Marketing and Quality: What is the boundary between these two areas in Transport Companies?

The concept we have in mind about the marketing activity of a transport company is of a department that stands at the end of the organization's value chain, right ahead of the sales department, exclusively dedicated to the promotion techniques of the company’s services. This department is responsible for supporting company activities, in terms of ‘packaging’ and making the developed products/services ‘more attractive’, in a field where the real interest of the customer has been neglected.

Nowadays, with the evolution of Marketing, we see this department as an important piece in the organization’s structure, not only limited to advertising and propaganda, but being an integral part of the company’s strategy, as it contributes to its productivity and profitability. Within an transport company with well-implemented marketing activities, the customer interest and service functionality are integrated into the entire work process.

Quality and Marketing are closely related. Is there a frontier between the two areas or are we talking about the same Management System under different names?

In the end, the Quality Manager imposes more organizational and methodical techniques, while the Marketing Manager has more of a creative take on things. However, both areas pay particular attention to the organization's strategy, the design of its products/services, and the establishment and communication of a solid corporate identity.

When we talk about Quality Management-focused Marketing, the department’s entire work process should be oriented towards one main objective: total customer satisfaction.

How should I tap into the potential of my company’s Marketing department to achieve this?

There are 6 main responsibilities of Marketing:

• No. 1 Clear and correct identification of customer needs and requirements;
• No. 2 Communicating these expectations to the stakeholders of each process (new product/service development, sales, operations, after-sales, etc.);
• No. 3 Making sure that customer needs are met;
• No. 4 Verifying that the customers receive adequate instructions about the provided services;
• No. 5 Keeping in contact with the customers, in order to maintain a relationship that will result in their loyalty;
• No. 6 Getting customer feedback in order to generate continuous improvement in the organization.

Within the field of Quality Management, Marketing focuses directly on delivering value and customer satisfaction. Hence, the Marketing team plays the role of being the voice of the customer within the organization, and constantly defends the concept of giving the customer the most appropriate solution whilst meeting or exceeding expectations.

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