Internal customer action will affect your service quality
The internal provider of service is responsible for clarifying what is needed from each internal customer. Simply put, the employer needs to service his employees needs. This would include detailed information on how to accomplish the assigned tasks. A clear understanding of job responsiblities is required for everyone to succeed.
Most internal customer service problems are a result of the 'silo' mentality where people and departments work in isolation, consider only their own priorities, and think others are sitting around not completing their necessary tasks.
Take a break with co-workers from another part of your organization. Talk to them during lunch about what's happening in their department. We all we can lack perspective about how other functions operate.
When talking to co-workers from other departments, develop an understanding of how the whole organization works. How does your contribution fit into the big picture? What do other departments need from you to meet their goals?
A clear understanding how each job catagory fits into overall workflow of organization must be provided to each individual and reinforced to maintain a customer satisfaction. Ignoring this fact will guarantee lower levels of quality, resentment from provider, and a reputation for lack of professionalism.
- Cooperation
Create, or contribute to, an environment in which status is accorded to those who share freely and don't build walls.
The more employees know about the goals of the company as a whole, and how each
department contributes to accomplishing those goals, the less likely they are to feel a need to
be territorial...
Forums for sharing information can be as grand as a company-wide assembly or as modest
as a chat in the hall. A shared lunch between two departments would qualify, as would e-mails
and memos outlining what a particular department is doing and why.
A 'must have right away attitude' causes stress and unneeded conflict. A clear communication between internal customers and service providers is essential.
With internal customer service, most believe the other employee should intuitively understand priorities because they all work for the same organization. This is not true! Priorities must be part of the natural flow of task assignment.
This brings to mind the phrase: Poor planning on your part does not consitute an emergency on my part.
Always know your internal customers' expectations, and be a part of their expectation setting. Should an internal customer have false or unrealistic expectations, explain your workflow, priorities, processes and timelines in providing top quality service for them.
Be very clear about what you need from them in order to meet their needs
Define timelines and quality levels. Let them know what they can expect from you. Let your internal know customers how they fit into your workload, and listen to their delivery needs. In your original request, include sufficient information to allow the provider to adequately estimate the time and resources needed. Be prepared to provide additional information as needed.
Negotiate delivery Honor the provider's priorities, workflow, and processes dates and quality levels.Always keep your internal customers informed on project progress.
Nobody likes to be blindsided by delays or last minute requests for additional information.
Once you understand your service provider's process, develop your time line for delivering the request. Certainly 'emergencies' happen, and service providers can be pressured to meet tight deadlines.
However, internal customers who consistently expect providers to 'bend the rules' to meet emergency deadlines strain their service providers and disrupt everyone's priorities.
Internal customers who operate in 'emergency' mode have a negative impact on the workflow as a whole, and cheat others who have planned more realistically.
The best of the best customer service representitives understand that there is no difference between their external customers and internal customers. The better you serve internal customers the better service you get from internal customers. The better the internal customer service the better the external customer service.
An internal phone call is still an important part of your business. There is value to providing quality service no matter who is on the other end of the line. Internal calls should be answered in the same professional manner as an external call.
Say Thank You!
You say Thank You to external customers be sure and do the same for your internal customers.
Internal customer service programs may take additional time and money, you and your company will profit in the long run.