When it comes to new technology implementation, we suggest you start the conversation with the organization’s classic “catch-all” duo: the OSC and the marketing manager. Many of our previous discussions have centered on the role of the OSC, but today, we’d like to shed light on the critical relationship between your OSC and marketing manager.
First off, if you found yourself nodding in agreement when I referred to the OSC and marketing manager as “catch-alls,” I have a simple recommendation: please, stop making these two people your catch-all!
Just as our industry is good at identifying OSC boundaries, it’s equally bad at doing the same for the marketing person. When it comes to key players in your organization, the success of each member is dependent upon their understanding of two things: what their job is, and how their responsibilities support others. Your marketing manager may have a slew of responsibilities, but their primary focus should be guaranteeing the success of the business operations within their department.
Meanwhile, your OSC operates as more of an experience manager, transforming processes and tools into the “feel” and character of your business. Your OSC and marketing manager relationship is one of the most important partnerships in your business, so they shouldn’t be answering to each other, and they absolutely should not be stepping on each other’s toes. Instead, they need to work together in ways that complement the other’s efforts while moving in tandem towards your organization’s shared vision of success.
All this to say–when you’ve got something new you want to implement, there is a way to do it, correctly.
Your marketing person should be making the high-level considerations, asking questions like, “Does this new technology or tool fit within our annual budget?” They should be soliciting input and feedback from all members of the team on the risks and benefits of an approach as well as mapping organizational impacts. They should be determining how that technology integrates with existing systems – is there an API? Do we need to pay for our website people to install XYZ?
They put in the necessary framework. Your OSC is the one who, from as early a point as possible, should be working on the process for the implementation. If it’s a sales tool, what type of response or follow up process needs to be in place so that the consumer has a seamless experience? They are your boots on the ground for process and placement when the tool launches. They turn the framework into an experience.
The reason the OSC is so good at this technical implementation is because they are your true tech person. Their job is to problem solve and connect the pieces that seemingly don’t fit. Think about what they do now: a lead comes to them from one piece of technology, they put it into the next piece, turn it around and send it into the next. They integrate CRMs, email marketing tools, calendar and booking systems, make sure your leads aren’t getting too much or too little info in the wrong spots, and smooth the transition from step to step.
On top of this process mindset, your OSC is someone who knows how to navigate the latest and greatest and can cast a discerning eye on emerging tools and trends to provide you with honest feedback about that product.
Last bit of advice: give your marketing person and the OSC equal access to the platform, whatever it is. Don’t pit them against each other with permission levels. You’re building a team that can work together to create efficiency and a killer customer experience; give them the reins to do it.
