The new position has helped the IT group build real relationships with the business side, Burdiss says. But the customer advocate's ongoing exchange with users has had practical benefits as well. Recently, one plant was trying to upgrade its business planning and control system software, but the customer advocate knew from talking with employees that the plant had done an incredible amount of customization in its initial implementation. She warned them to wait on the upgrade and spread the word to IT colleagues. "If the plant had just done that upgrade on its own, it probably would have brought the whole place down," Burdiss says. The customer ombudsman position has become so valuable so quickly that Burdiss is looking into expanding its scope.

But he cautions that simply hiring people to talk to users on a regular basis would be insufficient if he weren't following up with the same kind of relationship-building with the business. Burdiss meets at least quarterly with each division's executive to discuss what IT has done for the unit thus far and what it can do in the future."You can't put any of these types of communication efforts in place unless the CIO himself is taking an out-in-front posture," Burdiss says. "The CIO can't sit in his office. He can't do it over the telephone. He has to get out and meet with people and say, 'What can I do to help you?' Just ask the question and shut up."