There has been a 30% overall increase in the appointment of primary customer-focused roles since the same period in 2023. These roles include chief customer officers, customer service directors, and directors of CX.
The research comes from Douglas Jackson’s ‘Customer Moves’ report. The executive search firm has been tracking these roles since 2022.
“It will be interesting to see how the rest of 2024 plays out,” shares Michelle Ansell, Managing Partner at Douglas Jackson. “the last few years have been less certain for the customer functions. As CEOs decide what to do with regards to Customer Experience, can the function and the senior appointments cut through and start to realise the return on investments we know they can deliver when given the authority, commitment and mandate.”
The data indicates a positive sign to the CX community and clear business focus on the customer-first approach with the appointments and promotions of these key roles. The CCO role saw a 300% increase in hires in the first quarter of 2024 alone.
This new research supports Forbes’ recent statement that CX remains a top priority for companies in 2024.
The report also highlighted a shift away from the customer service director role, which saw the biggest reduction in hires, with just 21 in the first half of 2024. However, the CX directors role was up 40%. This suggests that businesses are opting for emphasis on experience, not just service.
Douglas Jackson also assessed a significant shift in the gender split across customer and director appointments. Interestingly, these roles tilted from a nearly equal distribution, to almost 60% male and 40% female in this last quarter.
The research indicates that CX teams are growing in necessity, relevance, and overall business importance. The shifts in roles also suggests business should be focusing more on building great experiences, rather than delivering just on service.