By Tom Erickson, Acquia CEO
The chief digital officer, a relatively recent addition to the C-Suite, is already making his influence felt on today’s technological landscape and, by extension, everyday living. Companies that have yet to hire a CDO, but who regard a great digital customer experience as core to the business, should consider making room for one.
From morning coffee (Starbucks Corp. has a chief digital officer) to the evening panel discussion at the local university (Harvard University has one as well), there’s now a CDO considering the digital implications of experiences that you might not expect. Going through Times Square, I’m reminded that NYC now has its own chief digital officer, that there’s a CDO at the nearby CVS Caremark Corp., and a CDO at the New York Stock Exchange.
It’s fairly easy to pinpoint the trickle-down difference at this everyday level, compared to the days prior the appearance of the chief digital officer. Whether you’re Whole Foods Market Inc. or Warner Music, you now likely have somebody — even if he or she doesn’t have a CDO title — with full responsibility for how technology frames the customer experience. It’s at this personal interaction level where the CDO’s impact is most keenly felt.