Comments on: Marketing through Operations http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/ Moving from a Low Accountability to a High Accountability Business Model Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:07:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Where Does Customer Service Fit on the Org Chart? « The Intrepid Entrepreneur http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-20259 Where Does Customer Service Fit on the Org Chart? « The Intrepid Entrepreneur Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:07:42 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-20259 [...] My inclination is to put it under sales and marketing, which to me are essentially about helping customers make good decisions and then keeping them happy.  This article seemed to agree with that assessment.  And this one said to throw out the org chart altogether and draw a customer focused map instead.  Jim Novo says lots of customer service issues would never arise if only marketing was more in the loop. [...] [...] My inclination is to put it under sales and marketing, which to me are essentially about helping customers make good decisions and then keeping them happy.  This article seemed to agree with that assessment.  And this one said to throw out the org chart altogether and draw a customer focused map instead.  Jim Novo says lots of customer service issues would never arise if only marketing was more in the loop. [...]

]]> By: Jim Novo http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16458 Jim Novo Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:40:39 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16458 Yes, well, you know from some of my previous posts I think IT and Marketing face a lot of similar management challenges. The idea of Marketing in "Service" to internal clients (and the customer?) is probably not thought of very often in most companies, but is common in the Direct Marketing model. Yes, well, you know from some of my previous posts I think IT and Marketing face a lot of similar management challenges.

The idea of Marketing in “Service” to internal clients (and the customer?) is probably not thought of very often in most companies, but is common in the Direct Marketing model.

]]> By: Steve http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16306 Steve Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:49:16 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16306 This is a *great* post Jim! You may have posed it from the perspective of marketing, but hot damn this is sooo relevant to IT. You've posed it such that the "Client" is external. The *exact* same logic applies to the internal clients of the IT team(s). Excellent Stuff! I just may reduce the thoughts in this posting to a single slide and print out to hang beside the one other pithy saying I have on the wall: "In God We Trust. Everything Else We Monitor." Cheers! - Steve This is a *great* post Jim!

You may have posed it from the perspective of marketing, but hot damn this is sooo relevant to IT.
You’ve posed it such that the “Client” is external. The *exact* same logic applies to the internal clients of the IT team(s).

Excellent Stuff! I just may reduce the thoughts in this posting to a single slide and print out to hang beside the one other pithy saying I have on the wall: “In God We Trust. Everything Else We Monitor.”

Cheers!
- Steve

]]> By: Jim Novo http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16049 Jim Novo Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:15:03 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-16049 Re: low-status job, that may be true in some places but not always. I have seen call centers where the folks are not particularly well paid, but they work in an environment that is supportive, their goals are realistic, and their bosses listen to them - the agents have input. There is also a lot of opportunity for advancement, which solves the pay problem. Part of creating an environment like this is making sure other silos are not creating trouble for the call center. A lot of Marketing folks think it's silly to get input on their work from agents, but trust me, it is always best to let them review ideas and see the pieces before they drop. This is best practice in direct marketing; I expect the rest of the world will follow some day when they realize just how much it costs to NOT do this. Re: low-status job, that may be true in some places but not always.

I have seen call centers where the folks are not particularly well paid, but they work in an environment that is supportive, their goals are realistic, and their bosses listen to them - the agents have input. There is also a lot of opportunity for advancement, which solves the pay problem.

Part of creating an environment like this is making sure other silos are not creating trouble for the call center. A lot of Marketing folks think it’s silly to get input on their work from agents, but trust me, it is always best to let them review ideas and see the pieces before they drop.

This is best practice in direct marketing; I expect the rest of the world will follow some day when they realize just how much it costs to NOT do this.

]]> By: Lars (WebAnalysts.Info) http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-15950 Lars (WebAnalysts.Info) Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:36:45 +0000 http://blog.jimnovo.com/2008/01/09/marketing-through-operations/#comment-15950 Great post! I have trained customer service reps in the past. And I've worked on an intranet for them. I also spent several months talking to the angriest of the angry customers. I try to listen to customer service calls every now and then. Unfortunately I believe part of the problem is that you can get great processes and systems in place, but may have a difficult time getting your staff enthusiastic about it. Why? Customer services is often, unfortunately, a low-status job. Great post! I have trained customer service reps in the past. And I’ve worked on an intranet for them. I also spent several months talking to the angriest of the angry customers. I try to listen to customer service calls every now and then. Unfortunately I believe part of the problem is that you can get great processes and systems in place, but may have a difficult time getting your staff enthusiastic about it. Why? Customer services is often, unfortunately, a low-status job.

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