2. Make the CCO an Officer of the Company

Part of the series, “What the CEO Needs to Do to Ensure Chief Customer Officer Success.” (2 of 8)

It’s illogical to think that your leaders will want to collaborate on strategy with a Chief Customer Officer who is not considered a peer.

Ensure that the CCO has a role in the critical planning meetings to guarantee that the customer agenda is wired in. Incorporate part of your staff meetings to be facilitated by the CCO to drive the agenda.

Especially in the early stages (that is, the entire first year), make suggestions for meetings and events where the CCO should present at, participate in, or be invited to. I can’t stress this point enough: If the CCO is not an officer, the customer effort will be greatly compromised. It’s just plain human nature that peers won’t be as anxious to be led by someone at a lower level. Don’t put changing the course of human nature on the back of the CCO. The CCO will have enough to handle in working with you to change the course of how the company thinks about customers.