Manx Telecom has announced the appointment of Anita Barnard as Head of Customer Experience. She joins the company from Virgin Media Ireland and will lead numerous initiatives to enhance the quality of customer experience as part of Manx Telecom’s Transformation Programme. Anita has an impressive CV with 18 years working in customer management across the telecoms, media and financial services sectors. During a successful career with Virgin Media Ireland she held two senior customer focused positions, and prior to that held senior roles at IBEX Global and HCL BPO.

Anita says she is delighted to join Manx Telecom at an exciting time for the company, and is enjoying her move to a new home – especially because it gives her the best of both worlds by enabling her to continue to work in a dynamic business environment and be able to relax in the Island’s countryside, which is very similar to her childhood home in Pembrokeshire, Wales. She said: “Manx Telecom is a great company with great people, and it’s an exciting time to be joining the business at the start of a ?10million Transformation Programme which will improve the quality of our services, and give our customers a far better experience.”

Anita’s view of customer service is that customers should be able to contact Manx Telecom however they want, by call, email, letter or messenger – whatever is easiest for the customer. “Our aim is that customers shouldn’t have to contact us for service – because their expectations are consistently being met,” she says. “That’s our ultimate goal, and we are already making changes as we work towards it. Some changes are happening behind the scenes, some will be visible to customers over the next few months. Feedback from customers today is guiding the improvements we are introducing – and the methods we use to gather customer feedback are the start of this process. Ultimately, we want to make it as easy as possible for residential and corporate customers to do business with us.”

Manx Telecom already has plans in place to introduce more self-service channels to make it easier for customers to purchase products and access services, but there are more improvements to come. “By listening to our customers and following best practice,” says Anita, “our customers will see a more holistic approach to how Manx Telecom delivers customer service – it’s not just one person or one department that makes an enjoyable customer experience, it’s everyone in the whole company, from our colleagues in the Manx Telecom store and the Customer Experience Team to the engineers out in the field.”

Anita has a keen interest in walking and cooking, so exploring the Island is a priority. “There’s a lot do to in the office and at home,” she said, “and I’ve found the relocation to the Island really positive – people are very friendly and welcoming.”

Gary Lamb, Manx Telecom CEO, commented: “Anita’s appointment is an essential element in our strategy to deliver improvements in customer experience. Her wealth of industry expertise will bring fresh insight into how we think, work, and operate.”

Go to www.manxtelecom.com/foryou to watch videos of Anita Barnard and Gary Lamb talking about the company’s commitment to customer service.

Photo - Anita Barnard, Head of Customer Experience at Manx Telecom.