Sales and service working together can dramatically improve CX, customer loyalty, customer retention, and the bottom line. And although we may not have a crystal ball to show us what the next normal will look like, we do know that every crisis brings opportunity – and now is the time for companies to rethink business models and become truly customer centric.
By truly understanding what your customers need and expect from your company, you’ll be better positioned to deliver business value while increasing customer lifetime value.
And to achieve this, breaking the silos between sales and service becomes an imperative. Let me tell you why…
By breaking down the data silos between sales and service, you enable your sales and service professionals to get a single and comprehensive view of the customer.
For example, both teams having visibility into key customer data like:
More importantly, sales and service working together allows both teams to better understand customers’ needs, challenges, and what matters to them – as well as how this might change or evolve over time.
By sharing deep insights, your sales professionals will be empowered to become trusted advisors and your service professionals will be enabled to deliver personalized experiences and faster resolutions.
Customer aftercare refers to post-sale customer service. It includes all of the steps, actions, communications, and processes that take place after a sale to keep customers satisfied, engaged, and loyal.
As companies start shifting from selling products to selling outcomes, the lines between sales and service begins to blur – this has only become more prominent now that that B2B sales has mainly shifted to digital due to COVID-19.
Sales professionals become brand ambassadors that are involved in servicing the customer and play a key role in making sure customers receive the business value they expect from your solution. And service professionals are expected to do more to generate value by leveraging opportunities to upsell or cross-sell as they interact with customers.
When you break the silos between sales and service, you support this convergence by providing sales resources full access to the appropriate set of service capabilities and vice versa. This enables you to:
Marketing and sales have traditionally been rivals, but the success of your org depends on these two teams working together.
Both sales and service are at the frontline of customer engagement, guiding and supporting customers across all touch points – and customers expect a seamless and consistent experience across sales and service.
Furthermore, customers expect your company to engage with them – anytime and anywhere. To ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities to deliver convenient, personalized, and effortless experiences to customers, sales and service must be aligned.
Once you go beyond breaking the silos between the front office and back office, you’ll fully streamline business processes to deliver seamless and transparent end-to-end experiences for the customer.
By enabling key activities like quoting, opportunity management, ordering, contract management, and more, your sales and service teams will possess all the insights and information they need to deliver relevant engagements and speedy resolutions that build lasting customer relationships.
The decisions you make today will impact the future of your business. Embrace this opportunity to support your digital transformation and become genuinely customer centric.
By aligning sales and service, your company will deliver better customer experiences, increase customer satisfaction, and drive revenue growth. It’s a journey – beginning now can better predict the success of your business – even without a crystal ball.
