Bringing the revenue band back together

How to use RevOps to align marketing, sales and customer service

No matter what kind of a band you‘re in, you want the audience to enjoy your music (thrash-metal excused perhaps). You know that if they don't, they're not going to buy your albums or tickets for your concerts. Key to the success of your band is ‘singing from the same song sheet.’ Well, in today's fast-paced and dynamic B2B landscape, the need for seamless collaboration between your marketing, sales, and customer service teams has never been greater. And that's where RevOps comes in.

Think of an orchestra. Revenue Operations (RevOps) is a strategic approach that serves as the conductor, bringing harmony to these once-disparate departments. RevOps isn't just a buzzword; it's a transformative concept that leverages technology and data to orchestrate a synchronised performance across the entire customer experience. And speaking of that tech, recent research has found that:

• 77% of sales professionals say their sales organisations plan to invest “significantly more” or “more” in sales intelligence tools
• Companies that invest in RevOps report 10-20% increases in sales productivity
• Companies that deployed RevOps grew revenue 3x faster than those that didn’t
• 49% of sales professionals say they will rely on CRM software “significantly more"

We're going to take a closer look at RevOps and its pivotal role in streamlining marketing, sales, and customer service functions. We'll explore how it relies on technology to create a high-performing ensemble where each team plays its part to perfection, resulting in an unparalleled customer experience that keeps your audience coming back for an encore.

So, let's bring the band back together and discover how RevOps can help your B2B business reach new heights of efficiency, collaboration, and customer satisfaction.

Technology and the sweet sound of alignment

Traditionally, marketing, sales, and customer service departments operated in isolation, each with its own set of tools, processes, and metrics. This siloed approach hindered collaboration, led to duplicated efforts, and often resulted in a disjointed customer experience. Having the right RevOps technology stack is key.

Technology solutions, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, marketing automation platforms, and service and support software, break down these barriers by creating a shared ecosystem. Real-time data exchange allows each team to see and understand the interactions and touchpoints a customer has with the organisation across their entire journey.

One of the key benefits of leveraging technology in a RevOps framework is the facilitation of seamless communication and data sharing. Consider a scenario where a marketing team generates a lead, nurturing them through targeted campaigns. As soon as that lead expresses interest and interacts with the sales team, technology ensures that this information is shared instantly. The sales team gains insights into the lead's behaviour, preferences, and pain points, enabling them to tailor their approach effectively.

Not only that, but when a customer service issue arises, access to the complete history of interactions through a centralised system enables the customer service team to provide more informed and efficient resolutions.

But it doesn't end there. RevOps technology doesn't just break down silos and improve communication; it also empowers organisations to craft a unified view of the customer journey. With all teams utilising a centralised technology stack, everyone gains access to a comprehensive customer profile that spans from initial contact to post-sale support.

This unified view enables teams to align their efforts with a deeper understanding of customer behaviour, preferences, and pain points. It allows marketing to create more targeted campaigns, sales to engage in more meaningful conversations, and customer service to offer proactive support.

What instruments are required to make RevOps music?

In the symphony of RevOps, a well-orchestrated technology stack takes centre stage. These components act as the instruments, each playing a crucial role in ensuring the alignment of marketing, sales, and customer service teams. Let's take a closer look.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
A smart CRM system is the heart of a RevOps technology stack, serving as the central repository for customer data. It's an essential component, because it:

• Allows you to manage customer interactions, track sales opportunities, and maintain a comprehensive record of customer relationships
• Enables your sales teams to organise leads, track customer interactions, forecast sales, and manage customer accounts effectively
• Provides insights into the customer journey, helping your teams understand customer preferences and behaviours
• Incorporates relevant customer data from other systems e.g. invoice information from a financial system

Marketing automation platform
This is the conductor of marketing efforts within the RevOps framework. It plays a vital role in lead generation, nurturing, and tracking throughout the customer journey, because it:

• Allows your marketers to automate repetitive tasks, segment audiences, and personalise communications
• Provides lead scoring, enabling your marketing and sales teams to prioritise leads based on engagement and readiness to purchase
• Has tracking features that help your teams monitor campaign performance, measure ROI, and refine marketing strategies in real time

