I have been thinking a lot recently about the way that modern organisations are changing their internal structure. Much of this has been driven by the need for the customer service team to evolve from a purely reactive service into a proactive engagement that becomes an integral part of the way brands market their service.

Changes in the customer journey have redefined how brands interact with their customers, not just in the number of channels available for interactions, but in the level of engagement that a customer expects. A few years ago, who would have imagined that a customer could ask their local supermarket a question about how to make chicken soup, and the supermarket would respond with a recipe? There are millions of interactions like this each day that have redefined brand engagement.

This has led to blurred lines between marketing and customer service, but this also creates new opportunities for companies that are ready to transform the way that they do business. This article from Destination CRM lists three key areas where a customer service and marketing team can collaborate and create real value for the business.

  1. Use content more effectively; content doesn’t need to be purely about marketing and sales. A mobile phone company that uploads videos displaying how to fix common problems on their most popular handsets is not only offering creating useful marketing collateral, they are deflecting calls away from the customer service team. Many customers will Google for an answer before asking a company a question, so if you have already uploaded the answer then that’s offering a great customer service experience without the customer ever getting in touch.
  2. Collect data and use it more intelligently; customers really expect a more personal service now. This applies to when they get in touch and need help – they expect you to know what they bought, when, and what they said on other channels. But it can also apply to marketing efforts, like determining the most likely time that a customer may be thinking of a new purchase and making sure a deal designed just for that customer is sent.
  3. Embrace social sales; customers are rapidly turning to social networks and messaging tools for service interactions, but it is also possible to intelligently identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities and to introduce these hooks into social or messenger conversations. Any conversations or interactions can be marketing opportunities as well as support.

These three tips really highlight some transformational opportunities available by allowing the marketing team to work closer with customer services. Can you think of more? Leave a comment here or get in touch via my LinkedIn.

[WHITEPAPER DOWNLOAD] Webhelp’s marketing connected contact centre how to leverage a closer relationship with our marketing departments and just what data to ask for.

http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Web-Exclusives/Viewpoints/3-Keys-for-Sales-Marketing-and-Customer-Service-Collaboration–111677.aspx

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