Richard Gomersall

…who was CEO of GreenAcres, a cemeteries and burials business, and MD of Co-op Funeralcare. An insurmountable challenge to be a customer pioneer? Of the four types of customer – family, funeral directors, the celebrant and the deceased – arguably the most important is the last, who can’t give instructions. When he got involved in Greenacres it was a business losing money with a disenfranchised team owned by VCs wanting to hit targets. How to become better for customers while making a commercial business model and doing it all under time pressure? One challenge is dealing with all the taboos, but listening to customers and colleagues showed that behind apparent happiness it all went OK there were unmet needs, inhibitions preventing people saying honestly what they wanted. Because they were concentrating on not getting it wrong, they never thought about what it would take to get it right. From lots more listening and some creative thought came new and better ways… more competitive pricing, comprehensive aftercare, options communicated early with ways to help with payment.  Turnover increased fivefold, profitability returned, services rose from 400 to nearly 3,000 a year and with 100% Trust Pilot five-star ratings – resurrection as a true customer pioneer.