Quality And Marketing Are Not Part-Time Jobs!

Customer Inter@ction Solutions, Feb 2005 by Tehrani, Nadji

IN CONTACT CENTERS, CRM & TELESERVICES...

In this MVP Quality and Speech Technology Excellence Award issue, I have the great privilege and honor to congratulate several industry leaders and pioneers who have earned such highly respected awards in releservices, outsourcing and speech technologies. Please refer to my October and November 2004 editorials titled "Speech Technology Analysis And Justifications," Part 1 and Part II, for more information regarding the importance of speech technology early adoption in contact centers.

As the industry's preeminent publication since 1982, it is our paramount responsibility to not only offer our readers the highest caliber editorial, but also to provide appropriate recognition to the industry leaders and pioneers who continue to offer outstanding quality services and promote excellence in speech technology.

Dictionary Definition

The American Heritage dictionary defines quality as, "An inherent or distinguishing characteristic; Superiority of kind; Degree or grade of excellence."

Let us all remember that companies live or die from repeat business. I would also like to make one assumption that hopefully our readers would share with me: the genuine belief that our customers and our employees are our most valuable assets. For without them, quality customer service is nothing more than wishful thinking.

Henry Ford's Philosophy Of Quality And Marketing

As the inventor of the automobile, Henry Ford once said, "A good design sells cars, but quality brings them back." These words of wisdom are so powerful that they are still true today, as they were back then. However, where Henry Ford failed was on the marketing side when he said customers could buy a Model T Ford "in any color so long as it's black!"

What a shame! A man who made such a brilliant comment about the value of quality practically destroyed it by being completely insensitive to the needs of the customers. To make a long story short, others came along and offered other colors, which customers wanted, and partly as a result, Ford lost its number one position in the industry. I believe that there is a great lesson in this for all of us, for without an effective combination and convergence of quality and marketing, companies stand to lose significantly.

Differentiating Quality

In today's extremely competitive business environment, nearly everyone claims to offer quality service, but how many are actually delivering? Furthermore, one might say that perhaps quality should not be considered a differentiator! I believe people who think that way are 100 percent wrong, for without outstanding quality, no company can expect repeat business and therefore, it is only a matter of time before the company goes out of business.

The million dollar question follows: how, then, would you differentiate yourself from the rest of the world when they make the same claim about quality? In my judgment, there is no other way than offering converged 24/7 quality and marketing, and just as important, third-party endorsements from a respected source. In most cases, such commendations are extremely powerful differentiators. It is only common sense that third-party recognition is, by far, the most compelling reason for customers to choose award-winning products as opposed to unrecognized products or services.

When To Outsource Your CRM, Customer Care And Other Sales And Marketing Functions

If the above processes (i.e., CRM, customer care, etc.) are not your company's core competency, then don't try to do it yourself. There is no room in customer care and CRM for rookie mistakes! The best solution is to find a reputable teleservices agency, visit them, check references and then outsource with confidence.

Perception Is Reality

It is a known fact that effective marketing can create perception, and having quality nurtures perception. I hope it is becoming clear how these two seemingly unrelated disciplines are, in fact, extremely intertwined. I feel that without convergence of marketing and quality, many companies would leave millions of dollars on the table.

Not A Part-Time Job

Over the years, I have observed many companies that literally and, perhaps unintentionally, consider both quality and marketing to be part-time jobs! You can usually spot such companies by observing their lack of success, profitability and growth, and more often than not, the companies that are not going anywhere are those that conduct business backed by part-time quality and part-time marketing!

You Cannot Be Too Conservative

I know many companies that offer truly outstanding customer service, but they are too conservative in marketing. That is why such companies, in spite of their outstanding performance, are "best-kept secrets," which means a loss of revenue.

Conversely, I have known several companies that had a lousy product, but they enjoyed a significant market share only because they had an outstanding marketing program! Through powerful marketing, these companies created a misleading perception of themselves as leaders, and many buyers (who did not do their homework) fell for it and bought the lousy product in question. Obviously, this is not the way it's supposed to be. But believe it or not, a true marketing genius can make it happen.