[Re: “Loose Cannon: Firms Wipe Out on the Title Wave,” Direct Newsline, June 20, 2005]: I really enjoyed your Loose Cannon article about the “customer-cuddling” position. I definitely agree that anyone who carries that title not only is ridiculed by his own co-workers but he probably doesn’t take his job too seriously himself.
If your title is supposed to be self-defining, the happiness officer is left without any concrete direction and therefore no real purpose. The employee feels this, the co-workers feel this, and the customers feel that they are being made fun of. In this day and age of heavy competition, customer service is the key to getting the contract or not.
I agree with you in that the CEO is responsible for the trickle down effect to stress to his employees for the importance of customer service.
Virginia Lockwood
International Direct Response IDR Analyst / Webmaster
Berwyn, PA
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Once again, a timely endeavor emanates from your keyboard.
In the B2G market, where we are highly addicted to acronyms, the current phrase on the G (government) side is Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO). On the Federal news radio (yes, we have our own radio station), they had an “Ask the CHCO” — which they pronounced Chee-ko — item. I wrote about waiting to hear the voice of Chico Marx in my weekly newsletter, and the next week they went back to the full name – no acronym.
Make them bring back Chico. If they do that then I can put Chief Grouch(o) on my new business card.
Mark Amtower, plain old grouch
Amtower & Company
Highland, MD
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