CIOs must put the customer first

Features
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2014 has to be the year of the customer, or else CIOs will soon become extinct, warns Mark Samuels.

This leads us to the final reason why a focus on CIO and business integration is a misnomer: to most CIOs, "the business" should no longer be their main concern. Some IT leaders feel their priority is day-to-day operational IT concerns. But smart CIOs recognise their relevancy lies elsewhere.

But many CIOs have a long way to go, as demonstrated by the fact that some observers still think IT leaders must pay attention to business integration. For successful CIOs, 2014 must be the year the customer comes first.

The most successful businesses in the digital age pay constant attention to their customers' demands. They take an open and agile approach, tailoring products and services to the needs of an individual client.

Engaged customers use technology as their communication channel. And engaged executives listen to such channels, spreading key management information to the rest of the business. The CIO, as the master of all things informational, should hold the key to translating customer demands.

But many CIOs have a long way to go, as demonstrated by the fact that some observers still think IT leaders must pay attention to business integration. For successful CIOs, 2014 must be the year the customer comes first.

Mark Samuels
Mark Samuels
Freelance journalist

Mark Samuels is a freelance writer specializing in business and technology. For the past two decades, he has produced extensive work on subjects such as the adoption of technology by C-suite executives.

At ITPro, Mark has provided long-form content on C-suite strategy, particularly relating to chief information officers (CIOs), as well as digital transformation case studies, and explainers on cloud computing architecture.

Mark has written for publications including Computing, The Guardian, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Times Higher Education, and CIONET. 

Before his career in journalism, Mark achieved a BA in geography and MSc in World Space Economy at the University of Birmingham, as well as a PhD in economic geography at the University of Sheffield.