Instead of only talking about reporting structure, these 10 questions can help design the role today for the successes of tomorrow. As in any leadership role in an organization, having defined job responsibilities (check out the CXPA Guide to Job Descriptions); clearly defined objectives that are SMART ( specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) and the support of colleagues and leaders across the organization to achieve real change are imperatives to ensuring the success of CX professional.
The sad truth is that CX professionals, on average last only 18-24 months in their roles. Real transformational change takes time – and in my opinion that average seems like a very short period to achieve it. There are a variety of reasons why CX professionals leave their positions: some move onto other roles; some get tired of beating their heads against the wall; others never find the traction necessary to achieve the goals due to lack of leadership commitment; others use the experience gained in one organization to achieve greater accomplishment in another.
Is where the CX role reports important? Of course, especially when it comes to the ability of the CX professional to influence the organization to improve the end-to-end experience. My preference is a direct reporting relationship to the CEO. However, if we are only focused on the reporting structure then we are missing other key fundamentals that can help CX professionals be successful in their roles.