ABOUT
FOR OVER 23 YEARS I HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. I WORKED AND LIVED IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE, DESIGNING AND LEADING CX PROGRAMMES AT GLOBAL COMPANIES…
Starting (*) for BOL.com and Bertelsmann I hosted international Customer Service programmes for renowned companies like UGC Cinemas and Microsoft, working and living in Germany, France and the United Kingdom. I then joined T-Mobile in The Netherlands to initiate proven successful European CX programmes. Becoming a Management Consultant in Customer Experience Thought Leadership at Atos Origin I then went on to leading insurer Nationale-Nederlanden. Responsible for numerous Customer Experience programmes, this culminated in designing and running the acclaimed best-in-class NPS Programme. Initially for The Netherlands, it quickly became so succesful that the next step was to be Head of Global NPS for 13 countries throughout Europe and Japan that are NN Group (formerly known as ING Insurance).
On becoming Wilms & Co
Throughout all this I was becoming a frequently asked key note speaker on air and on stage, appearing in articles like Forrester and many more, got all sorts of interesting (and less so) certificates, and revelled in sparring and sharing ideas on CX and NPS with numerous companies at home and abroad. From Spanish airlines to Danish make-up, from British luxury smartphones to Dutch publishers and even the (odd one-out) South-Korean government. I even engaged in turning chocolate tablets into something NPS-ish, and much more stuff.
I loved it. And realized my next step. I founded Wilms & Co (originally called Wilms ‘n zo) and started my own consultancy business in cold and sunny January 2016.
To share expertise and experience. Support CX people to be great. To do things quite differently in the CX realm. Change what CX is about. I won’t be going anywhere else from now on.
(*) Well, actually…
Actually originally I’m an Art Historian (an Iconologist even) and started in London at the British Museum, The Wallace Collection and Christie’s. Working with 17th century satirical manuscripts, ancient Peruvian cultures and world renowned paintings ranging from Fragonard and Hals to Van Dyck and Tintoretto I decided that although I loved it, I also sought a quicker pace. My expertise and love for visuals, storytelling, contextual timelines and history often still shine through though.
To round things off
Whilst we’re on the topic of degrees, I’m a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), a Satmetrix Certificed NPS Associate © and Global CEM. I also obtained a Master in Marketing (Cum Laude) and a Master in Art History, and I am a seasoned Project and Programme manager in international corporates. There are more courses and interesting stuff, but just check my LinkedIn. I live in the Dutch city of Delft now with my beautiful wife and three kids. I drink my coffee black, and love anchovy and Roquefort. But ah well, those cannot not be loved.
THE STORY OF
The story of the original NPS Programme of NN is one about risking a novel approach, realising a solid strategy, pursuing innovative design and focusing on creating a grassroots movement. Being highly successful (with an increase of +28 nps points, 6,500 fte involved, and a response rate of 38% to show for at – mind you – an insurer) it’s a great story with stars, scars, surprises, setbacks and a whole lot more.
Origins
Autumn 2011 I started to design and run the NPS Programme for leading insurer Nationale-Nederlanden. One thing struck me. Studying all the material there was around CX, NPS and everything else there was no doubt there was a lot to be dealt with around functionality, systems and reports. But… hang on.
Shouldn’t it be about getting people on board? Using this fantastic way of connecting to customers’ stories to get people on the inside emotionally involved as well?
Considering all the standard functional, boring, non-inspiring flowchart templates, tick-the-box lists and models (you know which I mean) I realised one vital ingredient was sorely missing. So I spent a great deal of time to design a new approach that focused primarily on engaging the business. More in particular: “How can we grab everyone’s attention”?
From the outset this was the focus: tapping into human behaviour. To educate, stimulate and enthuse. But also to provoke, use scarcity and puzzlement. To get in people’s heads. To create an inspiring culture that stimulates customer experience initiatives throughout the organisation.
It worked beautifully. And led to an acclaimed best-in-class NPS Programme.
Global NPS Programme
Following the national success of the programme I then served as Head of Global NPS. This time it was about restyling and modernizing the existing NPS programmes for 12 countries throughout Europe and Japan that are NN Group (formerly known as ING Investment), increasing the FTE count to about 12,000.
This meant streamlining and modernizing the basics such as the systems, contracts, processes and so on. And it also meant breaking through (political) barriers, driving change in attitude towards the possibilities of an evolved NPS philosophy, one that has grown and expanded and enables companies to engage with customers in new ways, as well as using it to empower and enthuse employees.
A great time, diving into the many different motivational aspects of NPS across all those areas and all different cultures. Ranging from incorporating Asian Manga-style and Spanish femininity, to dealing with Polish versus Turkish cultures, and many discussions with colleagues abroad and many of those became true friends.
DON’T BELIEVE MY BLUE EYES. BELIEVE OTHERS.
