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.
Customer Relationships
The quest for immediate sales overshadows long-term email marketing objectives. Customer retention and prospect conversion take a backseat to the instant gratification received from quick responses to promotional offers.
Communication is the key to successful expectation management. When something goes wrong (and it will eventually), let your customers know. Keep them informed so they don't have to wonder what is happening. Most will wait to act until they are frustrated or angry. Don't let it get to that stage.
The American Customer Service Index third quarter results for 2009 show a 2.5% improvement for apparel from 2008. Each quarter the ACSI measures customer satisfaction for a segment of the economy. The third quarter focuses on manufacturing/nondurables.
People connect best with other people. A good salesperson that cares about his or her customers raises lifetime value higher than any marketing tool. The team members who meet shoppers face-to-face, online, and on the telephone control the outcome. Failure to train them well wastes your marketing dollars.
