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Can Sales & Customer Service Live Happily Ever After With Each Other?

Vantage Points Header Joel ElvesonSALES ARE MADE BY SALESPEOPLE  whose job function is as we know is to bring in revenue. Customer Service is where the wheels on the cart are kept glued on. In plain English the function of Customer Service is to assist/service the customers and to do what it takes to make sure they don’t become ex-customers.

It is no great secret that sales is where the money is. Nor is it a secret that sales people live for making “deals” as that is how their income is derived. The more they sell the more money they make. This is a simple enough concept to understand.

Many business create two units each with its own function that although separate they are still in many ways dependent on each other. There is a department for sales with the other department being Customer Service. The problem that often arises is that one blames the other when things go wrong.

When a CSR has an especially difficult customer to deal with who eventually takes their business to a competitor the salesperson will blame the CSR for not treating the customer with respect or satisfying his needs or problems. The CSR will blame the sales person for bringing in such a difficult customer that nobody can satisfy no matter what they say or do to make this person happy.

Some CSR’s can be indifferent to the customer while making little attempt to hide that fact as they do not (in their mind) get paid enough plus have too much work piled on them. The feeling or attitude the CSR may develop is one where they could care less how many customers leave. At the end of the week they get their check and go on their merry way into the weekend.

The now livid salesperson wants the CSR fired since their actions caused him to lose money. Now he has to go out and make two more sales. One sale to replace the one he lost with the other sale to put him ahead. As practically any salesperson will tell you the above equation does not add up. Even though they replaced the lost sale now they must wait to get paid for it. So essence they have suffered a double set-back from the loss of this one sale.

Eventually a “neutral” internal peacemaker is brought in to try to make the two combatants kiss and make up. With the remote chance they agree to forgive each other there will still be an underlying bitterness or anger at the other party. The boiling pot will spill over again leaving even more severe scorch marks on each person.

An effective solution to this problem is proving the CSR with some financial incentives for upselling an existing account or allowing them to bring in their own accounts as long as they don’t ignore the existing accounts (customers). The CSR now feels a heightened sense of responsibility as their ramped up performance now shows up in their pay check. The added advantage to this program is that customer retention goes up which in turn makes for happier sales people.

The million dollar question is can these two (sales & customer service) work together in a cohesive cooperative manner? The word like does not enter into the picture but the necessity of both units being able to act professionally to each other is a must! Verbal altercations that are played out with deafening volume benefit nobody but hurt everybody.

It is not the job of management to play matchmaker but if a CSR and a salesperson are known to work well together or seemingly have the same even temperedness that is an ideal situation. Failing that both departments must have it drilled into their heads that each of them have a job to do and like to or not they are dependent on each other for the success of the company so the boxing matches must stop or better yet not allowed to start.

As adults they should be able to rationalize that their jealousy, bitterness, and mistrust can cost them their jobs. Although a big producer will probably be treated more with kid gloves out of fear he and his revenue will wave bye-bye as they fly past the windows of the place that was home. Should this salesperson become a problem to the point where other employees are leaving the company because of him a matt to the door will be placed down at his feet. Being a disruption no matter how much you produce will result in termination.

So, yes both sales and service can live happily ever after with each other as long as each must follow the same rules with both parties clearly understanding it is in their interests to work with each other. In the absence of structure child-like behaviors will ensue.

Mommy and daddy are going out to tonight so the babysitter will be here. We expect you to behave and to listen to what you are told to do.

Joel Elveson
Joel Elvesonhttps://jelveson.wixsite.com/recruitersite
INDEPENDENT Executive Recruiting By Joel is an "up and coming" Executive Search Firm formed and headed up by Joel Elveson whose visionary ideas, leadership & creativity have brought to life a more "user-friendly" approach to recruiting. His clients and candidates form powerful strategic partnerships that we use to help you. Joel’s Firm offers Permanent, Temporary (case by case), & Temporary To Permanent staffing solutions for all of your Human Capital Requirements. Contract IT/Consultants are available if needed. Above and beyond they are experts (by way of their personal industry work experience) with mortgage, mortgage banking, middle-market banking, accounting, along with many others under the vast financial spectrum of disciplines. Their business goes beyond candidate recruiting as they also train, mentor and develop your internal recruiting staff with an eye towards helping you reduce the cost of hiring. They will also work in areas such as compensation, effective onboarding processes and alike. In other words, their business is to help your business by becoming an extension of you by filling in gaps that cause delay or waste. The recruiting methods employed by Joel’s team are time tested that results in a high rate of successful placements. Joel was trained in the art of recruiting by some of the top staffing industry executives in addition to the best recruiter trainers who to this day drive me to exceed the lofty goals he has set forth.

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4 CONVERSATIONS

  1. You have presented an interesting topic, Dear Joel Sir. Maintaining a perfect balance between the above two components in any growth-oriented organization is of paramount interest. This is where the role of management, especially the Marketing Manager becomes the most crucial. Rather than letting the salespeople interact with the CSR’s, and start the blame-game, the above manager MUST act as the bridge between the two departments and bring in all the Service Personnel for refresher training. Why do I say ‘all,’ instead of a specific one, there is a big reason. Whatever product training upgrades one person gets in a department, rest all of them MUST have the same updates at all times. Loss of a sale is hard to put on one specific CSR as a dissatisfied client, in almost every case, asks to speak to the supervisor. It is only when the right redressal of his grievance fails to materialize that a sale is lost. Continued training is the bane of survival today, more than ever before.

    • Bharat,
      Your comments reflect what I have always felt which is to say you are in possession of very high intellect.
      Your suggestions are quite valid.
      CSR’s are what they are except for a few.
      I started out as a CSR and even though the accounts I was handling were not mine I still treated them like gold.
      After a while, the clients only wanted to deal with me.
      You can try training or retraining most of them until you are blue in the face and very little if anything you will change.
      Threats of termination or pay cuts sometimes worked but the method I would have preferred (death threats or the removal of limbs JUST KIDDING) were not legal.
      I am a “veteran” of the insurance, mortgage, staffing & recruiting, and merchant cash exchange industries where for the most part the Marketing Manager was me.
      While I did not develop or create new products nobody knew my client base like I did which meant nobody but me handled marketing for my clients.

    • You might be more of an exception than a norm, Joel Sir, but the facts surrounding customer service on the whole tend to focus more on consistent training. It could relate to product, and/or service updates. Or, it could help overcome customer concerns. Either way, the CSR must show more than reasonable command of the product/service he or she is supposed to support.

      I say the above based upon my own decades-long experience in various levels of retail, wholesale, distribution, service as well as hands-on management of both small and medium size enterprises employing anywhere from 25 to 2,500

      Before I close, I would like to reiterate I have no intention to challenge your wisdom and/or experience. Instead, I’m only attempting to bring a second viewpoint into focus, and for that I seek your pardon, Dear Joel Sir.

      Thank You!

    • Bharat,
      Consistent training is always a plus.
      What I was referring to was the general attitude many CSR’s have.
      The position of a CSR usually has hours of 9-5 with a half hour or hour for lunch. There may be a break here and there.
      The problem comes in when they are clock watchers.
      A few minutes prior to the end of the day or near lunch no work will get done.
      Throw in time for “socialization” you have a day where more can get done but won’t
      You dare not ask them if they would stay a little later to complete a task.
      I DO NOT get the feeling you are challenging my experience.

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