From scratch to a culture shift: How Geraldine Knoop brought customer love to life at DTC
When Geraldine Knoop stepped into her role as CX Specialist at Dealer Totaal Concept (DTC), she faced a culture that was more transactional than relational. In just a few years, she transformed that mindset—one meeting, poster, and training at a time.
Who is Geraldine?
With a warm smile and unstoppable energy, Geraldine has been with DTC for over six years. From her first days handling tough complaints at a kitchen company, she discovered her passion for turning unhappy customers into loyal fans. She fell in love with the CX profession in 2022, after attending a CX Unraveled Masterclass. Now, as DTC’s sole CX Specialist, she champions a culture of customer love across 130 colleagues.
“The greatest thing is inspiring my colleagues with real stories from our customers. That’s when the real change happens.”
Understanding the brand: DTC
Dealer Totaal Concept, founded in 2001 and based in IJsselstein, is an intermediair for financial services like leasing and insurance for both B2B and B2C customers. They offer a wide range of lease possibilities supporting individual customers who want to finance their personal car as well as business clients managing company vehicles, equipment or full fleets. From two founders to a team of 130 dedicated professionals, DTC now aims to be the most customer-centric intermediary in the Netherlands.
The challenge: Moving beyond results to real customer focus
When Geraldine joined DTC, she quickly saw two things: plenty of latent customer orientation—and an outdated, result-driven culture that didn’t naturally put the customer first. “There was a bit of an atmosphere of fear,” she recalls. That fear wasn’t just about change, but about what they might hear: What if the feedback is bad? What if it exposes mistakes? Some leaders worried that making feedback visible would only highlight problems. But Geraldine knew that real feedback—good and bad—was the only way to grow trust and improve. “It was very target-focused. I knew we needed to bring in real customer feedback to show how good we actually were—and how much better we could be.”
The solution: Small rituals, big impact
Geraldine’s cultural shift began with trust. She started with a simple idea: bring the voice of the customer to every corner of DTC—visibly, tangibly, and continuously. Here’s how she did that, and more…:
✅ Quarterly meetings with real stories
Every quarter, Geraldine sits down with each team to share real customer feedback—both praise and complaints—backed by data and sprinkled with inspiring videos from CX thought leaders. “I want our people to feel proud but also challenged. The numbers and the stories make it real.”
✅ WC posters as micro-learning moments
One of Geraldine’s most effective (and famous) ideas? CX posters on the toilet doors! Each month, new posters explain NPS, share simple CX tips, or highlight real quotes from customers. “It’s small, but it keeps everyone connected to our customer mindset—when you least expect it!”
✅ Complaints training and a new mindset
Recognizing the power of complaints, Geraldine rolled out a training for all 130 colleagues, and it’s now a fixed part of the onboarding for every new employee. From recognizing the real problem to listening and resolving on the spot, the training helps shift the view of complaints from headache to loyalty moment. “You have to love complaints,” she laughs.
✅ Happy Calls to mark a life moment
Geraldine also introduced “Happy Calls”: personal phone calls to customers for instance after the lease delivery to ask how they’re enjoying their new car. These conversations are not about upselling or feedback scores—they’re about showing genuine interest in a meaningful milestone in the customer’s life. “It moves the experience from a lease transaction to a real moment that matters to the customer,” Geraldine explains.
✅ Staff empowered to surprise and delight
Perhaps the most powerful change? DTC employees are now empowered—and even have a small budget—to do something extra for customers with a special story. “That moment when a colleague feels: I can do this right now—that’s golden.” One recent example: an employee arranged a small gift and handwritten note for a loyal customer who’d just finalized her fifth lease and shared how it changed her life situation. “It’s about making people feel seen.”
✅ Celebrate success—together
Milestones like the 3000th or 5000th customer review don’t go unnoticed. Geraldine makes it festive with balloons, treats, and personal notes: “I once put little stars (kids-fireworks) on every desk with a personal card that said: ‘You are our star.’ It’s about showing my colleagues that they make the difference.”
Lessons learned & advice for CX professionals
Geraldine’s story shows how to nurture a customer-centric culture from scratch—no fancy tools required. Her tips:
💡 Make the customer visible every day
Data is good, but stories stick. Find creative ways to make customers part of the daily routine.
💡 Empower staff to act on the moment
Trust your people with the freedom—and budget—to surprise customers. “They see things I don’t. Let them run with it.”
💡 Don’t underestimate small rituals
A poster on the toilet, a short video in a meeting—these micro-moments plant the seeds of new habits.
💡 Celebrate, even the small wins
Recognize effort and progress, not just big results. “It keeps the energy alive.”
Final thoughts
In a sector where trust and transparency can make or break loyalty, Geraldine’s approach proves that culture change doesn’t start with a policy—it starts with people. And sometimes, with a simple poster on the bathroom wall. Her story is a reminder that embedding customer focus is a journey of many small steps—story by story, poster by poster, conversation by conversation. It takes patience, consistency and, above all, the belief that everyone can play their part in making customers feel seen and valued. Geraldine shows that real impact is built on trust, empowerment and the courage to face feedback—good and bad. As she says, “Lots of small things done with love—that’s what makes the big shift happen.”