The Hidden Power of Your Customers: Four Keys to Growing Your Business Through Existing Customers

NO SILOS

Customers don’t, or can’t, always differentiate between a company's internal departments. Regardless of medium or origin, all of a customer's experiences with a company add up to communicate the brand to the customer. Too often in companies, however, sales, marketing, social media, and customer service are managed separately in organizational “silos” or are outsourced. The employees in the various departments may not see or speak to each other regularly, or at all, they may keep their customer data in different systems, and they may not use common metrics to help them drive a consistent experience.

From the company's perspective, “silo thinking” looks like this: Each department is focused on providing the customer experience from its perspective, using its own success measures. But when we look at an organization from the customer's perspective, what should we see? One unified brand with everyone working together to ensure a memorable customer experience. That is not always the case. A company's customers may have numerous interactions that seem to reflect many brands, each resulting in a different experience (and often based on how employees are instructed to behave).

Are the messages of one department or team speaking more loudly to customers of your organization than another? Do you need to bring these messages into alignment? What do customers think about your brand, from all perspectives? These are critical questions to ask as your company considers how to develop ...