Can We Talk?

Have you ever thought that in your company there were actually several totally separate divisions? Have you noticed that the sales team, warehouse and delivery staffs and the billing and reimbursement departments are functioning like a three-ring circus? While they may be playing in the same arena, they each may operate as separate entities.

The warehouse staff is often in the back of the operation, and sometimes even in a separate building, where there is little interaction with the front office or the retail customer. The billing and reimbursement staffs are always busy trying to make sure they have all the correct documentation and that what has been delivered and purchased is correctly billed.

And then there's the sales team, usually (again I hope) spending little time in the office with a full schedule of sales calls and community meetings on their agenda. There may be little conversation among these divisions.

The success of any sales operation is based upon those in the entire organization working together. Success is dependent on people understanding each other's roles. It is also based on understanding what is needed to bill for products sold and knowing how long it will take to deliver a product. A sale is not completed until the revenue is in the bank, and the revenue is not in the bank until the entire office team makes their contributions to the sales process.

I recall one billing manager who was upset with a sales team's showing little interest in learning how to take or process an order. The billing manager described the sales manager as someone who: drives the nicest car; spends all his time deciding where to take people to lunch; wears some of the best clothes of anyone in the company; gets paid more than most who work here; and hasn't been in the warehouse in years.

I realize this is not how all office staffs see each other, but it did give me a sad feeling that some people in that office were just not working together and might even resent each other.

How can you build a team that understands how everyone's jobs interrelate? Here are some strategies that can help close the gap between your company's departments:

• Send customer service reps out with your drivers to see what a delivery is all about.

• Make sure salespeople take time to learn about taking orders and handling the telephone.

• Let delivery technicians spend a day working with the sales team, meeting referral sources and calling on key accounts.