Only 49% of U.S. consumers say companies provide a good customer experience today, and yet, the majority of organizations stress sales of their products as their primary function. This is a lesson in why service and sales teams should align.

Good customer experience leaves consumers feeling heard, seen and appreciated. A good salesperson understands the prospect’s wants and needs and delivers it. Two jobs. Two areas of focus. But they can they cause an inordinate amount of discord when they are not aligned.

An aligned salesperson knows the sale doesn’t stop when the order is placed, money collected, and the product or service delivered. In fact, the relationship is only just beginning. I ask you: Which members of your sales team are saying: “I’ve made the sale, delivered on my promise, now I’m on to the next prospect and the next sale?” 

The aligned customer service person knows that fast, convenient and knowledgeable help are criteria of the successful issue resolution. They know the risk of a bad experience may cause an interruption to product delivery or even abandonment of the brand. If the customer, while taking action after the sale, has questions or concerns, the service work is about to begin. While there are risks to providing a bad experience, there are rewards to be had for offering a great one.

How do you make that happen? You do it by aligning your sales and customer service team, fostering great communication and collaboration, and keeping a finger on the pulse of what happens after the sale. At a time when three out of four people believe that the customer experience is a competitive differentiator, and consumers will pay more for a better experience, any fragmented approach is damaging to your company and your bottom line.

Why Service and Sales Teams Should Align

It’s true! 43% of all U.S. consumers would pay more for greater convenience; 42% would pay more for a friendly, welcoming experience; and 65% find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising.

Another reason is because the sales funnel, which represents the sales and marketing processes within a business, stops too soon. Awareness, interest, consideration, intent, evaluation, and, finally, purchase are all factors that get the prospect to become a customer. And, customer advocacy is only achieved by excellent customer service!

You want sales to trust service and service to trust sales. For that to happen, both teams need to agree that their end goal is the same — a positive customer experience. When sales and customer service teams have a productive, collaborative partnership, they can make exponential gains toward that ultimate shared goal. Alignment between sales and customer service begins with a fresh perspective on how each team contributes to the customer acquisition and development process, and with developing a process for working with customers across teams. 

When you have trust, empathy, and the understanding that both teams are working toward a unified goal according to a Pipedrive post on this topic:

• "Everyone on both teams can have more confident interactions with customers
• Teams collaborate and share ideas openly
• The working environment is more amiable
• Overall company culture improves
• Customers have a better experience with your product or service"

Why service and sales teams should align is a topic addressed in SalesFuel’s sales manager training. Take a minute to see if this is the opportunity to take your sales department to the next level.