Day in the Life: Dan Garthwaite – Customer Experience Manager

Welcome to our latest instalment of the Day in the Life series at Milbank Concrete Products, where we introduce you to the dedicated individuals who keep our operations running smoothly.

This time, we’re featuring Dan Garthwaite, our Customer Experience Manager, who plays a vital role in ensuring our customers receive the best possible service.

1. What does your day-to-day look like?

As Customer Experience Manager my role involves interacting with customers at key points in the progression of their order and facilitating the best possible experience for them. Along with Zoe, our Customer Service Representative, I spend time speaking with customers to ensure that Milbank is meeting their expectations and resolving any issues they face.

My focus is to review all available feedback, develop new processes, and implement new practices that improve the customer’s experience. This encourages them to consider us for future projects.

2. What is your favourite part of the job?

My favourite part of the job is building strong connections with our customers and key contacts. I meet people in a variety of roles who all rely upon our service. It takes time to build the trust and respect of our customers, and I take pride in maintaining these relationships and the brand reputation that has been built over the years.

3. What is the first task you usually tackle in the morning?

Aside from making a strong coffee? I usually catch up with our transport team to make sure the day is off to a good start and get ahead of any potential issues. The early morning period is critical for our success each day as many moving parts come together for our deliveries and installations.

4. Is there anything you do in particular to ensure a great customer experience?

I think consistency is the key to a good experience—setting high standards and maintaining them. I encourage the team to make valuable contact with our customers regularly and make sure that all opportunities for feedback are taken and actioned to ensure continuous development.

5. How do you deal with difficult challenges?

I like to take a step back and view the challenge as a bigger picture. More often than not, what seems like a big deal can be made manageable with small actions elsewhere and with the help of the subject knowledge of my colleagues. There is a huge amount of experience at Milbank, and that helps a lot with overcoming complex challenges.

6. What is the biggest learning you’ve taken from your role?

Make sure you understand the expectations of your customer. Whether it is the site manager, the logistics manager, or the area director, each has different expectations directly linked to their experience of Milbank. When these are clearly discussed ahead of time, it is much easier to ensure that our service meets their needs and leaves them with a great impression of the company. Understanding the many perspectives involved in our service was a key learning point for me.

7. Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I’m always keen to develop my skills for the future. In five years, I’d like to be in senior management, overseeing a skilled and renowned customer experience team. We are taking steps to build customer focus into the core Milbank values, and I’d love to see how far we can evolve this in the future.

8. Do you often get out on site or are you usually office-based?

Although I’m mainly office-based, I do get out to site where possible to speak to our teams and customers. Part of my strategy for developing the customer experience is to get out and speak to our customers more often so we can get a firmer understanding of where we are succeeding and where we could improve based on their feedback.

Dan’s dedication to providing excellent customer service and continuously improving the customer experience is a key part of what makes Milbank Concrete Products a trusted name in the industry.

We’re proud to have him as part of our team and look forward to sharing more insights from our talented staff in future Day in the Life features. Keep your eyes peeled for our next feature!