Sales vs Customer Service? by Succatash

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Sales vs Customer Service?

POSTED BY: SUCCATASH
UPDATED: Saturday, April 5, 2008 03:17
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 796
PAGE 1 of 1

Friday, April 4, 2008 3:31 PM

Has the word "sales" become a bad word to customers? As in, "press one for sales, two for customer service."

Ok, let's say you own an Internet company selling cellphones and accessories. You have a shopping cart, easy online ordering - but you also have a big toll-free phone number on your home page that says "Call Customer Service."

I've been told at my new job that the word "Sales" is a bad word. We don't have a sales team, we have customer service. We don't want to act pushy.

But to me, "customer service" just sounds like refunds and order tracking, returns, etc. It doesn't encourage the customer to call for help buying.

I like the word 'sales,' I think it implies a person with product knowledge, someone with a desire to get the customer what they want. I want the customers who call to hear, "Press one for sales, two for service" and feel like they are getting a sales person who knows the product, not someone who issues refunds.

I know used car salesmen have a bad rap, (sorry Chrisisall) - but are all sales people doomed? Are they all "agents" or "specialists" or "consultants" because 'sales' has become a bad word?

I searched online and couldn't find much discussion about this. And then there was this blinding flash of light and when I came to, I was sitting at my computer typing this.

"Gott kann dich nicht vor mir beschuetzen, weil ich nicht boese bin."

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, April 4, 2008 5:44 PM

FREMDFIRMA

But isn't sales itself, a service provided to the customer - helping them select the correct product for their purpose and price range ?

Thus making it customer service ?

Actually most folk twitch at the term customer service, in my experience, because with most companies that can effectively be translated to mean the same thing as when a buck "services" a doe...

Press 1 for sales to get a rep on the line within 30 seconds...

Press 2 to be routed into automated runaround hell till you give up in frustration like we want you to because we know that actually providing the service we promised will cost money, and you'll give up and not cost us anything.

I actually have the override codes for most automated phone runarounds, and didja know, the phrase "This call may be recorded for quality control purposes" can indeed be interpreted as giving ME permission to record it, can't it ?

Better to make it one department, Tash - cause companies are companies, and they WILL do that if you split them and they think they can profit from that abuse, since there's no real penalty for it, especially since so many companies do it that taking your business elsewhere just changes the name of who you're being screwed by.

Change THAT paradigm, and you'll rake it in, on word of mouth alone as a company that offers real service, instead of automated runaround hell.

-F
*speakin of, although they do lie about spamming you and selling your email and info to scum and spammers, Tiger Direct *does* have good customer service, and changed a bad bad screwup into a perfect notebook upgrade with less than a 48 hour turnaround... figured I'd give em the shout-out for that, since we're on the topic.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, April 4, 2008 6:08 PM

SUCCATASH

So your saying that people twitch at the sound of customer service, not sales?

You think it should be one department, ok. But is it because "sales" is a bad word?

What would you rather hear when you call an internet business?

1. Press one for sales and service

2. Press one for customer service

3. Press one for sales, 2 for customer service

4. Press one for a phone specialist, press 2 for a customer service representative

"Gott kann dich nicht vor mir beschuetzen, weil ich nicht boese bin."

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, April 4, 2008 6:38 PM

KAREL

Flying on duct tape and a damaged registry.

Quote:
Originally posted by Succatash:
I like the word 'sales,' I think it implies a person with product knowledge, someone with a desire to get the customer what they want. I want the customers who call to hear, "Press one for sales, two for service" and feel like they are getting a sales person who knows the product, not someone who issues refunds.

I agree completely. But at the risk of sounding harsh --

In my professional life, my experience with "sales" is that if I don't already know exactly what I need, I'm screwed. I hear that once upon a time that salespersons knew what they were selling, and were, in addition, "people persons". Too often a salesperson has to make up for lack of knowledge (or authority) by being the world's best go-between. There are times when I feel that there is a single being, of remarkable age, holed up in a long forgotten underground lab, in some kind of stasis field, answering questions of every salesperson in the galaxy.

In the defense of "sales", it is a multi-faceted profession. To find a salesperson that is on the ball is a true joy, and as rare as the air on the top of Mount Everest.

As a general consumer, my experience with salespeeps has been, like most things in life, a mixed bag. I can understand the aversion to the word "sales", but gorramit, it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe it is the perception that what the customer needs does not suit the best interest of the salesperson. I am with you, 'Tash, though it may not sound like it.

btw, it is good to see you around these parts, and congrats on the new job.

"This is the twenty first century, can't you get it through your head? This ain't the way it was meant to be, magic isn't dead." -- Marillion.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Saturday, April 5, 2008 3:17 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Actually I like number one, combine that with a blurb of "We service what we sell." and yer pretty good to go for a minimal twitch viewpoint.

Hehehe, real Sales, and true salesfolk who wanted to help you - went out the door when the idea of commissioned sales were introduced.

S'funny... back when I was much younger, the local cycle shop salesdudes would know as soon as I hit the door, why I was there...

If I was scruffy lookin and grease stained, I wanted parts - if I was dressed up they'd hide cause it mean someone was gonna get a reaming over a bad part or poor assembly (I took to buying the little bikes UN-assembled, cause their incompetence in that respect near killed me twice!), but oh lordy, if I walked in with a helmet under my arm...

They would practically stage a deathmatch trying to get to me first!

That meant there was a bike I wanted, and meant to have, and I *WAS* riding it home, we had an SOP about it, screw your service contracts and tag along fees, I'll make sure you get your cut, sure, but I *KNOW* what you paid on invoice, and don't shine me about it!

I can be a great customer, long as you deliver what I pay for and it meets expectations, but man oh man, try putting the shaft to me and your company will regret it for a long long time in ways they maybe never expected.

Said cycle shop went bankrupt shortly after it was discovered some of their service folk were stealing back the smaller bikes, having all the information handy to do so with great efficiency, rolling back the odometers and re-crating them.

Cause some VERY pissed off and really suspicious little jackass managed to match up the VIN on his recently stolen Targa with a display bike on the sales floor, ouch!

And this wasn't a small operation, mind, one of the big chain stores, it was.

-F

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

YOUR OPTIONS

SHARE THREAD

NEW POSTS TODAY

USER	POST DATE

USER

POST DATE