Walgreens appoints Graham Atkinson as Chief Customer Experience Officer to develop its loyalty

Last Updated: August 5, 2020By

America’s largest drugstore chain Walgreens announced that Graham W. Atkinson will be joining the company as Senior VP and Chief Customer Experience Officer, effective Jan. 24. Graham Atkinson will be responsible for developing and leading the company’s loyalty strategies with a specific emphasis on the customer experience.

Most recently, Graham Atkinson was President of Mileage Plus for United Airlines, one of the world’s leading customer loyalty programs with more than 50 million members. In that role, he was responsible for improving the effectiveness of the customer loyalty program and extending the reach and impact of the marketing efforts for the program. While at United, he previously served as Executive VP and Chief Customer Officer and Senior VP-Marketing.

Graham has 20+ outstanding years in marketing, customer experience, sales and operations at United Airlines, Graham will bring valuable insight into driving customer loyalty both through marketing programs and in a complex business where employees are the true ambassadors for the brand.

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To achieve better sales and profits, most companies could be doing more to cultivate business from their existing customers. However, enthusiasm for customer-retaining strategies must not endanger sound customer-getting efforts. How companies balance the two is the big question. To intensify reaching old customers while still seeking new ones, for many firms, will mean changes in market analysis, planning systems, management incentives, and marketing and/or operations organization. In the rush toward growth, consumer marketers have tended to regard success as stemming from obtaining new customers while unwittingly minimizing the importance of satisfying old ones. It is time for more companies to distinguish between their getting and retaining functions, to assess the balance between them, and to remedy any deficiencies in customer retention. This process requires management to value the potential of current customers and to treat them in special ways to get them to keep coming back. Several major elements should be part of the new marketing mix for customer retention: Product extras Keeping customers frequently requires giving them more than the basic product that initially attracted them. Product extras for individual customers over time can play a sales-expansive role. Reinforcing promotions Product promotion works better when aimed at existing customers. If a marketer knows who these customers are, benefits can be obtained by giving them reinforcing communications. Sales force connections The sales force can play a decisive role in the customer-retention function. At a retail or service counter the salesperson is the focal point of the company's strategy and is the firm to the customer. Post-purchase communication A company must anticipate that some customers will encounter either minor or serious problems after purchasing. If the firm is not ready to hear and correct these difficulties, the customer may not repurchase  or may cancel the the relationship. Whether company or customer is at fault, standby post-purchase activities can be instrumental in saving these customers.

3 Comments

  1. Chintan Bharwada January 19, 2011 at 11:29 am

    New post: Walgreens appoints Graham Atkinson as Chief Customer Experience Officer to develop its loyalty http://bit.ly/gFhmZ5

  2. URL July 7, 2012 at 8:56 am

    … [Trackback]…

    […] Read More: loyaltyandcustomers.com/2011/01/walgreens-appoints-graham-atkinson-as-chief-customer-experience-officer-to-develop-its-loyalty/ […]…

  3. Merrie October 3, 2012 at 6:04 am

    I would like a mailing address to reach Mr. Atkinson. Phone number would be alright also.

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