Why Customer Service Does Not Equal Customer-Focused

A Shift in Focus

If you’re breathing, chances are you’ve received some sort of marketing content you didn’t care for. Maybe it was an email, a video ad, or even an old-school piece of “junk mail.”
Most businesses have teams for marketing, content, customer service, etc. Unfortunately, it’s less common that they all work together to create a consistent experience for their customers. It seems that the default is to have people who come up with ideas, people who implement the ideas, and people who handle the results, with the customer falling somewhere in the middle of that process.
According to Jeff Pedowitz of The Pedowitz Group, it’s time to shake up that process. Too often marketers sit in brainstorming sessions to come up with ideas they think will be effective for the customer, but rarely do they actually begin by asking what the customer actually wants. It’s easy to feel like your customer is your top priority when there’s a great customer service program, but by putting the customer at the start of the entire process, your business will become truly customer-focused. In this way, you ensure that that email, blog post, video, etc. you’re creating is hitting the mark because you know exactly where to aim!

In This Episode

• How to define “marketing operations,” and who should be involved.
• How to shift your marketing to be customer-focused.
• The difference between “multi-channel” and “omni-channel” experiences.
• How to help the product team and the content team work together to ensure a wholly consistent experience.

Quotes From This Episode

“There’s a big difference between customer service and customer focus, and if you truly are trying to operationalize the customer experience, you have to be customer-focused.” — @JeffPedowitz
Everyone in the company shares responsibility for the customer journey. Click To Tweet
“Marketing ops is taking a step back and looking at the different channels and the different people that you are trying to reach and figuring out how to deliver consistently across that brand promise.” — @JeffPedowitz
The customer understands that we want to sell our stuff, but people want a relationship and to know that you respect them. Click To Tweet

Resources

• ICUC
• The Pedowitz Group

Content Experience Lightning Round

What do you often find yourself shopping for online?
Jeff is an avid online shopper, whether it be clothes, food, gifts, whatever. With three kids and a busy work schedule, nothing beats the convenience that the many online services offer these days!
What are you into on Netflix?
As a self-described lover of binge-watching, Jeff and his wife just finished binging the entirety of Gotham. On the other hand, they both thoroughly enjoy disconnecting for periods. They have even purposefully vacationed in places where they may not be able to find WiFi!
See you next week!