CRITICAL THINKING SERIES NO. 35 – DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE INTERNAL CUSTOMER! DON’T FORGET ABOUT WRECK-IT RALPH! -

“If we want our external customer service to be first rate, our internal customer services must be first rate first.” – Dean Lindsay

Have you seen the movie, “Wreck-It Ralph”? About the video game “Wreck-It Ralph”, where Ralph, a large, muscular character, as part of the game, regularly destroys an apartment building. And it’s up to “Fix-It Felix” to use his golden hammer to repair all the damage that Ralph does. Felix is celebrated by all the residents of the apartment building, while Ralph is ignored and has to sleep on an open pile of bricks in a dump. Eventually, Ralph gets tired of his second-hand treatment. He realizes he’s as important to the success of the video game as anyone, and starts looking for some appreciation and validation for his important role.

Ralph is a critical internal customer who feels unappreciated. How can you apply Critical Thinking to acknowledge and recognize the internal customers on your teams who may also feel unappreciated?

Who typically receives the bulk of the recognition in companies? Usually those with external facing roles who directly engage with the customer or high-visibility product development efforts. Sales. Product Management. Marketing. Communications. HR.

Is there anything wrong with celebrating these important functions? No. However, is it just these high-profile functions which enable the enterprise to run successfully? Of course not. There’s also Engineering. Information Technology. Quality. Finance. Product Management. Field Services. Manufacturing. Commercial Operations. Training. And others.

Are the accounting teams that process invoices and chase down payments at the end of the quarter any less important than the Sales Department? What about the sourcing team responsible for selecting the best vendors? How about the folks in supply chain who have to implement corrections to avoid rework? Or those in IT who must fix a major glitch in a widely used tool in 24 hours?

Getting back to “Wreck-It Ralph”, Ralph attends a “Bad Guy” affirmation meeting ("Bad-Anon"), a support group for video game villains, like Bowser (Mario Brothers) and Clyde (Pac-Man). They share their struggles, and at the end of the meeting repeat the “Bad Guy Affirmation”:

– “I’m bad. And that’s good. I will never be good. And that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

But if you think about it, these video game characters aren’t “bad”. They’re just as essential to the success of the video game as the hero character is. However, since they don’t have the positive profile of the “hero”, they’re made to feel less important. These are really just marginalized internal customers.

There are hundreds of popular quotes that highlight the importance of the customer:

-????? “Make the customer the hero of your story.” – Ann Handley

-????? “If you don’t care, your customer never will.” – Marlene Blaszczyk

-????? “Building a good customer experience does not happen by accident. It happens by design.” – Clare Muscutt

-????? “When the customer comes first, the customer will last.” – Robert Half

When you hear these quotes, which customer do you immediately think of? Of course, the external customer. The customer buying your product or service.

But think about it. Are these quotes any less appropriate for our internal customers?

-????? The engineering team which needs rigorous problem-solving to prevent recurring errors?

-????? The field team which needs timely and accurate replacement material because the original P.O. was incorrect.?

-????? The IT team which needs engagement from the functional teams to deliver a quality IT platform?

To apply Critical Thinking to internal customers, flip the script, and consider them in the same way you would treat external customers: ?

-????? Am I delivering a quality product or service to my internal customers?

-????? Do I put myself in their shoes, and make sure I deliver what they need accurately and on time?

-????? Do I respect their time, provide clear and reasonable expectations, and provide sufficient information to do their job?

“Want to drive success? Give your employees the same experience as your customers” (Qualtrics) addresses how to improve “EX” (Employee Experience), which “embraces the idea that (when) employees have expectations around the customer service provided internally, they can foster an environment that drives both managing and understanding internal CX (Customer Experience), which in turn promotes strong EX.”

The following are practical ways to drive an environment which embraces internal CX:

1)??? START WITH FEEDBACK – Collect employee feedback at the moment of internal transaction.

2)??? TAKE ACTION AND USE CLOSED-LOOP FOLLOWUP – Establish a closed-loop internal customer support system, so when an internal customer raises an issue, someone personally responds to ensure the issue is addressed.

3)?? CREATE SERVICE STANDARDS – Define standards for internal customer support, such as a help desk or a 6-hour response time to issues.

4)?? CELEBRATE SUCCESS – Recognize and publicize great examples of internal customer experiences (EX).

Treating all our internal customers with same sense of urgency and importance that we serve our external customers will drive improved morale, engagement, and accountability. So there will be no need for an “Unappreciated Internal Customer Affirmation”.

“My role is internal. And that’s good. My contributions will never be celebrated or recognized. And that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”