The Co-op has appointed Phil Barker as Head of Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as part of growth plans to its Data and Loyalty team, following the refresh of its Membership programme and launch of the Co-op app last year.
Barker joins from the BBC, where he was CRM lead, responsible for customer relationship strategy and digital engagement across all channels and services. He has a track record in helping multi-proposition organisations bring clarity and structure to customer experience across their portfolio, garnered from over 15 years’ in the sector.
The role will see Barker lead the business as it develops a new Data and Loyalty centre of excellence, bringing data, insight, membership, CRM and customer experience together to deliver more value to members, customers and communities.
Barker said, “I couldn’t resist the opportunity to join such a purpose led organisation at this exciting time. I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise to help develop their ambitious plans for membership and joined-up customer engagement across all channels and services.
“Co-op’s investment in data and tech, with a real commitment to the highest standards in customer experience, has really impressed me.
“Customer experience is an incredibly exciting space to be in right now as more and more businesses recognise the value of data-driven engagements.”
Charlotte Lock, Director of Data and Loyalty at Co-op, said, “Championing communities through the Co-op customers and members that live in them is critical to our vision of Co-operating for a Fairer World. We can do that even more effectively by building meaningful relationships and rewarding experiences.
“We’re thrilled Phil is joining the team as his passion for insight and creativity really stood out coupled with a fantastic track record of leading teams to deliver rewarding customer journeys.”