Customer Experience Leader

Indigobooksmusic; Calgary; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Indigo Books & Music seeks a Customer Experience Leader to drive store CX priorities, coach team members, and elevate omni-channel execution. You will leverage insights to optimize staff deployment, deliver exceptional service, and strengthen customer engagement, loyalty, and sales.

You will model Indigo's values and ensure consistent customer experiences across in-store and online channels, with focus on safety, compliance, and team development.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years leadership in specialty retail or multi-unit environment.
• College degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience executing customer experience and omni-channel programs.
• Strong understanding of retail operations including cash handling and compliance.
• Proven ability to coach and develop team members.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Effective communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Operational discipline in inventory management and pricing accuracy.
• Adaptable and agile; ability to leverage technology including AI-enabled tools.
• Maintains required role-specific certifications where applicable.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of customer experience priorities within the store.
• Coach and support CERs to deliver intuitive recommendations and great service.
• Lead daily communications, rallies, and reinforce priorities and promotions.
• Support omni-channel execution including pickups, online returns, and issue resolution.
• Drive loyalty initiatives and customer engagement through programs.
• Collaborate with Product Operations to align CX, inventory, and merchandising.
• Identify opportunities from customer insights to improve satisfaction.
• Maintain store areas, payment desks, and cash office procedures.
• Provide ongoing training on customer-focused behaviours and standards.
• Foster a safe, organized work environment and uphold health/safety policies.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Adaptability

Education

College degree or equivalent

Tools

POS systems

Inventory management software

Job description

The Customer Experience Leader is the execution lead of all customer programs and results. This position role models and coaches to create a high-performance, customer-focused environment where employees build their capabilities, contribute to team success, and bring the Indigo brand to life through meaningful business outcomes.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Net sales and profitability
• Loyalty (plum and email acquisition)
• Promotional execution
• Store engagement score

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - what the work is

• Leads execution of customer experience priorities within the store, leveraging customer, sales, and omni-channel insights to optimize team deployment, deliver exceptional service, and drive customer engagement and sales performance.
• Ensures the Indigo Experience and R.E.A.D. customer service model are consistently brought to life through strong Sales Generation Leadership (SGL) practices, including active coaching and in-the-moment feedback that reinforce service behaviours and customer engagement.
• Leads daily communication routines and sales rallies that reinforce business priorities, promotional activities, loyalty initiatives, customer opportunities, and service expectations.
• Coaches and develops CERs to deliver intuitive recommendations, meaningful customer interactions, and exceptional service experiences that build customer loyalty and engagement.
• Supports omni-channel execution, including customer pickups, Manhattan order management activities, online returns, customer issue resolution, and related customer interactions, ensuring a seamless and consistent customer experience.
• Leads execution of customer-facing programs and initiatives, including Plum loyalty acquisition and engagement, Indigo Love of Reading, CEO Awards, Staff Picks, customer events, author signings, consignment programs, and store social media activities.
• Leverages customer insights, Voice of the Customer feedback, and in-store observations to identify opportunities and support improvements to customer satisfaction and overall service execution.
• Maintains customer service areas, payment desks, and cash office processes, ensuring compliance with cash handling procedures, operational controls, and company standards.
• Supports store supplies ordering and other customer-facing operational routines to ensure teams have the resources needed to deliver a consistent customer experience.
• Partners with Product Operations leadership to ensure alignment between customer experience, product availability, merchandising execution, and operational readiness.
• Supports the Customer Experience Manager in delivering store objectives by identifying customer-facing opportunities, escalating risks, and contributing to action plans that improve execution and results.
• Provides ongoing coaching and training on customer focused behaviours, building capability and accountability across the team.
• Ensures a safe and organized work environment, maintaining compliance with all health and safety policies, procedures, and standards.
• Models and embeds Indigo's Guiding Principles and values, fostering a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture.

Reports to: Customer Experience Manager

Manager once Removed (MOR): General Manager

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal:
  • Store employees
  • Store leadership team
  • Online Customer Service team
  • Indigo Love of Reading team
• External:
  • Customers
  • Consignment authors/agents and event vendors
  • Adopt-a-School partners

QUALIFICATIONS

• 1-3 years of leadership experience in a specialty retail and/or multi-unit environment, with experience leading teams in a customer-facing environment
• College degree preferred or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience executing customer experience and/or omni-channel programs, translating direction into clear actions that drive results
• Strong understanding of retail operations, including experience with cash handling, compliance, and execution in a fast-paced retail environment
• Proven ability to coach and develop team members, building capability through hands-on training and reinforcement of customer experience, operational and cash handling standards
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with the ability to prioritize competing priorities, meet deadlines, and execute effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Effective communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues, prioritize actions, and support store objectives
• Demonstrated operational discipline, including experience with inventory management, compliance, pricing accuracy, and execution of company standards
• Adaptable and agile, with the ability to respond to changing priorities and leverage technology (including AI-enabled tools) to improve efficiency and execution
• Maintains/obtains required role-specific certifications (e.g., First Aid, Joint Health & Safety Committee) in alignment with provincial and store requirements
• Demonstrates sound judgment, accountability, and a p