Transforming C-Suite Leaders into Empathy Officers Can Deliver Unmatched Business Success
In this opinion piece, Andy MacMillan, Chair & CEO at UserTesting, talks about the importance of empathy on a company’s leadership level and how it can help lead to success if applied correctly.
In an internet-driven era, customer experience finds itself challenged frequently with data and an app-driven interface. An organisation is constantly struggling to create an emotional connect with its customers, caught between the urge to introduce the quantitative measurement of customer data or assess qualitative customer preferences based on human connections.
Marrying customer centricity and business growth
The above is the most rational explanation of ‘digital dilemmas’ that affect corporates, to focus on what the tech is talking about or ‘see, hear and comprehend’ what the human is feeling. However, it is this crossroad that decides how the path in front unfolds for the company in question – is it a bumpy drive or a smooth sail to home? Will they end up successful or fail miserably?
Success stories in Australia of the likes of Mecca, First Choice Liquor, Afterpay, and Ikea are testimony to the fact that focusing on empathy and customer experience has actually led to the building of billion-dollar businesses. They have managed to find a sweet spot between personalisation (a key arm of empathy and listening to what the customer wants) and delivering top-class customer experience excellence.
Empathy begins at home
A recent Businesssolver report discussed that empathy is also what a company’s top leadership displays within the office walls, just as much as it is a requisite outside. Lasting emotional connections with employees, displaying the attribute of ‘I care’, and worrying about employee experience is a foundational value, which adds up to the financial performance of organisations. The fun part of building a business with empathy is that there is no holy grail, and neither can there be a formalised structure to train people to deliver empathy towards each other or customers. It is open to experimentation for each human and can only be practiced daily for perfection.
Therefore, it is not one person in an organisation who can be given a role to play in this regard. Company leaders, the C-suite category, need to understand and instil the need for empathy in daily operations. The fun part is that if it is stitched well into the company’s culture, deliverables on empathy do not seem like mounting KPIs, they tend to become reflexive such as the force of habit and intuition.
Let’s take a look at a range of C-level roles and how each leader can help.
The CEO
The CEO is primarily responsible for creating evangelists and fans of the business. From forming a strong culture to hiring a strong leadership team, the CEO has to champion the cause of customer experience and human equity for and within the company.
However, it cannot be just words and no actions. The CEO needs to roll up his/her sleeve and show the team how it is done. He/She needs to see, talk to, hear and understand customers, translate the experience and use the insights for creating actionables for each facet of product design, development, and delivery.
An easy way to execute this would be to set up “empathy hours” within the calendars, where employees can devote time to understanding and analysing customer insights. Whether it requires discussing issues with the customer support team or observing customer behaviour from a distance, these immersive hours can lead to useful insights for the business.
The CMO
In a world that is ‘eaten’ by data, technology such as Big Data and AI is being widely used to gain deeper insights into customer preferences and patterns. While its contribution is highly valued, it has been observed that it is being over-exploited as a gap-filler for invaluable human insights. Clickstream analytics, for example, may tell us what’s happening but not why.
That is when the company turns to its CMO, who possesses the capability to squeeze into any sized customer shoe. A CMO cultivates a mindset of understanding customer requirements, creating processes and technologies that help touch base with customers by using our very own human senses.
For example, CMOs and their teams in the past were usually tasked with drawing up customer profiles, such as a crypto company might say their typical customer is a 25-30-year-old millennial who is tech-savvy. But today this approach might not be the best way to think. Why are customers investing in crypto? What is keeping them awake at night? Are all age groups equally invested in the proposition? The ideal strategy today might be to draw up an empathy map, and understand customer needs, what they do, and what they think and feel. Based on that, in-depth profiles can be built on learnings from various sessions, user videos, research, data and corresponding surveys.
The CFO
Traditionally, the CFO has been responsible for the books and record keeping, financial planning and correction, risk management and statutory compliance. However, the hats are juggling. According to a McKinsey study, today’s CFOs are more likely to be involved in a variety of broader strategic activities, such as “setting overall corporate strategy, pricing a company’s products and services, or collaborating with others to devise strategies for digitisation, analytics, and talent-management initiatives.”
This clearly indicates that CFOs now have a strong hand in customer experience, they should be engaged in aligning company resources to deliver the best customer services and satisfaction. Although this role might be niche and unknown to many, the world is moving in this direction. He/She has to stay abreast of customer needs and play the risks and opportunities in the market to address them and simultaneously grow the existing business model.
The CIO
Gone are the days when people, processes, and enterprise systems were the only roles that a CIO was expected to play. Since customers experience a brand through its technology, it is essential today for CIOs to stay informed about customer choices and preferences.
Beyond these C-Suite designations, companies are also investing in creating spaces for job profiles such as Chief Insights Officer, Chief Product Officer, Chief Peoples Officer, and Chief of Staff. This is a clear indication of how essential customer experience is becoming to running the core business.
Brands that prioritise a customer-focused mission and encourage a culture of ‘customer experience is the king’ will always have an edge in the market. Since all key stakeholders often experience a company through its innovative touch-points and also the top-level management, therefore to administer long-term advocacy, it is essential that CIOs uphold and implant the significance of empathy and human insights within their respective teams and clusters.
Please login with linkedin to comment
UserTestingLatest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.