Customer Loyalty and Employee Engagement
Posts tagged Chief Customer Officer
The Role of Human Resources in Creating a Customer-centric Culture
May 10th
Through professional networking, past work experience, and happenstance, I’ve met many leaders who serve as their company’s top-ranking executive focused on customers. When asked about their priorities, creating a customer-centric culture is almost always at or near the top of the list.
I like to follow up with a simple question. “Do you have any formal authority over the way that your company hires, trains, manages and motivates its employees?” The answer is almost always no, with very few exceptions. Few even have a seat at the table when it comes to how the company manages talent.
This seems crazy to me. How can someone expect to influence the culture of their company having neither the influence nor access to impact the actual culture of the company?
It is my strong belief that any executive who is tasked with creating a customer-centric culture must have at least some level of formal authority over the way that the company manages talent.
At Volusion, we believe so strongly in this idea that we’ve actually structured the organization so that the head of Human Resources reports in to the office of the Chief Customer Officer. This has allowed us to move beyond lip service and actually put muscle behind the idea of building a customer centric culture. It has allowed us to establish “deliver WOW experiences” as one of our core values, and to apply that core value to the way we interview candidates, the way that we conduct performance reviews, the way we train employees, and the way we manage our teams.
While it may not be practical for every company to be structured in this way, that’s no excuse for the top customer executive not to have involvement and influence over the company’s HR practices. Otherwise, the goal of creating a customer-centric culture is unlikely to be achieved.
Defining the role of the Chief Customer Officer
May 9th
I’m sometimes envious of my mailman, Steve. Now, don’t get me wrong – I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to drive around delivering the mail all day. By almost every measure, my job is infinitely cushier than that of the average postal carrier. I’m not outside in rain or sleet or dark of night carrying heavy parcels up winding driveways. Sure, there are days when I’m in 12 hours of meetings, but I’ve never had to run from a stray dog during a planning session (yet.)
But still, there is one area where Steve has a distinct advantage. His friends and family most likely understand what it is that he does all day. Mine? Not so much.
Ross: What is Chandler Bing’s job?
Rachel: Oh! Oh gosh, it has something to do with numbers.
Monica: And processing!
Rachel: Oh, well… and he carries a briefcase!
Ross: Ten seconds. You need this or you lose the game.
Monica: It’s, um, it has something to do with transponding.
Rachel: Oh, oh, oh, he’s a transpons… transponster!
Monica: That’s not even a word!Friends, Season 4 Episode 12
Whose fault is it that none of my friends and family know what I do all day? Easy – it’s my fault. When I describe what I do, I try to make it sound impressive instead of making it understandable – and I’m not alone in doing so.
Last year the Chief Customer Officer Council got together and defined the role of CCO as ” An executive that provides the comprehensive and authoritative view of the customer and creates corporate and customer strategy at the highest levels of the company to maximize customer acquisition, retention, and profitability”.
Did your eyes glaze over when reading that definition? I know mine did. I’m certainly not going to respond to the ubiquitous “So, what do you do?” question at a cocktail party with “I provide a comprehensive and authoritative view …” unless I’m trying to bring the conversation to an abrupt and awkward conclusion.
I’ve come to determine that, too often, in the corporate world people describe their jobs with way too much precision and technical jargon for fear that if they oversimplify, the person they are talking with won’t be suitably impressed with just how important their job is. But imagine if my mailman told people that he facilitates the transmission of tangible objects from sender to receiver – would you be impressed, or just confused?
From now on, when someone asks what it is that a CCO does, instead of hemming and hawing about maximizing customer lifetime value and analyzing qualitative feedback, I’m just going to say:
“It’s pretty simple – when a customer loves a company they stay longer, spend more, and tell all of their friends. I make sure we are doing the things it takes to maximize the customers who love us and minimize the customers who dislike us.”
I think Steve would approve.