WHAT DOES THE BUSINESS DO THAT MAKES YOU FEEL PROUD TO WORK AT BRENNTAG?

3 THINGS YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB:

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CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them - preferably in unexpected and helpful ways. - Richard Branson

CX MEETINGSBelow is a list of CX meetings held within each depot.

SITE APRIL 2018 MAY 2018Air1 7th April TBC

Belfast TBC 23rd May

Bradford 7th April 5th May

Bristol 9th April 4th May

Central Services (Leeds) 25th April 8th May

Colours 24th April TBC

Dublin 20th April TBC

Glasgow TBC 7th May

London 25th April 29th May

Lutterworth/Midlands 23rd April 28th May

Manchester 7th April th May

Newcastle 0th April 22nd May

Sandbach 26th April TBC

Solvents 7th April TBC

Swansea 6th April 5th May

Widnes TBC 0th May

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This year has seen the launch of a refreshed format of training for many of our key office functions, the aim being to develop a much deeper knowledge and understanding of Customer Experience (CX) across all sectors of the company. This will allow each team/department to understand better how they have an impact on the customers’ experience with us, and thus drive our ongoing commitment to put the customer truly at the heart of everything we do. Delivering ‘Service Excellence’ needs to be just the way we do things in Brenntag.

The training included the teams attempting the Marshmallow Challenge (ask your colleagues!), plotting their daily tasks against the customer journey and analysing what works well and what doesn’t, creating the ‘perfect day’ for colleagues and customers, and finally, brainstorming lots of ideas that were quick wins – things that could be implemented immediately with little or no cost. They were very interactive sessions interspersed with some theory and background on CX, the customer survey we conduct monthly, and what a journey map is.

2018 TRAININGCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

‘‘Thank you! Really makes me think more about the impact

I have on the customer.

‘‘Being on your feet and working with

colleagues helps get the brain working.‘‘‘‘

Really enjoyed the interactive sessions. Helped show me how my role fits into the customers’ journey.‘‘

‘‘ The team came back with a better appreciation of CX and

its importance.‘‘ ‘‘

Action: Don't forget to complete the Stop/Start/Continue exercise sheet and discuss with your line manager.

What are you going to STOP doing AND/OR CHALLENGE:Things that don’t add value to the customer or a colleague

What are you going to START doing:Things that do - or could - add value to the customer or a colleague

What are you going to CONTINUE doing:Things that already add value to the customer or a colleague

STOP

START

CONTINUE

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CX PROJECTSOur CX teams have been working hard on specific projects and continue to see these through to fruition. These projects are all designed to deliver the WOWs that significantly improve the customer experience.

CUSTOMER ON-BOARDING

(AIR) Air1 | (BEL) Belfast | (BFD) Bradford | (BRI) Bristol | (COL) Colours | (DUB) Dublin | (GLA) Glasgow | (LDS) Leeds | (LDN) London | (MAN) Manchester (MID) Midlands/Lutterworth | (NCL) Newcastle | (SAN) Sandbach | (SCU) Scunthorpe | (SOL) Solvents | (SWA) Swansea | (THE) Thetford | (WID) Widnes

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

John Skean (BFD) | Alex Clayton (BFD) | Paul Williams (BFD) | Sarah Coughlan (LDS) | Simran Bargota (LDS)

All companies experience “customer churn”, we add new customers and we lose customers - think of it like a leaking bucket! We invest a great deal of time, effort, expertise etc. to win over new customers, or put them in the bucket. To fill the bucket however we need to work just as smart and make sure they stay in the bucket or in business language, retain them. First impressions count, and on-boarding is an opportunity to showcase Brenntag as the easiest, most efficient and customer-friendly chemical distributor.

To create a great first impression

To build trust and confidence in our brand

To make sure we get things ‘Right First Time’

To better understand the customer

Our customer on-boarding will take them from potential customer to active promoter, maximising the opportunities for long-term repeat business. As promoters and Brenntag brand advocates they will also help create new customer contacts, perpetuating a virtuous circle.

