CIOs focus to improve customer experience

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Software giant IBM has unveiled a study according to which 60 per cent of CIOs will focus more heavily on improving the customer experience and getting closer to customers as consumers are engaging more directly with businesses through mobile and social media.

According to the report, more than 80 percent of CIOs are shifting their focus to the front office where marketing, sales and service managers work directly with customers. And for that they are investing in new technologies to gain deeper insights into customer data.

"The study reveals the emerging reality that there is no longer any real distinction between the customer experience and contemporary business strategy. The quality and nature of the front-end experience has become the point of entry to the most valuable information any enterprise can possess -- information about its customers, employees, or any other relevant constituent group," said Peter Korsten, global leader, IBM Institute for Business Value.

"There have been significant changes over the past eight years. One big change is accessibility. IT didn't always have an equal seat at the table. Now, my peers are far more tech savvy," Nick Smither, CIO of Ford Motor told IBM as part of the study research.

Getting the basics right has become table stakes for CIOs looking to push their enterprise forward with new engagement and technology delivery platforms. In fact, 66 percent of CIOs believe their IT departments have mastered the basics of technology within their firms. This investment in knowledge and skills is freeing up CIOs to look at new platforms that enable them to build a ‘Customer-Activated' enterprise.

As customer engagement becomes a critical driver for CIOs, cloud computing has soared in importance with 64 percent of CIOs naming it as part of their visionary plans compared to 30 percent in 2009. Likewise, mobility solutions have also experienced a similar jump in importance with 84 percent saying it's their top focus compared to 68 per cent in 2009.

With these as a main driver, two-thirds of CIOs are now exploring how to better serve and collaborate with customers using cloud computing and social networking tools.