MarketStar Blog | Articles (23)

The sales landscape has evolved dramatically, shifting power to the customer. With digitization and inbound marketing, buyers now research extensively before engaging with sales teams. 89% of B2B customers use online resources to evaluate options before connecting with a company¹.

You already know that your organization is expected to be General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant by May 25, 2018. If you have not updated your organization’s website yet, here’s a guide that cuts the muck and gets straight to the point. 

Sales success today depends on a combination of strategy, skill, technology, and process. With buyers conducting 57% of their purchase research before engaging with a sales rep¹, traditional sales tactics are no longer enough. A well-structured sales playbook is an essential tool that streamlines processes, enhances productivity, and aligns teams for success. 

Many organizations experience friction between sales and customer support teams. Sales teams are often under pressure to meet aggressive targets, sometimes pushing leads that aren't the right fit. When these deals close, the burden shifts to customer support, which must manage customer expectations and resolve issues that could have been avoided¹. 

This disconnect creates internal distrust and diminishes customer satisfaction, leading to higher churn rates and lost revenue. The solution? Aligning sales and customer support to create a collaborative, customer-focused dynamic. 

Here’s why integrating these two teams is crucial for business success.

The contact center plays a critical role in shaping customer experience (CX) in today’s always-on, digital-first world. Over the years, contact center technology has evolved significantly, with new innovations constantly enhancing customer interactions.

In today’s competitive landscape, customer expectations are reshaping how businesses operate. While product-centric companies focus on innovation and technical capabilities, customer-centric organizations prioritize solving real customer problems. This shift is driven by the realization that long-term success depends not just on selling products but on building relationships and delivering exceptional experiences. Companies that place the customer at the core of their strategy are outperforming their competitors, driving loyalty, and ensuring sustainable growth.

The old saying, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” was never more wrong than it is today. Gone are the days when you could build a great product and hope to have customers flock to you by sheer word of mouth. In this crowded marketplace, you need to find ways to put your product into the hands of users; the more the merrier. Channel partners could play a vital role here. 

The rise of the subscription-based economy has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate. Customers today prefer access over ownership, opting for on-demand services rather than committing to long-term product ownership. This shift places the burden of ongoing value delivery on businesses—customers will only renew subscriptions if they consistently see value. In this landscape, customer retention is more critical than ever, and tracking customer health is essential for ensuring long-term success. 

At a time when 97% of global consumers1 say that customer service is somewhat important or very important in their choice of and loyalty to a brand, you can’t afford to overlook this aspect of your business. Many businesses recognize this and, upon evaluating their customer service practices, realize that their current approach falls short of meeting ever-rising consumer expectations.

Customer Success is quickly becoming the Holy Grail for all companies with a subscription-based revenue model. It’s not surprising, since Customer Success done correctly can massively expand conversions and renewals, reduce churn, increase customer satisfaction and advocacy, and greatly increase revenue.