Progress to date: In order to gain a quick win we created a Customer On-Boarding Checklist and the Key Contact List. The key contact list contains details of the sales force in Bradford to give customers a more human and friendly approach. The document is to be sent to new customers after their first order. Work is ongoing to create a similar template for other depots - get in touch with your CX team to check when YOUR depot leaflet is due to hit the press!

“Your customer doesn’t care how much you know

until they know how much you care.”

“People will forget what

you said, people will forget

what you did, but people

will never forget how you

made them feel.”

- Maya Angelou

Why?

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James Jenkins (LDN) | Stuart Hancock (LDN) | Hayley Harris (LDN) | Natalia McDonagh (LDS) | Katy Willden-Brinkman (MID)

People who are made to feel very welcome and part of the business from Day One are shown to feel more engaged and motivated, thus leading to the delivery of better customer experiences. So, do you remember your first day at Brenntag? How would you describe it?

People joining an organisation often experience a mix of excitement and nervousness when starting a new job. The first day/week can go a long way to settling those nerves and building on that excitement and enthusiasm that no doubt was part of the decision to join Team Brenntag. We have an ambitious goal: “To become a company known for showing how much we value our employees from day 1”.

Progress to date: We had a prime opportunity to test our concept as we had 2 new members of the team joining Brenntag London. Thank you to ALL London team who helped us to look after Andrew Clark and Yasmine Mwika on their first day!

Happy colleagues = happy customers

Builds team relations from day one

Sets the benchmark for how we do things at Brenntag

NEW EMPLOYEE INDUCTIONS

Emma Taylor (MID) | Ryan Orpin (MID) | Mike Start (MAN) | Phil Royle (MAN) | Mel Phillips (LDS)

We selected this project based on customer feedback and equally colleague feedback in terms of where we waste time and cause frustrations which ultimately effects the customer. At times products arrive with our customers which may be on time and in full however the customer can’t use it or even receipt it as the appropriate paperwork, particularly Certificates of Analysis (CoA’s) aren’t present. To ensure some quick wins, the team have focused on the transfers of glucose syrup and glycerine. Our key objective is to be recognised by our customers as critical to their future performance and loved for our bespoke offering.

Progress to date: CofAs are now on every Glucose delivery from Manchester (see pic), and we are looking at getting them on MPG too. The scope for this will now be broadened

Be proactive in adapting systems and processes to match customer requirements

Be seen as a partner rather than just a supplier

Build relationships between depot

Understand the customers’ needs and make it easier for them to do business with us

INTERNAL STOCK TRANSFERS

The nominated buddies and line managers called the new joiners prior the first day to introduce themselves, and followed up with email which included their contact details. An email was sent to all colleagues in our depot to let everyone know of the new people joining, the parking spaces were reserved, and we created the Induction Pack with some additional information about Brenntag and our depot in particular - and with a pack of welcome chocolates.

Andrew commented: “I was very warmly welcomed so that any stress or apprehension about my first day soon drained away. Thanks to the little things - marked parking space and welcome pack really were a fantastic touch!”

out now to all our depot network – to be repeatable and consistent for these products.

Ryan commented: “We noticed a stark improvement in our communications both with the customers and within/between our depots. Sometimes a simple phone call can be a solution to a problem or a preventative measure to a potential issue/non conformance! It also made us realise that some depots are delivering stellar performance with regards to stock transfer, and we want to learn from each other.” Dave Grant, Works Foreman, Manchester

Why?

Why?

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Andrew Leach (MID) | Tony Norton (MID) | Leanne Morgan (SWA) | Mansel Mathias (SWA) | Tracy Fraser (SWA)

We focused on how Brenntag can deliver quick wins and WOWs, especially at the point of delivery. The project looks at everything from packaging presentation to vehicle cleanliness, driver engagement, condition of their PPE and the paperwork they present.

Our mission is to create true value for our customers and suppliers through the continual improvement of service, flexibility, efficiency and knowledge.

