Customer service and marketing are becoming more intertwined, especially considering the impact that service experiences can have on customer retention and loyalty. A new report from Salesforce [download page], based on a survey of more than 2,600 service professionals, outlines the ways in which service teams are collaborating with marketing, noting that almost two-thirds have shared goals and metrics.

Indeed, two-thirds of service teams agree that marketing and service are empowered to collaborate (67%), and a similar number report common goals and metrics (65%). With most likewise agreeing that customers are broadcasting both positive and negative experiences more publicly than they were 5 years ago, more than 6 in 10 service professionals indicated that service is collaborating with marketing to manage and respond to social inquiries and issues.

Beyond those ways of working together, other collaborations include:

  • Marketing alerting service to special promotions and offers (61% of respondents agreeing);
  • Product management and product marketing being aligned with service teams’ quoting and discounting behaviors (60%);
  • Service interactions being incorporated into product feedback and development lifecycles (60%); and
  • Marketing leveraging service in corporate branding/messaging (60%).

Service teams are also working with sales, as 63% report a formal process for collaboration. These methods include service providing sales with customer intelligence and opportunities, while almost 6 in 10 say that service agents are empowered to create add-on and renewal quotes and orders directly from the CRM.

Meanwhile, many of the same themes running through the marketing industry today are also apparent in service. For example, more than two-thirds of respondents say that service teams have become more focused in the past 12-18 months on creating deeper customer relationships (70%) and providing a consistent experience across every channel (68%). Personalized interactions (65%) and understanding customers’ history with the company (61%) are also areas of growing focus.

Moreover, the technology explosion in marketing has also penetrated service: 53% of respondents report using Internet of Things technologies, about double the share (27%) from the previous year.

About the Data: The report is based on a September 2016 survey that generated responses from 2,636 full-time service professionals (not limited to Salesforce customers) in the U.S., Canada, U.K./Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand. Respondents are third-party panelists.

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