The Works’ Kevin Macmillan: It’s Not About CX, It’s about The EX*, Stupid (*Employee Experience!)
In this guest post, co-founder and creative partner at independent agency The Works, Kevin Macmillan (pictured below), argues an agency’s success might have less to do with the customer experience and far more to do with the employee one…!
‘We are a people business’. It’s a common refrain spouted by most agencies and companies working in marketing communications and finally many have woken up to the fact that building and sustaining a good culture can be a defining point of difference against the competition. But the positive impacts of culture on business isn’t a new thing, so why has it taken so long for people to see the opportunity?
We live in interesting times. There is rapid social change taking place, particularly with the youngest entrants to our industry who are apathetic towards politics and have a wariness around corporate greed.
This underlying social impact is creeping into corporate culture as people readdress their personal priorities. Employees are seeking work/life integration and are increasingly looking to work for an employer who supports these priorities with actions, rather than just talk. Whether that’s leaving early to go to the gym or the freedom to work remotely from home, employees want flexibility and support to make their careers work in harmony with their personal life.
It’s music to my ears, because the benefits to a business of a great culture are enormous. But knowing it and wanting it are one thing. Making it happen is completely different.
When I started out creating my own company I had every intention of building the very best culture. But it’s only now, 15 years later, that I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I am part of a world class culture and feel comfortable sharing our story.
There have been periods in the first ten years of our existence that our culture was brilliant. And at other times terrible. I remember one instance in 2008 where a senior project manager stood up from his desk and announced he was popping to the chemist. We never saw or heard from him again.
Rewind to 2002. I was 29 and quit a decent job as an art director at a safe cushy global network to start my own agency. I could draw, write a bit and I could convince, to some degree, that my ambition alone was enough for a client to trust with me with their marketing budget.
In the early years of the agency the motivation to succeed came from having no money, too many kids and a mortgage. My other motivation was my childhood. Watching my mum raise my brother and I on her own and holding down two jobs at the same time. She taught me there is no substitute for hard work. She taught me, importantly, the meaning of respect.
My mum wasn’t religious, but ‘treat unto others as you wish to be treated’ was how she lived her life. So, in the first few years of running a business when the occasional person went to the chemist it would concern me that my agency, the one I had the chance to mould and nurture, didn’t have a culture I was 100 per cent proud of.
Was I not treating people as I would like to be treated?
I guess the truth is, I wasn’t trained to be a people manager. I had zero experience and was more of a talker than a listener. These are not excuses. But I look back, even now, and try to figure out where I could and should have done better.
Any authentic entrepreneur will admit to this… when you start your own company, despite the fact that you recognise the need to build an outstanding culture, it’s incredibly hard to do. Is the company making money? Can we attract the best thinkers? How will we win the next pitch with a tenth of the resources of our competitors? These are all ongoing concerns for a young agency which often take priority over people, their careers, their training and development and their welfare.
It’s been an up and down journey to reach where we are today, and it has taken so much more than simply making up the next best ‘award winning’ company HR policy to garner the recognition we wanted.
The most important lesson for me has been waking up to the fact that a great culture doesn’t rest solely on my shoulders. Rather it rests on the shoulders of many. I have also learned to treat it with the same rigour and commitment we apply to our clients’ business.
In March this year we were honoured to be named AdNews CX agency of the year. Each day we apply CX modelling to our clients’ customer bases, identifying ways to create loyalty, increase customer retention and reduce churn. Testing, incentivising and rewarding. We then assess the results and use the learnings to constantly improve the customer experience.
What if businesses applied the same thinking to their own staff? Turning the endless conversations about culture impacting business into real life results.
Which is exactly what we have done by introducing ‘EX’ to our business. It’s our very own Employee Experience platform. Using the same basic principles which led us to win CX Agency of the Year, we have turned around the culture and agency’s performance by listening and most importantly, acting on, the feedback from our staff. This ensures we are constantly evolving how to deliver the best user experience for our people, who in turn are the powerhouses that deliver for our clients.
We now have in place all the things I so badly wanted on day one. We have a culture which makes me proud. A culture born out of ‘Treat unto others as you wish to be treated’.
Latest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.