Companies today profess their love for customer service with
gusto unlike anything before. They stand under the metaphorical balconies of
customers proclaiming their devotion to them and how they would always stand by
them in their times of trouble. The U-turn after that though, is again
something customers like many broken lovers have come to expect. Customers and
companies enter a marriage the moment a customer decides to pick your product
off the shelf instead of another. So why don’t companies really get serious
about this? Why don’t they show some unwavering commitment? Why don’t they just
get themselves a Chief Customer Officer?
The role exists in B2B and B2C firms as diverse as Allstate,
Dunkin' Brands, USAA, Philips Electronics, FedEx, the Cleveland Clinic, and
SAP. All companies greatly committed to delivering good service. So why hasn't this concept found its way into more management teams across companies? The
reasons are many and diverse. Ranging from not finding the right people to not
enabling them with adequate power to affect change to not being easily
accessible to customers. Companies
serious about customer service can use such a person in management to help
outline a strategy right from the top which will in turn tie in with the
company objectives. Commitment to customer service needs to start from the top,
quite literally. The top management must be ready to be decisive when it comes
to executing their customer service strategy and adding a CCO to that mix and
at that level of decision making can be the greatest show of faith.
CCOs can be the next coup de grace in a market dominated by
lofty promises and earth shattering failures in service. A CCO should ensure
accessibility and accountability for customers. She should be the point of
escalation when things go out of hand. Communication lines to her should be
available to every customer and her openness and accessibility in time will
define the commitment the company has towards customer service. The knowledge
that she belongs to the management will further help in instilling faith in
customers that they truly have access to the decision makers. This is the kind
of faith that makes a brand, the kind that promises to stand by their customer
in sickness and health.
