Chief Customer Officers

While the old adage "the customer is always right” has been at the forefront of customer service for many years, companies and corporations have only been recently acknowledged the need for a management position to make sure the customer remains at the center of the business. This has come with a relatively new terminology, describing this focus in businesses as “customer-centric.” It has also spurred the development of a new position, or at least a new title, in corporate executive structure: the chief customer officer (CCO).

Developed as a formal career within the past 15 to 20 years, the CCO has joined the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief technology officer, chief operations officer, chief business officer, and other "chief" positions to acknowledge their senior, significant role in the corporate team, often called “c-level executives” or “c-suite” positions.

In 2019, about 90 percent of organizations surveyed by the research group Gartner reported having CCOs as part of their management team. Following the trend, larger and smaller companies have also hired executive's to bring the customer’s voice into the corporate boardroom. The CCO focuses on customer perspective, serving customer needs, customer issues, and experiences with the company. CCOs are an integral part of the corporate landscape.