Progress to date: A lot has been achieved here! Our drivers are the public face of Brenntag and as such have a major influence over how the Brenntag brand is viewed by our customers. You will have seen the launch of our new Driver’s Charter rolled out simultaneously with the new Driver PPE/Work wear. Brenntag drivers

QUICK WINS AT THE POINT OF DELIVERY

Understand that customers are the reason of our business

To create a lasting impression

To understand the impact and importance of drivers and deliveries in the whole customer experience

team are some of the most highly experienced in the industry, and they truly go an extra mile to ensure the delivery to the highest standard. We are delighted that the Charter and the Mission/Vision/Standards card have been created by our Drivers. Our drivers also collect customer feedback at the point of delivery via a Brenntag Delivery Experience questionnaire.

Driver’s PPE launch across Brenntag sites

Why?

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Thomas Mackay (NCL/GLA) | Jennie Hill (MAN) | Nayyar Naseem (MAN) | Helen Fairbairn (NCL) | Steve Summers (NCL)

Pace of change, the internet, technology, lack of time etc. are all factors in society which impact our outlook on life. Individuals and Companies demand quicker answers and often those who win are those who are first out of the blocks. As a business we need to react to this and ensure we understand and deliver on customer expectations i.e. RESPONSIVENESS. We chose to narrow this down and concentrate on quotation requests. A quote request is often the customer’s first interaction / touch point with us and how we deal with this creates a lasting impression. Too often customer have to chase up enquiries, often several times, as we simply don’t communicate progress well enough. There are lots of reasons for this; waiting for answers from colleagues and / or third parties, lack of ownership, forgetting etc. These are issues we need to tackle and not allow them to effect the customer.

Our overall vision is for a customer to feel confident when they make contact with us and that they are kept up-to-date throughout the process. This does not necessarily mean getting them an immediate response every time, which we understand is not always possible. It’s all about communication and accountability - the ownership is with the person who takes the initial enquiry to see it through to completion.

Progress to date: George Carr (Internal Account Manager at Newcastle) held a training session with the Customer Service Team on Aurea CRM to allow us to begin logging all incoming quotation enquiries. This will allow us to monitor our current performance. An enquiry flow chart and crib sheet has been put together for the team to ensure consistency.

RESPONSE TIMES

Customers want us to be responsive to their needs

Demonstrate accountability, responsibility and ownership

To make it easy for the customer to do business with us

Do the right thing first time

Keep it simple

Right First Time ...is the expression given when companies are striving to ensure everything goes according to plan, every time. In general, this means more work up front to prevent issues which is always more cost effective then correcting issues after they’ve gone wrong. Examples in our business include invoice errors, misloads, missing paperwork etc. Getting it Right First Time boosts customers trust in us and increases the chances of them coming back time and time again i.e. LOYALTY!

"Great company to deal with. Good technical support and respond quickly to queries and problems as they arise."

"Easy to deal with, friendly and professional nature of staff."

"Staff are friendly, orders are dealt with efficiently and they are usually on time with the goods."

"Good customer service, good technical support and documentation, rapid samples."

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY:

"Always experiencing problems with Brenntag - either prices on order/invoice do not match; requested to bring a delivery forward, no response; price increases without prior warnings or shortage of product."

"Sometimes it can take a while to receive an answer, whether it be a price or a delivery date."

"Huge delays in answering to my requests/ enquiry."

"Response to quote requests not as prompt as it used to be. CofA/BSE/TSE supporting documentation often needs to be chased for."

Why?

x

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CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Here’s what’s happening in CX across our network!

CENTRAL SERVICES

In order to help create a great visitor experience, a welcome pack has been created for internal and external visitors who will be visiting Central Services (Alpha House).

The pack includes how to get to Alpha House, where to park and what to do on arrival. In addition to this, the Brenntag PowerPoint presentation template has been refreshed to include a mandatory Health & Safety slide. Both include floor maps to show where each department is located, where the fire exits are and where the evacuation point is.

This is an ongoing project and there is an option to have this rolled out to all Brenntag depots eventually.

THANK YOU- You're a star!

