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Why Customer Service and Marketing Must Go Hand-in-Hand
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Customer service and marketing teams serve
different purposes. A customer service team engages with clients, responds to
their concerns and questions, and supports them in any way possible.
Comparatively, a marketing team finds customers and teaches them about a
business’s products and services.
Your company's customer service and marketing
teams may work independently. And to date, doing so has helped your business
thrive. But, imagine the results you can achieve if your customer service and
marketing groups frequently communicate and collaborate with one another. In
these instances, your company can achieve outstanding results in many areas,
including:
1. Customer Experience
Your company's CX can have far-flung effects
on your business and its ability to foster long-lasting customer partnerships.
If you can deliver positive customer experiences, it is well-equipped to retain
clients and drive brand loyalty. Your positive customer experiences can
even lead your clients to become brand ambassadors.
Customer service and marketing teams can work
together to take your CX to the next level. Both groups can examine the CX in
detail and find ways to make
it a selling point for your business. That way, your customer service team
can deliver amazing support that ensures clients enjoy memorable experiences
any time they reach out to your business. Furthermore, your marketing team can
promote these positive experiences to distinguish your brand from its
competitors.
2. Product Development
If your business wants to deliver
best-in-class products, it needs to plan accordingly. In this instance, your
customer service team must learn about new products and respond
to product concerns and questions. At the same time, your marketing team
must analyze
the market for your product and create and execute a launch strategy.
By working together during product
development, your customer service and marketing teams can learn from and
support one another as soon as a new product reaches the market. For example,
if your business intends to offer
promotional products, your customer service and marketing teams can
determine what products your clients will enjoy. Each group can provide data
and insights to highlight customer pain points and how certain promotional
products may address them. From here, your customer service and marketing teams
can provide promotional products that simultaneously drive customer engagement
and promote your business.
3. Employee Engagement
Your business wants its employees to feel
connected to their work. To achieve your goal, you may develop employee
engagement initiatives. Despite your best efforts, you may miss the mark as
you try to get your workers to care about their jobs.
Meanwhile, research
indicates that there is often a strong correlation between employee
engagement and the ability of workers to deliver superior customer experiences.
By prioritizing customer service and marketing and getting both groups on the
same page, you can ensure that your workers are supported like never before.
Moreover, you can promote your employee engagement initiatives in ways that
meet your workers' expectations. The result: you can reap the benefits of a
highly engaged workforce now and in the future.
4. Content Creation
The content your business provides to
prospects and customers speaks volumes. It
helps you build brand recognition and establish yourself as an authority
within your industry. Additionally, quality content is shareable. Over time, if
you produce quality content, your customers will share it, which can help you accelerate
your growth.
With support from your customer service and
marketing teams, you can take a step forward in your quest to deliver
exceptional content. Customer service and marketing professionals can offer
content ideas for your website or blog. They can even produce guest blog posts
and other content from their perspective.
5. Goal Development
Business goals are must-haves for companies of
all sizes and across all industries. They empower your business to identify
ways to grow. Yet, how
you develop your goals can impact your company's success.
Getting your customer service and marketing
teams to develop shared goals is paramount. These teams can leverage data to
establish goals designed to help you become an industry leader. They can also
establish key
performance indicators (KPIs) to track their ability to accomplish various
goals within designated time frames. Your customer service and marketing teams
can next review their results as they try to achieve myriad goals. If these
teams fall short of certain goals, they can adjust them. Or, if your customer
service and marketing teams meet or surpass their goals, they can continue to
seek out ways to raise the bar for your business.
The Bottom Line on Why Customer Service and
Marketing Need to Work Hand in Hand
Business silos can be problematic. If your
customer service and marketing teams work independently, they may not share
information and insights. And as a result, these teams may inadvertently hamper
your success.
Facilitate
meetings between your customer service and marketing teams and encourage
them to communicate and collaborate. Use a neutral party to lead the meetings,
and give guidance beforehand that prepares all participants for the meeting.
Then, your customer service and marketing groups can work hand in hand to help
your company realize its full potential.