This morning Seth Godin posted “Good at talking vs. good at doing” with the implication that the marketing department needs to be in charge of the “product, the service, the interaction.” His premise is accurate. The best marketing is rendered impotent by poor customer experiences. And, with a social media megaphone available at the touch of a keyboard, individual missteps become brand nightmares.
His solution is faulty. Marketing is strategic; delivering quality service is tactical. Placing the marketing department in charge of the “doing” is a recipe for disaster. Marketing people make great marketers. They transform the mundane into interesting and exciting. The operations side of the business performs best with routine. Standardized processes and procedures provide efficient quality service. When interest and exciting are interjected, chaos takes over.
The call-to-action that generates the best results is integration and teamwork. Marketers who want to excel reach across departmental lines to form a partnership focused on delivering the ultimate customer experience. When they do, the customer wins. And, when the customer wins, the company wins.
