This morning I came across 2021 Rackspace Technology research on How Applications Impact Customer Experience, in which they analyzed 1400+ responses from $300M+ enterprises about strategic priorities. Customer Experience (CX) topped the list – with a focus on responding to customer needs with new technology.

OK, makes sense so far… Companies are always seeking that software silver bullet.

But according to the Rackspace research, the C-suite is not great at understanding or using technology to improve digital CX. CIOs (55%) and CTOs (53%) are ranked as the most aware of tech’s potential, but CMOs (22%) and CROs (6%) are ranked the least aware. That’s probably because other C-levels think the primary reasons for focusing on CX is to head off customer dissatisfaction with new technology.

But wait, aren’t the Martech and Salestech categories booming? Scott Brinker stopped counting logos in 2020 when it became impractical to graphically group more than 8000! Enterprises are clearly buying. So apparently CMOs and CROs don’t know how to leverage all that tech – or at least that’s what their peers think.

While CRO’s may be focusing on non-digital relationship building, my experience shows that CMO’s understand something that their C-level peers don’t seem to fully grasp – that neither digital nor interpersonal customer experiences constitute the whole. To succeed, organizations must focus on optimizing customer experience across all touchpoints, setting up a virtuous cycle.

My theory is that CMOs understand technology’s CX potential but realize that it’s only part of the equation. They are focused on creating and optimizing a holistic CX over the long-term. But change management is particularly difficult when your peers want to build, buy or network their way along. Join me in part two of this blog to discuss the many challenges CMOs face and how to overcome them.