These activities are performed by the Revenue Department. These activities happen in parallel all the time. However, we can put them in the sequence that they happen for a single customer:
Marketing. This is everything you do to attract customers, including building awareness that your product exists and will solve their problem.
Sales. This may involve inbound sales (when a customer contacts you to buy your product) or outbound sales (when you call or visit a customer to sell your product). The process ends with an agreement wherein the customer pays or commits to paying for the product and you deliver it or commit to delivering it.
Service. This involves all follow-up interactions with the customer to ensure they are getting value from the product. It may involve regular maintenance of the product. It may also involve a customer returning a defective item and demanding a fix or a refund. Some businesses don’t have service at all, while others are fanatical about customer service.
Marketing
Building a brand. This includes stating the brand style and usage rules.
Social media. Maintain a social media presence to build awareness of the product and teach the brand. Create links between other topics and the product. Also responsible for responding to complaints.
Advertising. Responsible for using a variety of media to build awareness of the product and teach the brand. Includes search ads, site ads, television ads, email lists, and direct mail.
Public relations. Responsible for publishing press releases and public statements. This effort supports building awareness and teaching the brand.
Community. This includes outreach, charity involvement, representing the business in industry associations, and more. This effort supports attracting customers.
Sales
Inbound. When a customer visits the website, calls, schedules an online meeting, or visits in person.
Outbound. When the team contacts the customer by email (cold emails), by phone (cold calls) or in person (door-to-door).
Service
Training. Teaching customers how to use the product to get the best results.
Support. Helping customers with trouble using the product.
Billing. Sending invoices to customers.
Payments. Collecting payment from customers.
Interviews. Follow-up conversations with customers to get testimonials and product feedback, to learn how we can serve them better.
Reception. For a business with a physical location, the reception desk helps customers connect with the right person to help them. For a business with a call center, the first contact with the caller is the reception. For a business with an online chat feature, the first contact with the visitor is the reception.