The death of digital?
Here is the transcript of a conversation with Professor Bart. Dr Bart has an enormous reserve of experience to draw on spanning back almost 30 years and amongst many other things she is an expert on the history and current changes in the role of Customer Director.
JM. Dr Bart, could you tell me, how long has the job title “customer director” been around for and what responsibilities does it cover?
Dr B The job title of "Customer Director" has been around for about 20 years. It first emerged in the late 1990s as companies began to realize the importance of customer satisfaction and retention. The role of the Customer Director is to oversee all aspects of customer service and support, from customer acquisition to customer churn. They are responsible for developing and implementing strategies that will improve customer satisfaction, increase customer loyalty, and drive revenue growth.
The role of the Customer Director has become increasingly important in recent years as the competitive landscape has become more crowded and customer expectations have risen. Companies that want to succeed in today's marketplace need to have a strong customer focus, and the Customer Director is the person who is responsible for ensuring that this focus is maintained.
Here are some of the key responsibilities of a Customer Director include; analyzing customer data to identify trends and opportunities; working with other departments to improve the customer experience; aligning customer service and support with the company's overall business goals; developing and implementing customer service and support strategies; managing customer service and support teams.
The Customer Director is a key member of the senior management team, and they play a critical role in the success of any business.
JM: How do you think the role has adapted over time?
Dr Bart: The role of the Customer Director has changed significantly over the last 20 years. The focus has shifted from customer satisfaction to customer experience. In the past, companies were focused on simply making sure that customers were satisfied with their products or services. However, today's customers are looking for a more holistic experience that goes beyond just satisfaction. They want to feel valued, respected, and heard. The Customer Director is responsible for ensuring that the customer experience is aligned with the company's overall brand and values.
The role has become more strategic. In the past, the Customer Director was often seen as a support function. However, today's Customer Director is seen as a strategic partner who can help the company achieve its overall business goals. They are responsible for developing and implementing strategies that will improve customer satisfaction, increase customer loyalty, and drive revenue growth.
The role has also become more data-driven. Customer Directors now have access to more data than ever before. This data can be used to identify trends, track performance, and make decisions that will improve the customer experience. The Customer Director is responsible for using data to make informed decisions that will benefit the company and its customers. Arguably, this falls into two important but very different areas - improving the efficiency of the customer journey ie making it easier, quicker and seamless to buy something across on-line and physical stores AND finding new areas of business where untapped demand is looking for new products or services.
The role is almost by definition cross-functional. The Customer Director must work with other departments within the company, such as marketing, sales, and product development, to ensure that the customer experience is consistent across all touchpoints. In fact it should really be involved with everything from brand through to payment systems and fulfilment. The Customer Director is responsible for building relationships with other departments and working together to create a seamless customer experience.
JM: Do you think the CD or CCO has subsumed other areas of business?
Dr Bart: Yes, the role of Customer Director has subsumed a number of other roles over the years. The Customer Director role has evolved to become more strategic and cross-functional. As a result, it has subsumed a number of other roles that were previously siloed. This reflects the growing importance of customer experience in today's business world.
JM: What are the similarities and what are the differences between Digital Director and Customer Director
Dr Bart: Customer Director and Digital Director are two key roles in a company that are responsible for different aspects of the customer experience. Both roles are focused on the customer. The Customer Director is responsible for ensuring that customers are satisfied with their products or services, while the Digital Director is responsible for ensuring that customers have a positive experience when they interact with the company's digital channels.
Both roles require strong leadership and communication skills. The Customer Director must be able to lead a team of customer service representatives and resolve customer issues, while the Digital Director must be able to communicate with other departments in the company to ensure that the digital experience is aligned with the company's overall brand and goals.
Both roles are important to the success of the company. A company that can provide excellent customer service and a positive digital experience is more likely to retain customers and attract new ones.
JM: How much difference is there between digital and non-digital customer experiences in 2025
Dr Bart: In 2025, the difference between digital and non-digital customer experience is significant and yet expectations are converging. Customers have come to expect a seamless experience across all channels, and they are quick to switch to a competitor if they are not satisfied. Some of the key differences are
Speed: Customers expect to be able to interact with a company quickly and easily, regardless of the channel they are using. For example, customers expect to be able to make a purchase online in just a few clicks, and they expect to be able to get help from customer service 24/7.
Personalization: Customers expect to be treated as individuals, and they expect the company to understand their needs and preferences. For example, customers expect to see products and services that are relevant to them when they browse a company's website, and they expect to receive personalized recommendations from customer service.
So, if you have managed to read through this far – well done! The above transcript is, of course, powered by AI. In fact at Arrowsmith Fox we have a different interpretation of the Customer Director or Chief Customer Officer role. In a retail environment, our experience is that the Customer Director or Chief Customer Officer role is the natural evolution of what has been and still is to some degree the Digital Director. Digital Director is fast becoming a meaningless title as digital channels and skills merge into the everyday. We think there are probably three things driving this.
New data capability - The new ability to measure and compare customer engagement and behaviour (data!) that is the legacy of digital channels.
New external pressure – the need for a consistency of brand across first digital and then all retail channels as customers align even their in-store experience with their expectations with the smoothest digital journeys.
New internal focus – the need to shape businesses into customer-centric organisations in the ecommerce paradigm and getting away from Taylor-esque siloes arranged around business-centred efficiency.
Breadth of the Customer Director role
As relatively new role, there is no clear delineation of responsibilities. On a narrow basis it can just be the amalgamation of performance marketing and digital product: on a wide interpretation it can range from brand marketing through performance marketing to life-cycle (retention) marketing all the way through to responsibilities for payment systems and fulfilment.
The impact of new technologies (not mentioned by Prof Bart above!)
Another crucial element is something that is very much recognizable as part of the traditional Digital Director’s role – the adoption, testing and deployment of new technology whether that be new social media channels or the latest AI recommendation engines. Just keeping on top of this element is a Sisyphean task that means that any Customer Director must have their ear to the ground for new tech and an entrepreneurial attitude to risk to distinguish between cutting edge and bleeding edge.
Finally a thought from Jeff of the B to the Amazon as he points out that the vast majority of companies are focused on the competition.
"We're not competitor obsessed, we're customer obsessed. We start with what the customer needs and we work backwards."
A final look to the future: If, as we argue, the Customer Director is so well informed about the customer and is able to point the whole organisation to this perspective. If they are able to understand and deploy a broad range of skillsets from development of technology, brand, product development, merchandising, data, payment and fulfilment systems etc etc then they should be the next candidates for leading the company – the CEO. In the same way that 20-30 years ago, the CFO had the best holistic view of what makes a company tick, the CCO or CD is now empowered by data and tooled up with knowledge of the threats and opportunities of the highly dynamic retail environment.