STAR CARDS

As with New Colleague Experience, colleague recognition is a very important aspect of helping our people feel valued, motivated and engaged. These star cards were created to help our teams recognise each other when someone has gone above and beyond what was expected.

These are now in use on most locations and some teams have even sent ones to hauliers and suppliers when they’ve helped us! All great stuff for building relationships!

Customers are...

... the most important people in any business

... not dependant upon us, we depend on them

... not an interruption of our work, they are the purpose of it

... part of our business, not outsiders

... not an account number, but human beings with feelings and

emotions like our own

... critical to the survival and growth of our business

- Brenntag Manchester

Welcome Pack, Alpha House

H&S PowerPoint slide, Alpha House

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Clue spotting, Leeds and Swansea

CLUE SPOTTING

We have held a number of workshops across a number of locations that are helping us to identify where we can improve so that we leave a great impression with our customers. This is a great (and very simple) technique to look at our business and environment and assess how it looks through the customer’s eyes, and the impact it may have on them.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

EVERY OUCH IS A WOW OPPORTUNITY

To create a greater awareness and focus on the customer, Newcastle’s customer service team are adding a sad face to the board every time we change an order which will result in an OTIF failure. This is to keep a focus on the times we are letting our customers down and to make this visual in the office to keep it in the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Here’s what’s happening in CX across our network!

LONDON FAMILY TREE

London have created a family tree at the depot as a symbol of how when we all work together - we are bigger and stronger than working individually, therefore together, we are a family.

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RYAN’S MOQOS (MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES)

Ryan Orpin of Lutterworth has been selecting some motivational quotes to help the Lutterworthteam face any challenges well prepared. There’s more where they came from!

"Don't count the days, make the days count." - Muhammad Ali (Former Professional Boxer)

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

- Earl Nightingale (Former Radio Speaker & Author)

"You get to decide where your time goes. You either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don't decide, others will decide for you."

- Tony Morgan (British Business Leader/Computer Scientist)

What does NPS stand for?

What does OTIF stand for?

What does CX stand for?

Who is responsible for CX?

Do you have any ideas or improvements for CX?

What are the benefits of improved CX?

Signs that we’re on our way:

Everyone knew what OTIF stood for

Almost everybody said that it is everyone who is responsible for CX

Most people said that the benefits of the customer focus are happy, loyal customers.

Signs that we’ve got a way to go:

Limited knowledge of what NPS was

No ideas for improvements - but plenty of moaning when things go wrong - not helpful!

DOES LUTTERWORTH HAVE THE CX BUG?

Lutterworth CX Action Plan:

Fan Mail Board

Quote of the day

CX suggestion boxes

For every order, every customer gets a phone call!

What do we need to do different?

Improve our communication with all of the depot teams. Are you involved in the operational capacity? Speak to your General Manager or the CX Committee how to bring the message of the Customer Focus to YOUR teams!

Letting the day job take over. Let’s make the CX happen, every little counts!

Consider timing. We have to be ready to listen to what the customers are telling us.

We’re still going - we’re spreading the virus!

Emma Taylor and Ryan Orpin wanted to check how far the Lutterworth depot were on the CX journey. A questionnaire was sent out to all colleagues at the depot to test the understanding of CX.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

HIGH 5 TO CX!Everyone has a part to play, or a hand in providing our customers with Service Excellence. Our colleagues at Solvents, Daresbury decided to put their name to it. Every member of the team, from the Director, through to Sales/Ops and Product Management took a few moments out to draw round our hands and 'high 5' it to the customers and visitors who visit our site.

Apart from it being a fun thing to do (reminding us of our childhood!) it's a really good talking point and brings the team together to achieve the ultimate goal, no matter what our position or role.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Edited by Jo Cheng and Heather GrisedaleIf you have any stories please contact Jo on 0113 3879 227 | jo.cheng@brenntag.co.ukPrinted copies will be distributed to sites. If you require any additional copies please contact Jo.

For more CX stories refer to the monthly S E R V E Bulletin