Is Customer Service Selling?
Being of service, creating an engaging customer experience, listening to understand, delivering a solution the customer values…Customer Service or Selling?
The difference is the immediacy of revenue.
Sales is measured by revenue created as a direct result of sales person’s actions. Top line impact.
Customer Service could be said to impact bottom line: time spent on resolving issues, customer retention through good service and issue resolution, providing such a good experience that customers refer others to the business.
Each impacts the other.
Enlightened businesses work to ensure there is a baton changing hands experience from sales to service and from service to sales and enjoy 2 primary benefits:
Improved Customer Experience:
– A congruent customer experience at every touch point of the business
– Shared customer insights to enhance the business’ ability to deliver value to customers in a way that is relevant to each customer
– Customers don’t need to repeat themselves multiple times: they feel important, understood and have faster resolution
Profitable sales growth:
– Customers are more likely to recommend others when a problem has been resolved well: this benefits salespeople and makes a new sale faster
– New opportunities can be identified by Customer Service and passed on to Sales
– Sales can follow up from Customer Service calls to deepen the connection with customers
When a business sees Customer Service and Sales as critical parts of the customer experience the need for alignment and leverage is obvious. The customer conversation with your business is delivered by these two business units – how well they do this depends on how well they understand and can deepen the close relationship they each share with your customers.