Engaging customers today requires commitment from the entire company—and a redefined marketing organization.

For the past decade, marketers have been adjusting to a new era of deep customer engagement. They’ve tacked on new functions, such as social-media management; altered processes to better integrate advertising campaigns online, on television, and in print; and added staff with Web expertise to manage the explosion of digital customer data. Yet in our experience, that’s not enough. To truly engage customers for whom “push” advertising is increasingly irrelevant, companies must do more outside the confines of the traditional marketing organization. At the end of the day, customers no longer separate marketing from the product—it is the product. They don’t separate marketing from their in-store or online experience—it is the experience. In the era of engagement, marketing is the company.

When people vent about problem individuals at work or at home, one fact becomes obvious. Most individuals have a long list of things that other people must do to improve but a short list of things they need to change in their own behavior.

John walked into work and problems came at him from all directions. Schedules for product lines had changed; there were messages from two angry customers, and a text from his daughter saying she needed the homework that was sitting on the kitchen table. The problems felt overwhelming and continued to ruin his day and his mood, which affected those around him, and his ability to do his job well, which led to a “behind closed doors” meeting with the boss.

Robert Half Survey: Executives Say Poor Skills Fit Most Common Reason New Hires Don’t Work Out

For employers, determining a job applicant’s skills fit is a skill in itself -- and one that, research suggests, isn’t so easy to master. In a Robert Half Finance & Accounting survey, more than one-third (36 percent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said the top factor leading to a failed hire, aside from performance issues, is a poor skills match.