" The Internal Customer"

"In my recent conversations with both In-House and Outsourced Service providers, the subject of dealing with demanding customers. Here is a reprint of one of my articles from 2019.?"

I was having a conversation with a custodial services manager for a large organization. He happened to mention that he was glad he was no longer a building service contractor, and was able to have an in house staff. I asked why he was so happy. He answered, “Because he did not have to deal with demanding and unreasonable customers!”?and?“I do not miss having to interact with customers”. ?

I have known this person for several years and I have to say I was a bit stunned. Anytime we provide a service, we have a customer. In this?case,?it is an internal customer.?The internal customer is anyone within an organization who at any time is dependent on?the services our department provides. They are the employees or staff within your company.?

How should we treat this customer? What are the secrets to establishing and developing a program that results in a satisfied Internal Customer? Are they to be treated any differently than an External Customer??

The Foundation?

You are responsible to communicate the services you provide.?Explain what they???can reasonably expect. Such as:?

• Scope of work?
• How to communicate requests and complaints?
• Frequency service is going to be provided?

Laying this foundation is vital in the development of a program that results in a satisfied customer.?.?If they have unrealistic expectations, explain your workflow, priorities, processes, and timelines. Then, reinforce your goal is to provide top-notch service for them.?There is no reason not to have the same commitment to provide good service as our organization has to the external customer.?Strive to make your internal customer a flag waver for your department.?

Key Components Needed to Satisfy Our Customer?

1. Communication?

To communicate means to have the ability to listen.?Listen to the reasons the internal customer gives us for not being satisfied with our service. Listening to our staff regarding items that may be preventing them from performing their job at an acceptable level.?Communication can be:?

• Written?
• Verbal?
• Electronic?

Just because we have a variety of ways to communicate, it does not replace a physical presence by the manager or supervisor.?

Make sure you have a process of “Closing the Circle”?

?Closing the Circle assists in the development of customer confidence in your service.?When you receive an email that requires additional work or research, let the person know that you received it and you?will work on it.??

1. Make them flag wavers?

In every organization, there is a person or two that always calls and complains, even if the complaint is not from their area. These are the people that when their name appears on our phone we get a case of?heartburn. We have a choice; continue to get heartburn or make them a flag waver for our department. I always chose the latter! How is it possible to make a chronic complainer into a supporter of our department? Let me relate an example of what I mean.?

My office at Disney was on the Studio in Burbank. I oversaw several buildings that were off lot, and these buildings not visited by me as often as those on the Studio lot. There was a woman that sat on the fourth floor of a six-story building. Amazingly, this woman knew about every missing trashcan and dispenser that was missed the night before. She was that person that made you cringe when you saw her name on the phone screen. After a week of hearing her complaints every day, I arranged to meet her at her building. To my?surprise,?she did not have three heads or spit out fiery flames when she spoke. I thanked her for the excellent observations and for her taking the time each day to inform me of all our deficiencies. Without her observations, it would be impossible for the department to satisfy the building occupants. I mentioned that it is very unusual for someone to take the time out of their busy schedules to call the manager of the department and share her constructive comments. I asked if I could?ask a favor of her, although she really had gone way beyond already. I asked if I could call her on a regular basis or come by and check with her. A smile appeared and she said I could contact her anytime. I thanked her and asked if I could use her as an internal resource if I ever encountered a building occupant that felt our work was not good. She agreed, and she did become our biggest flag waver. Interestingly, although the calls from her were less frequent, when she did call, it was to tell me of someone who was complaining about the service, but after investigating it was not our fault, and she was able to make that know to the complainer. This might not work all the time, but you will be surprised how many times it does work?

2. Our responsibility to them?

An internal provider of service is responsible for setting clear guidelines about what internal customers can reasonably expect.?The internal customer also must communicate expectations regarding?the scope of work.?One of the biggest elements of a customer dissatisfied with the quality of?work?is the scope of work. The scope of work was written several years ago and was?applicable then, but not after the building has?been remodeled several times over the years.?The bottom line is we could follow the current scope of work exactly as written and still not provide a quality that will satisfy the customer.?We need to identify those segments of the scope that needs to be redesigned and then discussed with the internal customer!??

3. Customer Responsibilities?

In order to provide the best customer service, internal providers need the cooperation of customers in allowing?the service provider an opportunity to discuss issues preventing them from performing services at an acceptable quality level or to bring to the customers attention ideas to improve service.?

For example:??

When special requests arise, it is important to have enough?lead time?and providing information?that allows the service provider enough time to complete the job to the satisfaction of the requester.?.?

Internal providers who find they?are constantly working on customer 'emergencies' must clarify to customers the strain this causes to provider.?

A successful internal customer environment depends on the mutual respect and consideration of all team members towards each other.??

A clear communication between internal customers and service providers is essential.?The internal service provider should strive to provide the same quality of service that our organization provide for the external customer!?