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3 Strategies to Achieve an Effective and Responsive Sales and Service Culture

Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: Do you believe that there is a distinct line between sales and customer service? Possibly that belief is keeping you or your organization from reaching that next level? These three strategies may help you change that belief and ultimately increase sales.

3 Strategies to Achieve an Effective and Responsive Sales and Service Culture

As companies expanded into new markets with new products or just grew their existing products or services, customer service departments were created to support the rest of the organization. Before the creation of these entire departments employing tens to hundreds to thousands of individuals and dedicated to "servicing" the customers, customer service was handled by the sales professional to usually whomever picked up the phone to talking face to face with the customer.

The goal of customer service was to improve business results from increasing customer loyalty (repeat customers) to reducing costs and thereby improving profitability. Additionally, the possible rationale was by removing service from sales would allow the sales force to increase sales.

Unfortunately, one of the negative outcomes of this evolution to increase sales is are these two well known phrases:

1. That's not my department
2. That's not my job

By dedicating a specific group of individuals to customer service, other silos almost magically appeared with employees now handing off the customers and unbeknownst to them future sales.

Now some forward thinking companies such as the Ritz Carlton have recognized there really is no line between sales and service. These organizations understand sales and service are fully integrated within the purpose of business that being to attract and maintain customers.

The Ritz Carlton has provided each employee with a budget to handle any customer service problem when it appears. No longer are customers directed to someone else. If a guest approaches a janitor about a food service issue, the janitor has been directed to take immediate action and not pass the customer down stream to another employee. At the Ritz Carlton, the statement "That’s not my job" is not acceptable because keeping customers happy is everyone’s job.

To integrate customer service and sales back together begins by having all employees understand the purpose of business and it is the same for any organization:

To attract and maintain customers (clients)

Next, all employees need to realize that everyone is in sales. By having a proven sales process helps to demonstrate why this is true.

Finally, all employees from the top down and the bottom up need to embrace the positive core values (behaviors) as articulated within the strategic action plan. No longer will employees knowingly violate policies because they now recognize how those behaviors do not attract and maintain customers. Management will also be required to enforce these values first by modeling the desired behaviors and then taking action when employees' behaviors are contrary to the purpose of business that being attracting and maintaining customers.

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Article Tags: br, business results, customer loyalty, customer service departments, evolution, existing products, food service, future sales, janitor, li li, nbsp, negative outcomes, phrases, profitability, rationale, ritz carlton, rsquo, silos, specific group, tens



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