Who’s Your Customer? The Key to Thriving Inside and Out
We all have our focus on the customers that buy our products or services, right? That’s how we pay our bills and keep our lights on…so they say!
Excellence in Customer Service – a timeless goal for any and all in business! Successful businesses thrive on satisfied customers and repeat business. We want our customers to have such a delightful experience with our products/services, that they keep coming back for more. Amen?
Often overlooked is the importance of excellence in the internal customer service experience. Who are our internal customers? And who are their internal customers? And why should this be of such importance?
Equally important to external customers are our internal customers. Those teammates who look to us for leadership, which includes training, materials, guidance, mentoring, patience, encouragement, empathy, communications … and respect! Excellence in employee experience actually leads to excellence in external customer experience. And, guess what – you can’t have one without the other.
In Jacob Morgan’s book, The Employee Experience Advantage, his by-line is, “How to win the war for talent by giving employees the workspaces they want, the tools they need, and a culture they can celebrate.” Morgan’s book provides a guide for organizations looking to create employee experiences. “…but it cannot teach you or our leaders to genuinely care about the people who work there. In fact, I don’t believe this is something that can be taught.”
Leaders who truly care about excellence in employee experience invest time and energy in their employees because they care. They don’t invest for the business value. They invest because they care, and the business value comes as a result.
As business leaders we can put so much into our product and service to satisfy our external customers and we can still miss the mark. There is no end to the actions we will take to repair the relationship and to earn back their confidence and loyalty.
Likewise – we can invest in our internal customers with the best of intentions and still miss the mark. How will we know? Ultimately, they quit us because they think we quit them!
There are many tools available to understand and measure your effectiveness in your quest for excellence in internal customer service.
One of my favorite leaders regularly asks each employee, “What can I do to make your work better?” “How can we improve our work environment?” He values each person’s opinion and it shows!
If you would like some support with improving your employee’s experience within your company or organization please contact us at info@thequalitycoach.com