Today’s customers have high expectations when dealing with sales and service teams. Once they spend their hard-earned money on your products or services, they expect seamless handoffs and timely support. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle with siloed systems that cause miscommunications and inefficiencies between their sales and service teams.
You can bridge that gap with a connected professional services automation (PSA) solution. The right platform will allow you to create a unified workflow that removes friction from the sales-to-service delivery journey. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Challenges Created by Disconnected Teams
Traditionally, sales and service teams have dogmatically adopted a “stay in your lane” approach. While each department needs to focus on its core responsibilities, they must all be able to freely communicate and share information. Disjointed systems are one of the underlying causes of the gap between sales and service.
That kind of disconnection can cause challenges such as:
Information Silos
When your sales and service teams use separate systems, they will struggle to share information. Once that information becomes siloed, other departments will lack the insights they need to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
Inaccurate Resource Planning
Sales and service teams must collaborate on resource planning strategies to ensure they are each in a position to succeed. However, that becomes difficult when limited visibility into each team’s needs and productivity is available.
Project Delays
Project delays can be catastrophic to a company’s reputation. When a gap exists between sales and service, the chances of delays are much higher. Miscommunication can delay project starts or service delivery and put your staff under a major time crunch.
A Lack of Transparency in Client Needs
Sales teams lay the foundation for long-lasting, positive customer relationships. However, when the information they gather isn’t properly passed on to service teams, the client experience suffers. Any employee who plays a role in the customer journey needs timely insights into client needs.
How You Can Unify Sales and Service with a PSA Solution
PSA technology bridges the gap between sales and service. With a cloud-based PSA solution, you can accomplish the following:
Create a Single Source of Truth
A PSA solution integrating your CRM and ERP systems will centralize your critical data. Creating a single source of truth for your sales and service teams will ensure everyone is on the same page regarding project details, timelines, and resource availability.
Automate the Handoff Process
Fumbling the handoff from sales to service can erode client confidence and trust in your organization. PSA technology can automate that handoff, reducing errors and ensuring a frictionless customer experience. Automated workflows, for instance, can notify project managers when a deal is finalized and guarantee that key details are passed on to all team members.
Improve Collaboration Through Real-Time Data Sharing
You’ve already worked to develop talented sales and service teams. PSA solutions will empower team members to pool their talents and collaborate like never before. PSA platforms enable cross-team collaboration by providing real-time project insights and actionable information about resource availability.
Use AI and Predictive Analytics
AI-powered analytics within PSA solutions help you anticipate project demands and optimize staffing levels. You can also identify and proactively address potential service gaps before they impact your bottom line.
Great Service Starts in Sales
Interactions among your sales and service teams mark a critical juncture in the customer journey. When your sales team members have the tools and resources necessary to provide a seamless purchasing process for customers, it sets the stage for better service experiences. A cloud-based PSA solution like Certinia all but guarantees this.
As a trusted Certinia partner, Singularity Consulting aids businesses like yours in identifying the right PSA solutions to drive sustainable growth. Book a consultation to learn how you can create a unified workflow that propels your business forward.