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The CIO Holds the Keys to Outside-In

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Providing engaging and satisfying customer experiences across the whole of the customer journey, all channels at all times, has become critical to organizations’ success. Customers’ expectations have rocketed while at the same time their ability to express their dis-satisfaction has exploded with social media and commercial review models. Enterprises need to think and operate in an ‘outside-in’ model to succeed.

Another key trend that we see is that the a brand is judged by what it does and not just what it says, in other words the core of customer experience and perception is now rooted in execution.

Step forward the CIO.

Customer experience and thinking of the ‘journey’ may have traditionally been the purview of the marketing team, but the real power to change and drive excellence lies with the CIO. The systems and processes of a business underpin all elements of customer experience execution. Getting these right and being able drive change through critical areas of the business is where today’s CIO steps up.

I am not saying it is easy! A CIO has to grapple with the legacy of older solutions and applications, the present burden of reliable and secure operations as well as future planning for current projects and strategic changes required by the Business. The IT budget is largely consumed with ‘keeping the lights on’, which means it is all the more critical how the discretionary spend is applied to move forward.

So here are my thoughts on where the CIO can lead the business in its outside-in thinking:-

1. Understand layers of change

Not all elements of a business can or should change at the same speed. A general ledger will always do what it does and reliably so, but how information gets in there and how order processing, sales and service fulfillment, renewal pricing, etc. is managed will change more rapidly.

Customer engagement is the most dynamic area of a business and needs to adapt faster than the core systems of record. Change to core systems doesn’t have to be treated like heart surgery or root canal treatment! Layering systems to support this pace of change while integrating and abstracting the core systems enables this approach and has been proven to be effective and drive change focused on the customer (and our friends at #Gartner with their ‘Pace Layer Architecture’ would agree).

2. Focus on journeys not transactions

Of course we mustn’t forget that over time, customers perform transactions, and getting a policy on to the admin system is a critical step. However don’t ever forget that the customer is on a journey. Process and scenario thinking embraces this notion providing key measures of success and goal definition, such as customer effort and convenience, that are not simply about data consistency.

3. Don’t allow silos

Silos are the sworn enemy of customer experience. Whether they are business organization or system based silos, they all conspire to make customer journeys fragmented and painful.

One of the biggest divides is the gap between customer service and sales/marketing, and within that the gap, between eCommerce or digital solutions and ‘traditional’ back ends.

The CIO is well placed to drive cross divisional unity through an organization by determining and delivering cross-functional solutions that focus on the customer not the department.

4. Be Bold

Speed and agility require boldness. This includes boldness in selecting partners and vendors who support your vision and can work with you over time. It includes boldness in learning to pilot solutions that solve tactical need while opening up strategic doors – delivering a valuable part of the overall vision in 3 months not 3 years.

This will require vision and boldness in execution, but with that the CIO can not only support the business but be the key catalyst and agent of change that is so needed at this time.

The CIO can see all parts of the enterprise’s execution and can grapple with it to deliver the outside-in approach that will engage customers and ensure both the success of the business and their own success in the role of the CIO.

 

 

 


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