New Position Concentrates On Customers

Compiled ByJonathan Katz Companies wishing to achieve optimum customer satisfaction have added a new position to their executive ranks: chief customer officer (CCO), according to www.destinationCRM.com, a global Internet gateway for customer-relationship-management (CRM) news and information. The CCO takes on the part-time roles of strategist and customer-service specialist and acts as a full-time counselor-at-large on all customer-relationship matters. The CCO also is responsible for making sure the whole company -- all departments and functions -- are paying attention to the customer and managing the relationship with the customer. "These companies recognize that targeted customer-relationship management can happen only when a chief customer officer is leading the charge and providing direction to the company and counsel to the senior management team," says Matt Purdue, executive editor of www.destinationCRM.com. "Just as the chief financial officer is the 'go-to' person for finance and the chief information officer for technology information, the CCO is fast becoming the point person for CRM."