CHAPTER 28
Who Is Your Chief Customer Officer?
It is vital to have someone to help lead the changes happening in our workforce, our brands, and our Customers. The role must be high enough in the food chain to properly advise a CEO on all the topics discussed in this book. Some will say that is the role of the Chief Marketing Officer because they understand the impact these things are having on the brand. To some extent, I agree with that and I expect that many Chief Marketers will step up to the role, and many have already.
However, one of the fastest growing roles in business today is the Chief Customer Officer. This is not a new role, but has been growing over the past fifteen years. We have seen a variety of titles for this position, depending on the organization, such as Chief Client Officer and Chief Customer Experience Officer, among many others. When we look at the C-Suite, most companies have a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, General Counsel, and various product leaders. Their roles are to guide the strategic direction of the organization. All understand the basic functions and advisory capacity that these executives are providing the CEO, and they are each imperative for the success of the business. Who is representing the Customer within this advisory group?
Many will make the case that all the officers should be representing the Customer and the shareholder. That is obviously a nice sentiment but it does not always work out ...
