Alright CIOs, CTOs, CDOs—this one’s for you!
If you’ve been tuning into our podcast series, you know we’re diving into the role of different C-level leaders in CX transformation. Last time, we tackled the CEO’s role. Now, let’s focus on you—because, spoiler alert, you’re actually a critical player in making customer experience (CX) transformation successful. And not just successful, but human-centric, which is ultimately where the real value lies.
So, why should you, as a CIO (or CDO or CTO—same story), care about CX transformation? Well, the last few years have shown us something interesting. It’s often the CIO who is the biggest advocate for customer experience and, even more so, for human-centricity. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Technology and human-centered design are no longer separate things; they’re interconnected in a way that makes you a key driver of CX success.
Let’s get into it. Five key benefits for CIOs in CX transformation, and five behaviors that help you lead the way.
Five Benefits for the CIO in CX Transformation
1. Prevent Sub-Optimization
Too often, digital transformation is all about optimizing specific digital touchpoints—making a single form work better, improving conversion rates in an app, tweaking a chatbot. But here’s the problem: improving one isolated piece of the puzzle doesn’t mean you’re improving the whole experience.
A digital transformation project that’s purely transactional—focused only on making digital smoother without considering the entire journey—misses the mark. If you don’t zoom out and ask, how does this digital solution fit into the customer’s full experience?, then you’re just polishing a single stone instead of paving the road.
So, the benefit here? As a CIO, you have the power to prevent sub-optimization by ensuring that digital initiatives serve the bigger picture: customer journeys, not just individual touchpoints.
2. Show the Business Value
Let’s be real—IT projects (especially digital transformation projects) are often seen as cost centers. But they don’t have to be. They can be a source of business growth if they’re aligned with what customers and employees actually need.
CX professionals often struggle to prove business value because they’re stuck in their CX silo, talking about customer happiness without tying it to revenue, growth, or efficiency. Sound familiar? Well, the same thing happens in digital transformation. A slicker app or a smarter chatbot is great, but how does it drive real business results?
As a CIO, you can bridge that gap. You can ensure that every digital initiative is measured against outcomes that matter: higher retention, increased customer lifetime value, and even better employee efficiency. Your tech investments should always translate into tangible business benefits.
3. Make Prioritization Easier
Every IT department has a never-ending backlog. (Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard, “Sure, we’ll add it to Sprint 16… in six months.”) Prioritization is one of the toughest challenges CIOs face.
Here’s where CX transformation offers a game-changing advantage: driver analysis. This technique helps identify what has the biggest impact on customer experience—and that insight helps CIOs focus their digital transformation efforts on what really moves the needle.
Instead of just working through a to-do list, you can align digital projects with the drivers that matter most to customers. Less guesswork, more impact. Simple.
4. Embed Human-Centered Design
We hear a lot about human-centered design, but in practice, it’s still too often an afterthought. Many digital projects are designed for efficiency, but not necessarily for people.
Here’s the kicker: our driver analysis consistently shows that the top priority for customers isn’t necessarily ease of use—it’s human connection. Customers value companies that treat them with respect, give them personal attention, and are there for them when they need help.
So, as a CIO, how do you integrate human connection into digital transformation? By using these human factors as design principles. Whether it’s making chatbot conversations more personal, ensuring customers can seamlessly reach a real human when needed, or even just improving the language used in digital interfaces—it all contributes to a more human-centered experience.
5. Attract and Retain Top Talent
One of the biggest challenges for CIOs today? Talent management. Finding and keeping great tech talent isn’t easy.
But here’s something interesting: when engineers and IT professionals understand why they’re building something, when they see the human impact of their work, they’re more engaged and motivated.
Take Microsoft, for example. When they were designing software for nurses, they sent engineers to hospitals to observe nurses at work. The result? Better solutions, and more engaged developers who truly understood their purpose.
If you use CX transformation as a tool to create more meaningful work, you’ll not only build better products—you’ll build a stronger, more motivated tech team.
Five Key Behaviors for CIOs in CX Transformation
Okay, now you know the benefits. But what actions can you take as a CIO to really drive CX transformation? Here are five behaviors that will set you apart:
- Lead by Example – Show that you’re listening to customers and employees. Share insights, challenge your C-level peers to consider the customer and employee perspective in decision-making.
- Avoid Tech for Tech’s Sake – AI, automation, fancy dashboards… they’re all exciting, but do they actually solve a real customer or employee need? Push back when necessary and keep a business-first mindset.
- Bridge the Gap Between Business and IT – Digital solutions should always serve a business purpose. Prioritize solving real problems over implementing trendy new tools.
- Create Room for Experimentation – Agile is great, but if IT teams are locked into rigid backlogs, there’s no room to test and iterate. Build space for fast, real-world experiments.
- Challenge the Business to Think About CX and EX – When business teams request a new feature or tool, ask them: How does this improve the customer experience? How does it make employees’ jobs easier? Push for data-driven decisions.
Final Thought: Your Role in Human-Centric Digital Transformation
At the end of the day, digital transformation isn’t just about technology. It’s about making life better for customers and employees. And as a CIO, you have a unique opportunity to lead that charge.
So, remember this formula:
Customer Experience + IT + Driver Analysis = Human-Centric Digital Transformation.
That’s the sweet spot where technology, business value, and human needs all align. Now, let’s make it happen!
