Six Service Principles For Delighting Internal Customers
by Charles Dominick
Published on this site: November 19th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
The word "customer" evokes images of an individual
standing at a cash register, ready to fork over cash for a
product that she's just purchased. This is an example of an
"external" customer.
Because of this perception of what a customer is, many people
working in corporate office jobs don't feel that they deal
with customers. But almost every job has its customers. Coworkers
in other departments, management, and anyone else who you support by your daily work can and should
be considered customers.
They are your "internal customers." And they want
good service. They expect to be treated like patrons at a
restaurant, guests at a hotel, shoppers at a store. This article
will give you some service principles that will enable you
to delight your customers when working on a project with or
for them.
- Principle - Document & Share Your Action Plan
The first thing you should do when working on a project
involving an internal customer is to communicate, in writing,
what you are going to do and when you will be done. This
helps customers understand all of the work involved in meeting
their needs and sets their expectations for what constitutes
a timely completion.
- Principle - Under-Promise & Over-Deliver
Imagine this: One pizza shop promised to deliver
your pizza in 30 minutes, but actually delivered it in 40
minutes. Another pizza shop promised to deliver your pizza
in 45 minutes, but actually delivered it in 40 minutes.
Which pizza shop would you be upset with? Certainly not
the one who performed better than the expectations that it set.
When you communicate timelines to your customers, under-promise.
Give them a date that you can not only meet, but beat. They'll
think you're excellent when you over-deliver (i.e., perform
better than expected). If you do the opposite - over-promising
and under-delivering - you'll quickly gain areputation of
incompetence.
- Principle - Update Customers Regularly
When there is a significant amount of time between the communication
of your action plan and your completion of your work, give
your customers regular updates of your progress. Without
periodic communication, your customers will fear that you
have forgotten their needs. Simply sending your customers
a brief weekly email will give them comfort in planning
their work while avoiding any impatient, ill-timed calls
to you.
If you follow these three principles from the beginning
of a project and all goes as planned, you've provided excellent
service. But what if things don't go as planned? You could
have a customer relations disaster on your hands if you're
not careful. Here are three more principles to help you
handle adversity when serving an internal customer.
- Principle - Express Concerns Immediately
Sometimes it may not look like you're going to meet a deadline.
Don't avoid speaking with your internal customer, fearing
their wrath and hoping a miracle will turn things around.
Be honest. Give them time to plan in case things don't turn
around. They may be upset that their project is not on schedule,
but their fury will be minor compared to the anger they
would feel if they found out “at the last minute”
as opposed to well in advance. Assure them that you will
stay on top of the project to try to get it back on track.
- Principle - Don't Make Excuses
If something negative happens with the project, accept responsibility.
Tell your customer what you are going to do to minimize
the impact of the issues. Don't displace blame by saying
that your supplier is incompetent or that your boss took
too long to review your work. People don't like to hear about problems. They like to hear about solutions. So take
responsibility for whatever actions are required to satisfy
your internal customer. Let them know you have something
personal at stake.
- Principle - Follow Up
After you've met the project goal, touch base with your
internal customer. Find out how your work is affecting them
after the fact. And ask them about your service. It is rewarding
to hear someone compliment your efforts - it doesn't happen
too often for many of us! Plus, their words may give you
ideas on how to improve your service for them and other
internal customers in the future
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM is the president
of Next Level Purchasing, Inc. Next Level Purchasing administers
the SPSM Certification Program. For more information on the
SPSM Certification Program, please visit http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com/spsm.html
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