In the corporate world, the C-Suite is already becoming crowded, with relatively recent roles such as Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Growth Officer and Chief Customer Officer now joining the more traditional functional ranks. Even the more established Chief Marketing Officer role is rapidly changing and evolving in response to shifting priorities that place the customer in an increasingly central position.
Some of the biggest B2C brands in existence, such as Hyatt and Coca-Cola, have already taken the step of combining these senior customer-centric and tech-driven roles into fresh hybrids; combining elements of customer experience and marketing with revenue growth drivers.
Research by the consultancy, Forrester, has identified further changes in this space and concluded that the need for digital transformation and the requisite senior skillsets will be required for businesses to succeed.
Senior role changes suggest that businesses are prepared to focus meaningfully on customers, seeking to truly understand their audience in order to create engagement, conversions and to drive loyalty for the long-term in saturated, highly-competitive markets.
The Chief Customer Officer, or CCO, is one worth focusing on. With a mandate to devise, implement and enhance customer experience programmes across changing channels and customer touchpoints, the role is now found across B2C and B2B industries, reflecting how brands are repositioning to place the customer at their heart.
Customers are already demanding that their needs are met. They are no longer prepared to engage with or buy from, a brand solely based upon product criteria. Now, each touchpoint and the cumulative experience of interactions drives complex customer decisions. Everything from a brand’s customer service ethos to its sustainability and ethical values results in a decision.
CCOs integrate customer initiatives across a range of internal functions and innovate to provide superb experiences. In creating an executive-level role to oversee such tasks, businesses demonstrate that they recognise the overarching nature of this role and the need to make brands truly customer-centric.
But where new roles are created, others are being replaced. For example, Chief Marketing Officers are being replaced by Chief Growth Officers who have the skills needed to implement digital transformation. Smarter CMOs are switching their CVs and rebranding themselves as the more desirable Chief Media Officer instead.
Brands such as Procter & Gamble, Tesco and AirBnB have already devised their own unique CMO alternatives, always driven by strategic technology. But whatever the title, these roles almost invariably have the same deliverables, from finding the best partners to positioning their brand as the best media client and ensuring that media delivers necessary growth. Ultimately, they are responsible for customer experience, along with their fellow C-Suite execs, in a world where technology and customer demands are constantly disrupting the landscape and redefining the requirements for success.
There is little doubt that today’s business management teams face an unprecedented degree of change and accelerating innovation, but the opportunities to succeed in the tech-driven new world are myriad. When you need senior digital talent for your organisation, why not contact us at RC&A.
