One of the things I hear a great deal of when in conversation with businesses about communication is how important it is to listen to what people are saying.
I couldn’t agree more – you need to listen before you can engage in a conversation. ‘Engage’ is the operative word here because if you’re really interested in connecting with your customers, your employees, anyone else with whom you wish to, well, engage, you do need to have a good idea of what’s important to them, what’s on their minds. Only by listening to what they have to say can you gain enough information in order to start a conversation.
That’s what two organizations have most definitely recognized, according to AdAge.com, which showcases the stellar examples of Kodak and Dell, both of which have Chief Listening Officers. More on that in a minute.
The advent of social media has brought the topic of listening to the forefront of organizations’ communication planning, internally and externally. During the past decade, especially in the past couple of years, we’ve seen social media become a significant element in the strategic approach to communication in many organizations. Some best practices are emerging, too.
We’ve also seen the emergence of new roles to bring individuals with wisdom and insight to the communication mix where everyone has an opinion and ideas that often require significant structure for them to be viable in an organization setting.
Enter the Chief Social Media Officer, a job title that sprang up in the US a year or so ago. The case for a CSMO role was well argued by Jennifer Leggio last year.
It’s not a function that seems to have captured imaginations on this side of the Atlantic, though. I know of no one in the UK with that title (although I do know a handful with the responsibilities). I know of only one person in the whole of Europe who has it – Philippe Borremans, the Chief Social Media Officer at Van Marcke Group in Belgium (who I interviewed for a recent WCG ThoughtLeader podcast).
So I wonder how a Chief Listening Officer will do.
In my view, such a role implied by the title is surely and exactly what organizations need today, especially large organizations. It’s not enough just to listen to conversations, analyze what’s going on and interpret the metrics: you need to know exactly, with precision, what the huge amount of interpreted data means to your organization specifically and what the people in their different roles can and must do as a result of the knowledge and insight you’ve gleaned from that listening, from that interpretation of the data.
Above all, you must know who in your organization needs what information, and be able to get that info to those people, on demand, when they need it.
Such a role isn’t necessarily one for someone with a communication background. That’s the case at Dell and Chief Listener Susan Beebe who told AdAge that her job is "complex."
[…] "There is a data-analysis research role to this job, and I have a very technical background," Ms. Beebe said. Dell has thousands of new mentions per day and the CLO’s job is one of "broad listening" – as Dell has such a deep penetration globally in so many different markets.
Unlike many social-media jobs, this position is very inward-facing. She’s listening to Dell customers and consumers and giving all the intel to her Dell colleagues internally.
"Our chief listener is critical to making sure the right people in the organization are aware of what the conversations on the web are saying about us, so that relevant people in the business can connect with customers," said Richard Binhammer, communications executive at Dell. Mr. Binhammer points out that "Dell has been listening for four years and created a position called ‘Listening Czar’ two years ago. We are a leader in the listening space."
Another leader is Kodak who has Chief Listening Officer Beth LaPierre who says data mining and figuring out who needs the information is her "big task."
[…] "We get about 300,000 new mentions of Kodak every month and we don’t censor the comments or videos people create about our company"[…] "I’ve spent the past five months defining how we handle those data via technology and tools."
[…] "What kind of information does our marketing team need vs. our product team?" Ms. LaPierre said. "How do we classify the data? What is the process for handling ‘ABC’ information vs. ‘XYZ’ information?" For example, she sends commentary about features and product requests to a product development team and so forth.
These are great insights, ones to give careful attention to as you consider what you need to do in your organization as part of your engagement planning and understanding the real value of listening as a strategic business tool.
Let’s see how the CLO captures imaginations.
- Read the full story at AdAge.com: ‘Chief Listeners’ Use Technology to Track, Sort Company Mentions
[Image above is a snip from The Conversation Prism created by Brian Solis and JESS3, used under CC license.]
105 responses to “Meet the Chief Listening Officer”
[Blog] Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://tinyurl.com/2vtmgrn #fb #in
[nh.com] Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://goo.gl/fb/P8ecK
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://bit.ly/cfVdJN
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://bit.ly/99GokE
RT @jangles: [nh.com] Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://goo.gl/fb/P8ecK
RT @jangles: [nh.com] Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://bit.ly/aDsnZz <– makes sense. Or is it just another faddish job title?
