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Delight
Your Customers
Customer Service Tips and Education
April 2004
Many employees do not feel
they need customer service training because they do not directly deal with the
external customers. The fact is this: everybody has a customer, no
matter where on the organizational ladder they may be.
What
happens at VTC when: 
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Necessary information is missing?
- Or
deadlines are missed?
- Or
you’re put on hold by another department?
- Or
there is not follow-through on a project?
You are a
customer when you get material, information, or services from others in your
organization or from an outside source (vendors).
You are a
supplier when you provide material, information or services of others within
the organization or to external customers.
Most
employees have many more internal customers and suppliers than external
ones.
So how do
you identify who an internal customer is?
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Your customer is
whoever benefits from the work you do, or conversely, suffers when your
work is done poorly or not at all. |
To
identify your internal customers, ask these three simple and key questions:
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Where
does my work go?
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Who
is it important to?
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How
does it affect the work they do?
Once you
have identified all of your internal customers, meet with each one to identify
ways you can provide them with better service. Encourage your co-workers to
do the same.
Ask each
of your internal customers these questions:
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What do
you need from me?
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What do
you do with what I give you?
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Are
there any gaps between what I give you and what you need?
Your
work is part of a customer-supplier chain. It is not an isolated activity.
What we do and how we do it affects many others . . . both internally and
externally.
Providing
outstanding service to internal customers enables the organization to provide
outstanding service to external customers. Take five minutes today and talk
with one of your internal customers to see if there are any things that you
can do to improve your service to that customer.
It
affects us all . . .
| Every Customer Counts |
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David Saxby is president of Measure-X, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based measurement,
training and recognition company that specializes in customer service and
sales skills training for utilities. He can be reached at 888-644-5499 or via
e-mail at
david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X Web site at
www.measure-x.com.
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