Why Your CIO Should be Involved in Your CX Strategy

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It should come as no surprise that getting the customer experience (CX) right is a company-wide endeavor. We’ve discussed the importance of the CMO in CX, and how their role may seem an obvious one to tackle the feat, but what about less-obvious c-suite roles? Because of their deep understanding of technology in the age of the digital customer, the CIO may hold key insights into providing an optimal customer experience.

Bridging the gap between technology and CX:
Technology is at the center of almost all we do, and the customer experience is no exception. From social media to online shopping, technology has given consumers 24-hour access to interact with the brands they do business with – meaning that your customers are more connected than ever before.

As we know, customers go through a number of ‘touch points’ throughout the customer journey. From advertising, to purchasing, to customer service, almost all of these touch points are now digital. Because of this, businesses need to understand how technology works, how their customers interact with technology, and how they can leverage technology to improve their customer experience.

So where do CIOs fit in?
While the responsibilities of a CIO are typically not focused around CX, a lot of customers’ experiences involve technologies operated by IT. This means that the CIO and IT department can have a significant influence on a customer’s digital experience. And, as we mentioned earlier, the digital experience is more important than ever before.

Even before CIOs were considered a main player in CX, many c-suite roles, especially the CMO, often refer to the IT department or CIO for advice and implementation of digital experiences. With access to the company’s entire customer data, the CIO is able to better leverage information and suggest changes to improve CX than any other role.

Their ability to tune-in and relate to connected customers and understand what they want makes them an ideal candidate to help lead the charge in your company’s CX strategies.

How CIOs and IT can get involved:
First and foremost, the technology serving the customers should fill a customer’s need. To understand what the “right” technology is for their company, CIOs can take partner with the CMO, CCO, and even the head of sales. Each of these roles can offer important observations about what they believe customers want and need out of their CX. Their insights can provide the CIO with a better understanding of what digital changes need to be implemented.

Understanding the customer’s needs is crucial for anyone involved CX and CIOs are no exception. CIOs should take time to learn how their company’s technology affects customers and how they can create technology that will not only improve CX, but build trust between the business and the customer. One way to do this? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Consider mapping out possible digital customer routes, and what technology they will need at each step of their journey.

Regardless of who’s heading up your CX strategy, the importance of involving the CIO and the IT department can’t be overstated. With most customer experiences happening digitally, why wouldn’t you incorporate the most tech-savvy people at your company?

Lauren Famiglietti
Lauren is a content marketing professional with experience in digital and social marketing. As a Content Marketing Specialist at Interactions, she assists with content creation and social media strategy. Lauren holds a BA in Journalism from Northeastern University.

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