Hobson: Meet the Chief Listening Officer: One of the things I hear a great deal of when in conversation with busin… http://bit.ly/bAaQCj
Neu im Trend: der "Chief Listening Officer" http://is.gd/eLkmA + http://is.gd/eLkna #Monitoring
Sonaroffizier RT @uknaus Neu im Trend: der "Chief Listening Officer" http://is.gd/eLkmA + http://is.gd/eLkna #Monitoring
gefällt mir RT @uknaus: Neu im Trend: der "Chief Listening Officer" http://is.gd/eLkmA + http://is.gd/eLkna #Monitoring
Mit Kodak und Dell haben die ersten Unternehmen die Funktion des "Chief Listening Officer" geschaffen. Zur… http://fb.me/yESbZWVn
Meet the Chief Listening Officer, new post by @jangles http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @eckommunikation: Mit Kodak und Dell haben die ersten Unternehmen die Funktion des "Chief Listening Officer" geschaffen. Zur… http://fb.me/yESbZWVn
Männer können nicht zuhören. Hat sich auch #Kodak gedacht und eine Frau zum Chief Listening Officer ernannt. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG #CLO
Kodak + Dell haben als 1. Unternehmen die Funktion des "Chief Listening Officer" geschaffen http://fb.me/yESbZWVn via @eckommunikation (nw)
RT @newsaktuell: Kodak + Dell haben als 1. Unternehmen die Funktion des "Chief Listening Officer" geschaffen http://fb.me/yESbZWVn via @eckommunikation (nw)
"Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com" – http://bit.ly/9OGNbF via @jangles
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Sonaroffizier RT @uknaus Neu im Trend: der “Chief Listening Officer” http://is.gd/eLkmA + [link to post] #Monitoring
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer, via @jangles: http://j.mp/aSJsys
RT @davefleet: Meet the Chief Listening Officer, via @jangles: http://j.mp/aSJsys
RT @davefleet: Meet the Chief Listening Officer, via @jangles: http://j.mp/aSJsys
RT @davefleet Meet the Chief Listening Officer via @jangles http://j.mp/aSJsys –> http://ht.ly/2wEcd < Is this the Chief Analytics Officer?
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Neu im Trend: der “Chief Listening Officer” http://is.gd/eLkmA + [link to post] #Monitoring
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gefällt mir RT @uknaus: Neu im Trend: der “Chief Listening Officer” http://is.gd/eLkmA + [link to post] #Monitoring
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RT @gyoung9751: Meet the Chief Listening Officer, new post by @jangles http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
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Männer können nicht zuhören. Hat sich auch #Kodak gedacht und eine Frau zum Chief Listening Officer ernannt. [link to post] #CLO
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer, new post by @jangles [link to post]
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CMOs who realize where marketing is headed are doing this themselves – RT @jangles: Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLfZt
Sag ich doch! http://bit.ly/ddCfYq (am 31.8.2009) RT @uknaus Neu im Trend: der Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLkmA http://is.gd/eLkna
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RT @gyoung9751: Meet the Chief Listening Officer, new post by @jangles [link to post]
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CMOs who realize where marketing is headed are doing this themselves – RT @jangles: Meet the Chief Listening Officer [link to post]
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com http://bit.ly/cVwE5o #socialmedia #PR #Journalismus
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://goo.gl/fb/h3dAN #twitter
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Sag ich doch! http://bit.ly/ddCfYq (am 31.8.2009) RT @uknaus Neu im Trend: der Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLkmA [link to post]
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What? Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://bit.ly/9fBz8R #facebook #socialmedia
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com [link to post] #socialmedia #PR #Journalismus
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What? Meet the Chief Listening Officer [link to post] #facebook #socialmedia
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#DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf
RT @mcschindler: #DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monito …
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#DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier [link to post] (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf
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#DELL
+ #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut: http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf via @mcschindler
RT @Net_Intelligenz: #DELL
+ #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut: http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Ber …
RT @Net_Intelligenz: #DELL
+ #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut: http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Ber …
[…] Veröffentlicht am 30. August 2010 von Daniel Rehn| Einen Kommentar hinterlassen Meet the Chief Listening Officer Dell und Kodak haben eine neue Stelle für ihre Kommunikationsteams im Social Media-Bereich […]
via @uknaus: es geht #online nicht nur um reputation, sondern auch ums zuhören, CLO chief listening officer #imernst http://bit.ly/c0GmNb
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RT @mcschindler: #DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier [link to post] (via @tp_da) #Monitoring
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#DELL
+ #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut: [link to post] (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf via @mcschindler
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RT @Net_Intelligenz: #DELL
+ #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut: [link to post] (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf v
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via @uknaus: es geht #online nicht nur um reputation, sondern auch ums zuhören, CLO chief listening officer #imernst [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
RT @mcschindler: #DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monito …
RT @mcschindler: #DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf
RT @mcschindler: #DELL und #Kodak haben einen Chief Listening ernannt. Was er tut, steht hier http://bit.ly/bH6Coy (via @tp_da) #Monitoring #Beruf
Neu und gut: Chief Listening Officer http://ow.ly/2xcAD
[…] (First published at NevilleHobson.com) By: Neville HobsonHead of Social Media Europe, based in London.Find me on: Twitter Facebook […]
Meet the Chief Listening Officer, interesting piece on social media & brand monitoring http://ow.ly/2xodr #socialmedia
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://uxd.im/ajpdsa, recall the Chief Destruction Officer http://uxd.im/bCpf2R
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer [link to post], recall the Chief Destruction Officer http://uxd.im/bCpf2R
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Two posts regarding Chief Listening Officers: http://is.gd/eNLO1 and http://is.gd/eNLP9
Reading >> Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLfZt /by @jangles
Here's a job you'll be hearing more about in the future: CLO http://nevillehobson.com/2010/08/30/meet-the-chief-listening-officer/
RT @JohnatNokia: Here's a job you'll be hearing more about in the future: CLO http://nevillehobson.com/2010/08/30/meet-the-chief-listening-officer/
@susanbeebe hope you found the read worthwhile. http://is.gd/eLfZt Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks, nice blog! I'm listening :) RT @jangles: @susanbeebe hope you found the read worthwhile. http://is.gd/eLfZt Thanks for stopping by.
