People News, Features, and Interviews

Tyre and auto repairs chain, mycar Tyre & Auto, has appointed a chief customer officer and set its sights firmly on making customer care the point of difference as it builds out its brand in Australia.

Digital marketing outfit, Sensis, has appointed Matt Mulligan as its new chief product and customer experience officer, tasked with the job of growing the business to be the country’s leading platforms business.

Foxtel’s chief marketing officer, Kieren Cooney, has gained end-to-end customer experience oversight under a raft of leadership and management team changes confirmed at the company last week.

A focus on safety, adapting products to circumstances and recognising the dotted line between employees and customers were common refrains from Hugo Boss and Post Office UK during this week’s Qualtrics 'Work Different' event.

More and more, consumers are looking for brands they can have an emotional connection with, says Kathmandu’s chief customer officer, Eva Barrett. And for the Australia and New Zealand-based outdoor apparel brand and retailer, credibility around sustainability will be key to achieving this as it works to build engagement locally and abroad.

Digital is a driver and catalyst for delivering company growth and transformation across industries. And both marketing and IT teams recognise its importance as a strategic tool and mechanism to deliver growth ambitions and outcomes. But without alignment between the two functions, organisations will only get so far in disrupting themselves and achieving the customer-led transformation required today, both sides agree.

Australian Ethical Investments is boasting of gender parity on its senior leadership team after bringing on a new chief customer officer as well as its first chief strategy and innovation officer.

Managing stakeholder expectations around the artificial intelligence (AI) journey, embracing an iterative approach and building internal capability are key lessons David Jones has learnt after transforming its customer service approach.

A physical mascot for customers in meetings, ruthless prioritisation, cross-functional teamwork and employee camaraderie are just a few ways Australian retail group, Super Retail Group, has ridden through the COVID-19 crisis.

A customer segmentation program gleaning the underlying motivations of flybuys members has not only been a strong tool during the crisis, it provides the key to responding in the new normal, says the group’s customer chief.

Arnott’s has confirmed Jenni Dill as its new chief marketing officer for Australia and New Zealand and appointed a chief customer officer under a new leadership structure.

Internal communications may not be the most glamourous task within the marketing function. But in a time of crisis, it plays a vital role in both distributing information and creating social cohesion among the workforce.

​NBN Co, operator of Australia’s national broadband network (nbn), has taken its customer ambassadors online with a new virtual offering designed to replace the face-to-face time lacking during COVID-19.

WPP AUNZ has confirmed the departure of its chief customer officer, Sunita Gloster, after less than 18 months in the role and a month after the group posted more than $230 million in losses in the first-half 2020.

Team clarity, customer journey mapping and cross-functional connection lie at the heart of success for Good2Give’s inaugural chief customer officer.

Julie Batch has been appointed chief strategy and innovation officer of IAG, following her successful tenure as chief customer officer.

​Smart speakers are everywhere. They are on everyone’s phone, in their homes, and on every display stand this holiday period as the perfect gift idea.

Nine out of 10 CEOs agree: Mastering the customer agenda is the primary challenge their organisations face now and into the future. Yet when it comes to actually orchestrating the people, process and technological changes necessary to ensuring an organisation delivers and exceeds modern customer expectations, many are struggling to truly break ground.

As organisations look to compete on customer experience, it’s to be expected the people, processes and technologies supporting all touchpoints within their customers’ journeys operate more in harmony. And arguably, there are no two more important teams in this picture than marketing and customer service.

Southwest Airlines has edged a step closer to a 360-degree view of the customer while also lifting employee engagement after deploying a new platform to improve customer service management.

One in four customer experience (CX) professionals will be out of a job in 2020, according to the latest Forrester 2020 predictions. But don’t read that as a sign interest in CX is waning: On the contrary, the level of c-suite and high-level CX managers is set to increase.