Data analytics and business intelligence
These tools serve as the critics, providing valuable insights into customer behaviour and operational efficiency. They gather insights from various data sources, empowering decision-makers with data-driven strategies. They also:

• Help identify trends, customer preferences, and areas for improvement
• Enable you to track KPIs, measure marketing attribution, and assess the impact of sales strategies
• Predict customer behaviours and guide your teams in delivering exceptional customer experiences

Integration and workflow automation
These tools are the connectors, ensuring the seamless flow of data between systems and departments. They eliminate data silos and facilitate real-time information sharing, enabling teams to work cohesively. That's because they:

• Connect CRM, marketing automation, customer service, and other systems, allowing them to function as a unified ecosystem
• Streamline processes, reducing manual tasks, errors, and bottlenecks.
• Enable your teams to set up automated triggers, notifications, and follow-ups based on customer interactions

Incorporating these components into your RevOps tech stack not only simplifies operations but also gives you the means to provide a personalised customer experience. These tools form the backbone of RevOps, ensuring that marketing, sales, and customer service teams work in harmony.

Selecting and implementing the right tools

Choosing the right tools for your RevOps tech stack is crucial. It's the same as selecting the right instruments for a symphony; each one should harmonise with your business's needs and goals. Here's a guide on how to make informed choices:

1. Assess your needs and goals
   Before diving into tool selection, you need to consider:

• The size and structure of your teams
• Existing bottlenecks, communication gaps, or inefficiencies
• Your growth trajectory and how your tool choices will scale with it
• The level of personalisation and service quality you want to achieve

2. Prioritise scalability
   Scalability is essential. As your company evolves and grows, your RevOps tech stack should adapt. Look for tools that can accommodate increasing data volumes, user accounts, and feature sets. Scalable tools ensure that you don't outgrow your technology prematurely, saving you from the headaches of frequent migrations or overhauls.
   
   
3. Ease of use
   User adoption is key to the success of your RevOps tech stack. Choose tools that are intuitive and user-friendly. The easier it is for your teams to navigate and leverage the technology, the more effectively they'll be. Additionally, consider tools that offer training and support resources to facilitate onboarding and ongoing skill development.
   
   
4. Prioritise integration capabilities
   It's important that the tools you select can integrate with one another and with your existing systems. Look for APIs and pre-built integrations that simplify data sharing and workflow automation. This reduces data silos, minimises manual data entry, and maximises the ROI.
   
   
5. Look for vendor expertise and customer support
   Consider the track record and expertise of your tech providers. Vendors with a deep understanding of RevOps and a history of successful implementations can provide valuable insights and guidance. Additionally, assess the quality of their customer support and ongoing maintenance services.
   
   
6. Make use of trial periods
   Before committing to any tool, take advantage of trial periods or pilot programs. This hands-on experience allows your teams to assess whether the tool aligns with your specific needs and workflows. Make sure you get feedback from your team during this phase to ensure that the chosen tools meet their requirements and expectations.
   
   
7. Evaluate Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
   Consider the long-term financial implications of your tool selections. Beyond the initial purchase or subscription cost, evaluate ongoing expenses such as maintenance, upgrades, and user licenses. Ensure that the TCO aligns with your budget and provides a good ROI through increased revenue and efficiency.

By taking the time to go through each of these steps, you'll assemble a RevOps tech stack that not only enhances alignment between marketing, sales, and customer service but also sets the stage for long-term growth and success.

Conclusion: Harmonising through technology

In this journey to align marketing, sales, and customer service, technology takes centre stage, playing the role of the conductor, composer, and performer. As customer expectations continue to rise, the collaboration of these teams is crucial for success. With the right tech on board, you'll delight your customers and achieve sustainable growth. So, let's continue to bring the band back together, conducting the symphony of RevOps success, and creating melodies of lasting customer relationships.

Keen to get your RevOps strategy underway? Or assistance fine-tuning? Let’s talk.