4. Internal Customer Service
Case Study
Internal Customer Service Seminar; By: Donna Earl (2004)
A local supporter for a large manufacturing company was concerned about the
organizations profit decrease, their reputation was having excellent products, but
terrible customer service.
Many expensive lapses in the companies internal customer service came too light.
The customer service were responsible for taking orders for highly technical, mostly
customized parts.
The issue stood where engineers viewed customer service reps as low priority,
unimportant, and annoying.
The calculation of the loss for one incorrect shipment was $125,000 in wasted labor,
materials, and other expenses. In addition, the cost of frustration towards the external
customer had damaged the companies reputation
At the end of the Service Seminar, the engineers understood what the Customer
service managers where teaching; responding to customer service reps is a priority,
and is good business.
5. Successful Companies!
All the companies who are successful, have one thing in common,
a good internal customer staff!
Example 1) McDonalds, they are one of the best for having good
customer service. Their main priority, under maintaining good
quality of food is providing professional, satisfactory customer
service.
Example 2) Honda, like many car companies, offers a
substantially good customer service, which provides great
success to the company.
6. The importance of Internal
Customers
Deliver what what external customer wants, regardless of what the internal
customer wants!
For example, if one rental company named Stinky Bug, offered a customer service
where the customer arrives, and has his reserved car ready to drive, with the
engine in the ignition, and easily to maneuver onto the road. The customer would
be satisfied as his valuable time is shortened just by the small extra effort given by
the internal customers.
If the second rental company named Black Beard, offered a customer service
where the external customer would have to interact with the internal customer prior
to entering his car, then given the keys, and required to maneuver passed the
obstacle of the other parked rental cars, would cause him/her to lose time, and
have impatience, especially for business men/women.
7. The importance of External Customers
External customers aren’t only responsible for ordering
what they want, but also commenting on internal
customer service.
Committing towards the suggestion box in an
organization could be beneficial for that particular
organization.
A simple “thank you” to the internal customer service,
could improve their efforts in providing you what you
want.
8. Encouraging a good internal customer
staff
Is the confidence of your company high? Are the staff happy about their
situation, goals, and circumstance in which they are situated in?
Happy employees are extremely productive, and external customers take
notice to this minor difference, not only does this difference make the
external customers more comfortable when pleading for something, but
the internal customer is also a better team player.
Will you go to an airline, where the internal customers are strikingly
horrible with management? If the engineers of the airline are ignorant
towards request for overviewing maintenance?
It is important for corporate values that emphasize treating internal
customers well, resulting in good customer service for the external
customers.
9. Catering to customer service needs
Internal customers should never complain within the distance where the external
customer could over hear. They take note that the organization is not we! run.
Internal customers shouldn’t complain to external customers about the poor work
quality of another internal customer in another department, who wants to take their
business where the internal customers do not get along.
A!ow “Employee of the Month” to give the employees the opportunity to work
amongst each other to provide a better performance in customer service.
Make it clear to the internal customers that the formula for a successful organization is
internal customer + external customer = Successful organization.
Providing positive attention to the internal customers, complimenting on good work
that they have done, could maximize their customer service performance
10. What’s more important, Internal
or External customers?
External customers are those who pay, and provide the checks for the employees
at an organization, if it weren’t for any external customers, the organization would
not succeed.
Internal customers are those who satisfy the external customers, providing good
service, and products under their request.
With out External customers, there wouldn’t be an organization, the internal
customers wouldn’t get paid. With poor Internal customers, the organization would
be extremely unorganized, and lack in business quality as the external customers
would take their business elsewhere.
In a nutshell, with out internal customers, there wouldn’t be external customers, so
the importance lies between the both of customers.
