About Podcast
Rapid growth can make or break a business especially when customer experience falters under pressure. Marianne Rutz, Swiss-born founder of Rutz Consulting and a veteran of global contact center operations, has spent over two decades transforming chaotic customer service departments into profit-driving engines. From launching Hertz’s European shared services center to guiding small businesses through unprecedented growth, Marianne’s expertise bridges operational excellence with real-world, measurable results.
In this episode, Marianne walks us through her signature Leap operational delivery framework, beginning with her Strategic Assets Review a deep dive into finances, marketing, operational efficiency, innovation, customer experience, and team development. Drawing on experiences from a high-end furniture company overwhelmed by COVID-driven demand, she demonstrates how structured processes, effective training, and empowered frontline teams can turn a contact center from a cost center into a growth driver. Listeners will learn how she embedded quality assurance, streamlined operations, and leveraged metrics to achieve 4.5-star TrustPilot scores and exceed a £115M revenue target.
Key Takeaways:
- Apply project management principles to both professional and personal challenges to achieve clarity and results.
- Create a customer-centric culture that prioritizes problem-solving over canned responses.
- Engage new hires immediately with clear processes, onboarding, and training to maximize retention and performance.
- Use metrics and quality assurance to monitor performance, refine operations, and drive accountability.
- Transform your contact center from a cost center into a revenue-generating asset by aligning customer experience with business goals
Join us with Marianne Rutz as she reveals how to build operational infrastructure that not only scales your business but also turns every customer interaction into a lifelong relationship.
- Growth Journey: The speaker transitioned from a corporate job to entrepreneurship, motivated by a passion for better customer service.
- Consulting Focus: The consulting business aims to improve customer service by offering real solutions instead of generic responses.
- Business Evaluation: The consultant assesses operations, identifies inefficiencies, and develops strategies for sustainable growth.
- Operational Efficiency: Building strong infrastructure, people, tools, and processes to support growth and enhance customer service.
- Customer Retention: Highlighting how exceptional customer service fosters loyalty and drives profitability.
Special Guest: Marianne Rutz, Owner and Founder of Marianne Rutz Consulting
Location: Scotland, UK
Air Date: September 15, 2024
Websites:
- Rutz Consulting: the website of Marianne’s consulting firm where you can sign up for her newsletter.
- Customer Service Made Easy: sign up to get on the waitlist for Marianne’s 4-week program to implement your customer service program.
- Maggie’s Centre: the cancer centre where Marianne received care and support. It’s the charity that her company now actively works with.
Podcast:
- Operational Excellence Show: Marianne’s podcast tailored to the back-office operations of contact centres.
Video:
- Check out Berthine Crevecouer West & Alicia Butler Pierre on Marianne’s Operational Excellence Show!
Producer & Host: Alicia Butler Pierre
Audio Editor: Olanrewaju Adeyemo
Sound Design: Sabor! Music Enterprises
Video Editor: Gladys Jimenez
Show notes: Erika Ve Revilla
Sponsor: Equilibria, Inc.More About Guest, Marianne Rutz:
As Europe’s leading multi-lingual contact centre expert, Marianne has a proven process to improve front-line and back-office operations leading to more profits and happier customers. Gain step-by-step insights into her formula.As the founder and owner of Rutz Consulting and a career spanning 20 years in Operational Excellence, I have secured myself as a thought leader and recognised figure within the Contact Centre industry. My mission and passion is helping Contact Centre leaders to transform their operational delivery through their company’s vision, values and culture to engage and empower employees to deliver a truly excellent customer experience.
More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc.. Her career in operations began over 25 years ago while working in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. She is the producer of the weekly top 2% Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 70+ countries.Alicia is also an adjunct instructor of Lean Principles at Purdue University and serves as the USA Chair of the G100’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. The Process Excellence Network recognized her as a Top 50 Thought Leader in Operational Excellence. A chemical engineer turned entrepreneur, she’s designed and optimized processes for small businesses, large enterprises, non-profits, and government organizations alike.
More About Sponsor, Equilibria:
Equilibria, Inc. is an 19-year-old boutique operations management firm. We build the business infrastructure necessary for fast-growing businesses to scale with less pain. With a range of services and products, entrepreneurs can get the operational support and resources they need on demand. 
