IBM helps tech-inept CEOs cope with the modern world

By Mariella Moon March 18, 2013

ibm-smarter-cities-challenge-map — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s not just Watson that’s keeping IBM busy these days, the company has also launched a new service that targets company CEOs – the not-so-tech savvy kinds, that is. The company’s recently announced Customer Experience Lab aims to train company bigwigs in the technical nitty gritty that lower-level employees usually take care of for their firms. 100 of the company’s specialists in mobile, social, cloud, and advanced analytics from its various research centers around the globe have been tapped for the project.

Think of the Customer Experience Lab as a fancy boot camp where execs can learn anything tech-related they want from any of the 100 experts. If their firms are looking to branch into social media, IBM’s experts can teach them all about how to promote on Facebook or Twitter. They can learn about how apps are made and how they can be used to benefit a business, if they’re planning to launch mobile apps. They can choose to learn about databases and data mining – anything they need to know so they can understand their customers better.

“Business leaders realize they need to continuously transform their customer experience in order to be relevant and competitive – from the perception of innovation and value, to the quality of the interaction, to the economics of delivery,” said IBM Services Research vice president, Mahmoud Naghshineh, in a press release.

Some of the training will be done virtually, considering not of all of experts are based in one place, but the project will still have a physical lab at IBM’s Watson research center in New York, which also serves as home to the company’s famous supercomputer. Hopefully, the training, which will probably cost CEOs a pretty penny, would lead to better services and experiences for us as consumers.

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Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…

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