Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Role and Responsibilities
The detailed description for the one who's in charge of the customer experience.
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About the CCO
The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) is a senior executive responsible for ensuring that our company’s products and services consistently meet and exceed the expectations of our customers. The CCO is a strategic leader who works closely with other members of the executive team to develop and implement customer-centric policies and practices.
What to look for when hiring a Chief Customer Officer
Hiring the right CCO goes beyond job titles or buzzwords. The role is evolving fast, and the best candidates combine experience, vision, and a deep understanding of how to deliver lasting value to customers and the company.
Here’s what to look for:
- Broad post-sale leadership experience. Great CCOs have led multiple customer-facing functions like implementation, success, support, or services. This gives them the perspective to connect every touchpoint and elevate the entire customer journey.
- Proven operational excellence. Look for someone who can improve key metrics — customer retention, satisfaction, and profitability — while continuously refining processes. They should be data-driven, goal-oriented, and focused on outcomes that matter.
- Strategic and forward-thinking. A strong CCO isn’t just solving today’s challenges; they’re building for the future. They design scalable systems, anticipate customer needs, and align the customer experience with the company’s long-term growth goals.
- Exceptional collaboration skills. Since the customer journey spans nearly every department, successful CCOs work seamlessly across teams. They break down silos and build partnerships with sales, marketing, product, and beyond.
In short, the ideal CCO blends operational expertise with strategic vision and cross-functional leadership — all rooted in a genuine passion for putting the customer at the center of everything the company does.
Responsibilities
The CCO is responsible for a variety of key tasks, including:
- Developing and implementing a customer experience strategy.
- Identifying and addressing customer pain points and needs.
- Managing and coordinating the activities of the customer service and support teams.
- Developing and implementing policies and procedures to improve the customer experience.
- Monitoring and analyzing customer feedback to identify areas for improvement.
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with key customers and other stakeholders.
- Developing and implementing customer loyalty and retention programs.
- Providing regular reports and updates on customer satisfaction and experience to the CEO and other members of the executive team.
- Identifying and implementing technology and other tools to improve the customer experience.
- Serving as a key member of the executive team and contributing to the overall direction and strategy of the organization.
The importance of cross-functional collaboration
Delivering a great customer experience takes more than a strong customer service team. A Chief Customer Officer (CCO) has to collaborate across the entire company — from sales and marketing to product development and IT. Every department shapes the customer journey, so consistent communication and joint problem-solving are essential.
By fostering true cross-functional collaboration, the CCO can:
- Break down silos. Eliminate barriers that prevent teams from working toward shared customer goals.
- Share insights. Make sure customer feedback reaches every team that can act on it, leading to faster, more relevant improvements.
- Align objectives. Keep all departments focused on delivering value to the customer, not just meeting internal KPIs.
- Create consistency. Build organization-wide initiatives that make every customer touchpoint feel seamless and connected.
When teams work together toward the same goal, the CCO can drive real change — improving experiences, strengthening relationships, and turning customers into advocates.
