The Armstrong Company

Dave Nelson is the Chief Customer Officer at The Armstrong Company. With 26 years of dedicated service, he ensures seamless integration of caring people, co-created processes, and capable platforms to deliver value to discerning clients, achieving their mobility and logistics goals. Dave also spearheads sales growth across all channels, contributes to corporate strategy, fosters company culture, and invests in leadership development. A sought-after advisor, speaker, and author, he holds an MBA from the University of Memphis and actively participates in multiple advisory boards.

As the Chief Customer Officer, The Armstrong Company, could you provide an overview of your role and responsibilities within the company?

My role at The Armstrong Company is to look through the eyes of our current and prospective clients, understand how they define “value,” translate that into everything we do, and ensure we deliver on every commitment we make. Success is evidenced not only in terms of customer feedback, but also in wise sales and revenue growth in every market segment we pursue.

Understanding and responding to customer perspective is at the core of Armstrong’s success. Feedback is used to inform, instruct, inspire and ultimately, improve our performance in the eyes of those we serve.

What are some of the key challenges you face in leveraging technology effectively?

As a provider of residential moving, commercial moving, and supply chain solutions, service is The Armstrong Company’s chief product. Successful execution results in building trust, reducing stress, and delivering reliability around the world. Service delivery is performed by humans. Technology supports those caring, capable individuals and enhances the processes they execute but cannot be a replacement for them.

One key challenge is how to create cost efficiencies without compromising the nature of the services we perform, which is often highly personal.

“Feedback is used to inform, instruct, inspire and ultimately, improve our performance in the eyes of those we serve.”

While Armstrong has brick-and-mortar and operational capabilities in 32 cities across the U.S., another challenge is how to integrate with supplier partners across the country and around the world.

Additionally, through B2C, B2B and B2B2B sales channels, we are challenged with the complexity of developing new and expanding existing customer relationships when face-to-face interaction is not feasible.

With the rapid pace of technological advancements, how to stay informed about emerging technologies and assess their potential impact?

Staying informed without becoming overwhelmed can be challenging; yet it is entirely necessary. Seek knowledge outside your comfort zone. Identify trustworthy sources of information. Develop relationships with others, particularly those with opinions and experiences that differ from your own. Follow a wide range of futurists.

What advice would you give to young professionals who are interested in pursuing a career in technology, and what qualities do you think are essential for success in this field?

Understand value. About value, The Armstrong Company’s DNA states, “Customers define it; we deliver it.” Failing to clearly understand what the customer values can result in wasted time, underutilized resources, or compromised outcomes. Constantly delivering value is the best way to ensure career success.

Challenge assumptions. The biggest threat to tomorrow’s success is often yesterday’s success. For continuous improvement to occur, assumptions must be constantly challenged. The past should be appreciated and celebrated, but not be an anchor that restrains forward movement.

Remain curious. The pace of the knowledge doubling curve continues to accelerate. Stagnation in learning results in inaccuracy, incompetence, or irrelevance, none of which contribute to career success. Unquenchable curiosity opens the door to inexhaustible opportunities.