RT @JohnatNokia: Here's a job you'll be hearing more about in the future: CLO http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
enjoyed reading @jangles follow up on Listening and happy to chat further with folks when in London in Sept :-) http://bit.ly/dBwhdA
@RichardatDELL thanks for stopping by today, Richard :) http://bit.ly/dBwhdA
RT @RichardatDELL: enjoyed reading @jangles follow up on Listening and happy to chat further with folks when in London in Sept :-) http://bit.ly/dBwhdA
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enjoyed reading @jangles follow up on Listening and happy to chat further with folks when in London in Sept :-) [link to post]
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@RichardatDELL thanks for stopping by today, Richard :) [link to post]
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@susanbeebe re: RT @jangles: http://is.gd/eLfZt -> Can't solve challenges w/out listening. You're like Frasier Crane ("I'm listening!"). ;-)
Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com http://lnkd.in/c7-ax3
Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com http://lnkd.in/_3zKsb
Thank you for sharing this insightful article, I do think however, a versatile communications person who understands measurement and has technical knowledge could do this job.
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer | NevilleHobson.com [link to post]
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@susanbeebe Good morning! I didn't know you joined Dell. Congratulations! Love this post featuring you by @Jangles: http://bit.ly/90DNav
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://j.mp/bN7LRK
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/ePpo9 Nice!! Thank you :) @SusanBeebe, Chief Listener – Dell
Twitter Comment
@susanbeebe Good morning! I didn’t know you joined Dell. Congratulations! Love this post featuring you by @Jangles: [link to post]
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer [link to post]
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@PeterinNL More on the Chief Listening Officer concept here, from @jangles: http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
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@PeterinNL More on the Chief Listening Officer concept here, from @jangles: [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
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RT @JohnatNokia: Here’s a job you’ll be hearing more about in the future: CLO [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
@cloudspark Ensure intel obtained from monitoring gets to the right people in the org: http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
Meet the Chief Listening Officer @Jangles features @SusanBeebe and @bethlapierre in his latest post http://bit.ly/90DNav (IMC job for sure!)
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@cloudspark Ensure intel obtained from monitoring gets to the right people in the org: [link to post]
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Who can spot the keyword here…. Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://ow.ly/2ymrg
Every vibrant organisation needs a Chief Listening Officer. http://bit.ly/chF5NL
RT @topgold: Every vibrant organisation needs a Chief Listening Officer http://bit.ly/chF5NL >> listening in as a strategic business tool
RT @jangles: Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLfZt I'm an outsourced CLO – best job EVER!
RT @jangles Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://goo.gl/fb/P8ecK
Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://ff.im/-qzqoY
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Meet the Chief Listening Officer [link to post]
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[…] Listeners’ Use Technology to Track, Sort Company Mentions Neville Hobson Blog – Meet the Chief Listening Officer @FIR Podcast – FIR Interview: Susan Beebe and Richard Binhammer on Chief Listeners at Dell […]
Hmm. Time for Corporate Librarian 2.0? RT @jangles: Meet the Chief Listening Officer http://is.gd/eLfZt
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
RT @wizardsplace: Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
Chief Listening Officer – CLO – major corporations acknowledge social media's significant role. http://bit.ly/bmZoOG
"My future." #dalybiz http://nevillehobson.com/2010/08/30/meet-the-chief-listening-officer/