ExtendingtheSalesForce.docx

Extending the Sales Force

Historically, the customer service department sat independently from the sales department. The customer service department processed orders, complaints, questions, etc. Processed is the operative word. Customer service representatives were given scripts—strict “standard operating procedures,” and not a lot of independence.
That is changing. The most effective sales organizations have taken a more active approach to the customer service department, and the results are very positive.

The Process

· As part of sales leadership, encourage sharing the sales process with customer service. Customer service should understand each step of the sales process; not that they need to understand every technical aspect but they should understand the general steps. For example, if the sales organization relies on the corporate website to generate leads, share the online query form with the customer service team. If the final step of your business is to mail out a product, allow the customer service team spend an afternoon in the shipping department looking at how product is picked, packed and shipped. Any part of the process that can be shared with the customer service team is valuable.
· This process is sometimes referred to as the “customer journey”—and providing this map of the journey to every internal stakeholder can be incredibly beneficial. Customer service has an opportunity to improve the journey, and that will lead to a higher level of customer satisfaction.

The Expertise

· Some sales processes are very technical—for example, the sales organization may be selling implantable medical devices for patients with heart failure. It may be unrealistic to have a customer service team of bio—medical engineers, but it is not unrealistic to share and educate the customer service team. Sharing knowledge, even basic knowledge, is helpful—about the product, its features and benefits. It is also valuable to share the shortcomings, the competitive landscape and long-term goals and strategies.
· Regular training and education should be part of the sales process for the customer service team.

The Technology

· Sales managers should guide customer service representatives to use the tools available to them. This is a great general rule, but it also has a specific application in customer service. Integration software can improve collaboration and make the “customer service as part of sales” model more seamless. Most sales forces, regardless of size, use some form of technology to improve sales results. It may be as simple as a mobile application that invites potential customers to events, or it can be a complex CRM (customer relationship) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) software.

Flattened Communication and the Organizational Chart

· Sales managers can make small changes to build communication. Something as simple as hosting monthly or quarterly meetings can lead to a better understanding of the product/service and of the customer. These meetings should be focused on sharing important new information up and down the organizational chart. Meetings can also offer a way for employees to practice new skills or new improvements to the product.
· While clear roles are a foundational component of a successful sales organization, empowering the customer service team to communicate and share with the “front line” sales managers is a way to engage customer service into the sales process. If a customer service representative is afraid of—or does not have a way to share their needs—then, ultimately, the customer will suffer.
· In many organizations, the sales manager will take the customer service representative to customer meetings to encourage the customer to reach out and to help develop a lasting and important relationship between customer service and customer. This is another way to improve communication and flatten the organizational chart.

Feedback

· Every good strategy has at least one step regarding feedback that is true of customer service strategy as well. No process is flawless; there is always room for improvements, edits or changes. The relationship between customer service and the sales force is no different. Customers are often a great resource for new product lines or future enhancements. Since the customer service department is often the “post-sale” primary contact for customers, having a way for customer service to offer feedback can be critical. This step may be integrated in the technology component, can be part of the training sessions or even be more organic if an organization has a more open-flow organizational chart.

Summary

Regardless of which specific steps an organization uses to integrate the customer service department into the sales organization, the results can positively affect the ability of the whole organization reaching objectives.