Internal Customer Service
We are all customers of each other! Listen here
Customer Service is something that I am passionate about…but that has its downsides…I struggle to go anywhere without watching people, listening to how they interact with other’s! Likewise, I am one of the leading reviewers in the North West on Trip Advisor. Yet my reviews are in the main very favorable, where things are not quite right, I try to give genuine advice.
While we strive to delight our customers, we sometimes forget our internal colleagues…those that we interact with on a daily basis.
On a personal level, I can never understand why some people forget the basics…I equate customer excellence to the mirror effect…what you offer, comes back in abundance…picture how you feel when someone delights you with the help that they give you…imagine how you feel when you do the same!
External customers are the people who pay you for using your product or service, whereas internal customers are any colleagues in your company that you interact with, including temporary workers, contractors, or full-time employees…similarly suppliers etc.
The key…each are dependent on each other to get the work done…in part to ensure that the end customer is always satisfied.
The way that you interact with your colleagues makes a huge difference to increased productivity, employee retention and better external customer service. In essence, it starts with YOU!
Five things that you can do!
- Set clear expectations of timeframes and don’t leave things to the last minute.
- Recognise and understand how the internal jigsaw fits together…interact with other departments and see how you link!
- Show that you value your colleagues and provide feedback!
- Develop a positive attitude and be a doer and not a blamer!
- Share best practice and work together to solve problems.
Ask yourself and discuss in your teams…how well do we interact with others and their teams, and how could we improve? Then make it happen…Be a Customer Champion…Internally and externally!
Customer Service is not a department, it’s an attitude.