Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

Sales and customer service should be a natural fit. Both teams work to create successful customer interactions and move the company forward. It stands to reason that they should easily support one another—unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. Because sales and customer service (CS) teams are focused on different metrics, they rarely interact with each other. Sales teams, for instance, key in on sales metrics like win rates, while CS keeps an eye on tickets closed and CSAT.

“By 2022, we’ll be talking to bots more than our own spouses.” – Deloitte Rapid technological advancements have pushed businesses to make all information available at customers’ fingertips to deliver a seamless digital experience. Customers today prefer to be self-sufficient. 40% of consumers1 now prefer self-service over human contact.

When you think of measuring your company’s success, what markers come to mind? Perhaps you consider revenue KPIs or customer enrollment. Maybe you dream of your run rate increasing as your cost of sales decreases. No matter what success looks like to you, it’s unlikely you measure it in sales volume. But perhaps it’s time to start. Sales volume is a largely overlooked measuring tool, but its benefits to your company can’t be ignored.

There’s no perfect approach to sales psychology. Sales tactics are ever-changing based on the market, your products, your company, and your customers. That said, most sales tactics fall into either a hard or soft sell category, and understanding the difference between those categories is crucial to your sales success.

In the early 2010s, the Age of the Customer emerged. Consumers were more connected than ever before, and as their access to information and resources grew, so did their expectations. The Age of the Customer continues today—and the data shows it. Gartner research reveals that 74 percent of customers expect more from brands, not only in their products and services but also in how they treat their customers.

When it comes to deciding on a service management solution, pricing matters. But nobody likes surprise charges popping up! That's why comparing platforms simply on an advertised monthly charge per seat is not the answer. Cheaper isn't always better. Vivantio's Director of Digital Marketing Todd Carruth provides 3 questions you can ask to protect yourself from unwanted surprises when selecting your service management solution.

As ITSM thought leader and consultant Doug Tedder has said, “Automate the obvious.” So what’s obvious? We shouldn’t have to think very long…

As a provider of a Unified Service Management Platform, Vivantio allows you to seamlessly switch on integrations with virtually any other essential business application for a holistic view of your customers. Whether it’s JIRA, Active Directory or, as we will show you today, Microsoft Power BI, you can easily use these tools in concert with each other to get the data your team needs.

The Help Desk Manager position at any IT organization is absolutely essential to their longevity and success. They are, above all, team workers, insightful advisors, and solid organizers who are able to—of course, as their name suggests, manage workgroups.

Sales operations refers to any tool, plan, or training your company uses to enable its sales staff to deliver their best work. It may seem like a vague term, but having a clear sales operations plan can greatly increase the success of your sales team. Below, we’ll explore the details of sales operations and how this flexible methodology can deliver some serious benefits to your company.