Why Customer Service is Just as Important as Sales
Sales and customer service.
The two bodies indeed bear two different functions -- sales force are busy attracting new customers while customer service representative are working hard to keep current customers -- but this doesn’t necessary mean they can and should exist in two separate silos. Doing so could actually lead to missed opportunities in retaining your customers.
Imagine this situation: your sales force have just scored a new customer. One day, this customer tries to contact your customer service regarding an issue, yet they don’t get a good service, or even worse a proper reply. Puff! The customer won’t be back for sure, and your sales force’s hard work doesn’t really mean anything anymore.
In that sense hence there shouldn’t be a disconnect between your sales and service process. The experience a single customer has matters not only before and but after the sales process. That is, your customer needs to have an amazing journey with your products or services from the start to the end -- given if there’s an end.
How could you achieve this then? One of them is by encouraging your sales force and your customer service representatives to work closely together. Let’s say, you gather them through weekly meeting to tell each other’s achievements and problems. Give them a chance to bond, especially since customer service is often seen as a second class job, while in fact, both sales and customer service are integral to your company’s success.
Hence the reason why I think many small businesses tend to combine both jobs. They hire sales force who are also doing customer service job, or vice versa. It could happen because both jobs handle things with customers. It’s your choice to trust your employees doing both sales and customer service tasks, but it certainly puts more pressure on them.
Great customer service can leads to significant sales
As a report by Aspect’s survey reveals, 76 per cent of consumers surveyed view customer service as the true test of how much a company values them. Bearing that fact, nurturing lifetime customers sure seems to begin after sales, through providing the best customer service to your customers.
Take me as an example. A few weeks ago I bought an electronic stuff from an online shop. I was disappointed because the product doesn’t work. After complaining to them, they surprisingly sent me back not one, but four products, the day after. The package also included a handwritten apology note along with some money to send back broken or unopened products to them.
With such experience, I was not hesitant to tell the experience with my family and friends. I promoted the online shop to the people I know, and personally sure I will be back to buy the products that they sell. Yes, now I’m sort of being one of their sales force! All this is just because I was happy with the way their customer service works.
This is why sales-oriented companies should focus on customer service. Because people actually make decisions based on their feelings first. Soon after, they rationalize those decisions with logic and information. No one is going to sell their friends on a complicated and frustrating journey, right?
In this case, I’m quite sure that every happy customer can generate additional customers for you in the long run. It’s time then to use customer service for sales with the help of your top sales force -- your loyal customers. They may be the one who contributes significant sales in the end.
 
Why Customer Service is Just as Important as Sales
By Ilana Aninditya 
Sales and customer service.
The two bodies indeed bear two different functions -- sales force are busy attracting new customers while customer service representative are working hard to keep current customers -- but this doesn’t necessary mean they can and should exist in two separate silos. Doing so could actually lead to missed opportunities in retaining your customers.
Imagine this situation: your sales force have just scored a new customer. One day, this customer tries to contact your customer service regarding an issue, yet they don’t get a good service, or even worse a proper reply. Puff! The customer won’t be back for sure, and your sales force’s hard work doesn’t really mean anything anymore.
In that sense hence there shouldn’t be a disconnect between your sales and service process. The experience a single customer has matters not only before and but after the sales process. That is, your customer needs to have an amazing journey with your products or services from the start to the end -- given if there’s an end.
How could you achieve this then? One of them is by encouraging your sales force and your customer service representatives to work closely together. Let’s say, you gather them through weekly meeting to tell each other’s achievements and problems. Give them a chance to bond, especially since customer service is often seen as a second class job, while in fact, both sales and customer service are integral to your company’s success.
Hence the reason why I think many small businesses tend to combine both jobs. They hire sales force who are also doing customer service job, or vice versa. It could happen because both jobs handle things with customers. It’s your choice to trust your employees doing both sales and customer service tasks, but it certainly puts more pressure on them.
Great customer service can leads to significant sales
As a report by Aspect’s survey reveals, 76 per cent of consumers surveyed view customer service as the true test of how much a company values them. Bearing that fact, nurturing lifetime customers sure seems to begin after sales, through providing the best customer service to your customers.
Take me as an example. A few weeks ago I bought an electronic stuff from an online shop. I was disappointed because the product doesn’t work. After complaining to them, they surprisingly sent me back not one, but four products, the day after. The package also included a handwritten apology note along with some money to send back broken or unopened products to them.
With such experience, I was not hesitant to tell the experience with my family and friends. I promoted the online shop to the people I know, and personally sure I will be back to buy the products that they sell. Yes, now I’m sort of being one of their sales force! All this is just because I was happy with the way their customer service works.
This is why sales-oriented companies should focus on customer service. Because people actually make decisions based on their feelings first. Soon after, they rationalize those decisions with logic and information. No one is going to sell their friends on a complicated and frustrating journey, right?
In this case, I’m quite sure that every happy customer can generate additional customers for you in the long run. It’s time then to use customer service for sales with the help of your top sales force -- your loyal customers. They may be the one who contributes significant sales in the end.
 
Ilana Aninditya is a content writer for Bornevia, an amazingly simple customer service help desk software. Follow Bornevia on Twitter at @Bornevia, Like them on Facebook, and read their customer service blog https://www.bornevia.com/blog/.