What is Cross Functional Planning?

More and more companies are adopting the concept of integrated logistics management which recognizes that providing better customer services and trimming distribution costs requires teamwork, both inside the company and among all the marketing channel organizations. Therefore, successful functional integration can be achieved throughout the organization though cross-functional planning, cross-functional teamwork and cross-functional communication.

Cross-functional planning plays an important role for an organization to decide how to allocate their valuable resources for different business function to achieve the marketing concept. Cross functional planning involve making better and flexible decision among all the business function. In order to plan an effective plan, each business function must have close integration, cooperation and collaboration with each others. Cross functional planning can help the organization to increased customer satisfaction by putting more commitment and follow-up process into account.

When there is an effective cross functional planning, each business function will notice the objective of the plan and their role in the plan. Besides that, cross-functional planning also clearly indicates how many resources such as capital, human resources, time and others the organization will invest in each business function to achieve the marketing concept. Thus, each business function will know exactly what is going on in the entire organization and sustain well integrated relationship among each others. With effective cross-functional planning, organization can reduce the conflict between each business functions and increased the performance and cooperation of all the business function to meet the customer needs and satisfaction more effectively and efficiently.

Secondly, cross functional teamwork not necessary exists only within different business function of an organization, many companies have created cross functional company team with other companies. Cross functional teamwork is really important as it bring people from different business function or company together to achieve a same mission, which is to put customer at the first place and cooperate among each other to sustain customer satisfaction.

Lastly, cross functional communication is also really important for the whole organization to communicate effectively throughout different business functions. The flow of valuable information and effective cooperation will only be success if the cross functional communication is effective enough. Each business function needs to communicate with each other to find out more and detailed information about the customer. Business functions must exchange valuable information and data frequently to make sure that all business functions know what the customer wants and try their best to satisfy the needs and wants of the customer. In conclusion, by performing the cross-functional activities effectively, organization effort to increase productivity and to enhance customer satisfaction in this new millennium will be more sufficient and encouraging.