AMiable Solution #171: Make 2016 Measureable

It may seem ridiculous to remind marketers to make measuring and tracking their marketing efforts a priority.  Marketers are generally obsessed with codes and return rates and bottom lines.  However, sometimes it’s worthwhile revisiting things we assume are a “given.”  Things we need but don’t nurture.

We’re talking about the relationship between your organization’s marketing and customer service departments.

How often does your marketing team, or at least a few members of it, meet with the customer service team?  If the two departments operate out of separate buildings or even different cities, the answer is probably “infrequently.”  That’s a problem.

Your customer service department is a key component in measuring your marketing efforts.  You could create a perfect offer, provide a clever tracking device, and package it in the most beautiful and eye-catching way, but if you don’t communicate well with customer service, arming them in advance of upcoming promotions, providing them with answers to questions they’ll likely field, and reinforcing or explaining to new reps the importance of identifying the source of all inquiries, donations, and sales, your promotions are going to fail.  At the very least, you’ll never know just how well they did.

You must arm your customer service reps with the tools they need to be successful in their jobs and to help you do yours better.  If they understand the importance of tracking promotions; of asking questions and noting common or unusual concerns, complaints, or problems; and of understanding not only how the products or services you’re promoting work, but also how their roles fit into the system of the entire organization, you’ll get the best possible measurement of your efforts, and you’ll set them and your organization up for success.

Meet with your organization’s customer service reps regularly, whether in person or over the phone.  Discuss upcoming or current promotions.  Provide them with the information customers will need, including where on the website to find a particular promotion or how to log into a webinar.  Encourage reps to share customer feedback with you--good, bad, and ugly--so that you can improve products as necessary or promote them in ways you hadn’t considered before.  Let them help you understand how your customers prefer to receive and request information.

The more your marketing departments and customer service departments are in sync, the more you will learn about your customers, their buying habits, and their promotion preferences.  It’s a relationship more valuable and more accessible than any software system, and it’s only a phone call away.