Transforming Victoriously as the Future Chief Customer Advocate: A Council Discussion
In the ever-changing business realm, customers expect continuous value from their software investments, paired with agility. Companies that can deliver on this promise will find themselves with loyal customers who act as catalysts for efficient growth. Chief Customer Officers (CCOs) play a crucial role in retaining and growing these customers, ultimately contributing to greater growth and profitability.
For newcomers stepping into the CCO role, understanding their role within the organization is essential. Here are three fundamental imperatives CCOs must get right to pave the way for success:
Establishing Strong Relationships and Communication
Like any healthy relationship, honesty and communication are the cornerstones of building strong bonds with customers. In today's digital age and increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape, negative events like data breaches can happen, almost inevitably. In such instances, how a CCO manages customer relationships can make or break the future of those relationships.
To manage relationships effectively during challenging times, CCOs must lead from the front and prioritize open, agile communication. This may involve regular email updates, personalized phone calls, and live Q&A discussions. Above all, CCOs must be transparent in their communication, keeping customers informed of updates, no matter how small, and ensuring that bad news travels quickly. By staying honest, humble, and open, CCOs can create strong, trusting relationships with their customers.
Building a 360-Degree Perspective
To effectively connect a business with its customers, CCOs must have a comprehensive understanding of both the company's objectives and the customers' needs. With the broad cross-functional CCO mandate, success requires a blend of functional expertise and an openness to learning about all facets of the organization, from engineering to finance.
CCOs should work closely with other departments, internally, to foster a company-wide customer-first approach. They should also invest in understanding their customers' organizations and priorities, perhaps by establishing a customer advisory board. This board can provide real-time feedback on pain points and areas for improvement, helping CCOs tailor the customer experience to meet changing needs.
Bridging Activity to Impact
The final step for a successful CCO is to connect their activities to broader organizational outcomes. CCOs should strive to understand the financial, strategic, and operational success markers of the company, and articulate how their work contributes to those markers.
For example, CCOs responsible for recurring revenues should focus on areas such as renewals, expansions, technical implementations, and driving usage. By connecting their work to these areas, CCOs can contribute to the overall success of the organization and positively influence key stakeholders, such as the CEO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
In conclusion, by focusing on these three imperatives—strong relationships, a 360-degree perspective, and a clear path to impact—CCOs can lead with confidence, ensuring their customers have a positive experience while driving valuable growth for their organizations.
[1] CX Transformation: A New Way of Thinking, KPMG[2]Navigating the Customer Experience Value Chain, Harvard Business Review[3]Customer Experience: A Strategic Imperative for Growth, McKinsey & Company[4]Customer-Centric Culture: Priorities to Drive a Customer-Focused Transformation, Capgemini
- Harini Gokul, newly appointed as a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) at CCOS, recognized the importance of building strong relationships with customers and implementing open, agile communication strategies to manage customer relationships during challenging times.
- To effectively lead at CCOS, Harini Gokul sought to establish a 360-degree perspective by collaborating with various departments and investing in understanding customers' organizations and priorities, ultimately creating a company-wide customer-first approach.
- As a versed strategic thinker in altitudes of leadership, Harini Gokul aimed to bridge the gap between her activities and organizational outcomes while focusing on key success markers to drive recurring revenues and contribute positively to the overall success of CCOS.
