Conflict Between Sales & Operations is Costly?

The internal conversations become especially heated when the salesperson promises something so over-the-top that the operations department cannot deliver even if they want to.

There is often conflict in the Operations and Sales departments in businesses. The conflict makes it difficult for firms to function as these departments are essential pieces of the organization, and a divide between them can be costly. Or can it?

Is Conflict Costly?

It should be intuitive to suggest that all conflict is destructive, but that is not the case since a little bit of disagreement inside the organization can reward new ideas and methods to solve the same problems. This is because individuals tend to pursue harmonious relationships and adapt creative thinking to overcome obstacles in pursuing such harmony. 

Is Conflict between Sales and Operations Bad?

Conflict is a hurdle in harmony and collaboration, virtually by definition. Persistent conflict will prevent an organization from achieving the benefit of collaborative synergies, which may carry its negative consequences across the two functions and may even spill over to other departments or the whole organization leading to a toxic culture. 

The disagreement between sales and operations is primarily due to the innate purpose of the two functions. The sales department is supposed to bring in new clients, and in doing so, the salesperson might over-promise. The operations department is responsible for the fulfillment of the promises and hence the conflict. The internal conversations become especially heated when the salesperson promises something so over-the-top that the operations department cannot deliver even if they want to. However, the competition is not necessarily destructive because the angry debates are likely to result in a middle ground. There are several benefits of staying customer-centric, yet some things are too costly to deliver. Therefore, the conflict’s reasonable resolution between sales and operations is a clarification of what can and should be promised and delivered. 

A Pinch of Salt

The statements above should be taken with a few grains of salt because they are based on the premise that conflict will lead to constructive resolution. However, that may not always be the case, which is the predicament of most businesses when it comes to operations management. It is impossible to eliminate conflict, but through improved synergy and effortless communication, it is possible to integrate the two functions so well that destructive conflict is negligible. Our clients have the advantage of Arrivy’s integrations with multiple CRM software, which has enabled them to enhance efficiency across the organization. Arrivy’s allows the sales team to assess capabilities better and make promises accordingly and the operations team to deliver value in 30% less operation time. Conflict isn’t a bad thing with the right technology.