Treat yourself to a Chief Customer Officer
Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 9:00 am
When I returned to Germany five years ago, I held the role of Chief Customer Officer. A role that has existed in the Anglo-Saxon world for more than 20 years. In some companies, this was interpreted as Chief Experience Officer. But one thing was telling: German HR departments looked at me with wide eyes. "What kind of title is that? The hot shit here is programmatic right now." Welcome to the silo.
Now, one may argue about whether, in addition to the CIO and CDO, there needs to be a separate C-level position for the customer and their experience. My answer is: yes. For the first few years, definitely. Of course, I agree that, analogous to a CDO, the customer issue needs to be understood by the entire organization. At the same time, we need a rebuilding of existing structures, especially in Germany.
Players that only emerged in the era of digitalization, such as the fashion retailer laos telegram data Zalando, have focused more consistently on customer needs in recent years, created significantly better customer experiences in the digital world - and are now also making inroads into the offline world. In contrast, old economy companies have to laboriously create a digital parallel world for their customers. And above all, dismantle old, inefficient processes.
In this sorting process, it helps to have doers who can think and act holistically, free from old paradigms. Analogous to a CDO, it also helps if the topic is embodied, lived and sorted. This is all the more true given the increasing complexity of the customer issue. The higher the customer competence and responsibility is placed in the company, the higher the chance of really letting go of tried and tested methods throughout the company and making a positive difference in the age of the customer. For the digital transformation and future viability of the company.
Now, one may argue about whether, in addition to the CIO and CDO, there needs to be a separate C-level position for the customer and their experience. My answer is: yes. For the first few years, definitely. Of course, I agree that, analogous to a CDO, the customer issue needs to be understood by the entire organization. At the same time, we need a rebuilding of existing structures, especially in Germany.
Players that only emerged in the era of digitalization, such as the fashion retailer laos telegram data Zalando, have focused more consistently on customer needs in recent years, created significantly better customer experiences in the digital world - and are now also making inroads into the offline world. In contrast, old economy companies have to laboriously create a digital parallel world for their customers. And above all, dismantle old, inefficient processes.
In this sorting process, it helps to have doers who can think and act holistically, free from old paradigms. Analogous to a CDO, it also helps if the topic is embodied, lived and sorted. This is all the more true given the increasing complexity of the customer issue. The higher the customer competence and responsibility is placed in the company, the higher the chance of really letting go of tried and tested methods throughout the company and making a positive difference in the age of the customer. For the digital transformation and future viability of the company.