Introduction
Today companies exist in an economic market that is saturated, where consumers are more demanding and competition has increased.
To perform an excellent administrative function in the company, you must have a basis for efficient operation in all areas of the company. Their goal is customer satisfaction but they are not clear on what a customer is, they only refer to the external customer and forget the internal customer as an important part of achieving their goals.
According to international ISO 9000 standards of 2000, a customer refers to the organization or person who is receiving a product. Instead, a product is the result of a process. On the other hand, a process is related activities, which are transformed from inputs to outputs.
So any organization or person who receives the result of the process or satisfaction of a need can be considered a customer.
Internal customer
The internal customer is the element within a company, which takes the result or product of a process as a resource to carry out its own process. Later, it will deliver its result to another worker of the company to continue the process until it is finished and put on sale, and it is acquired by the external client. Therefore, each worker is a client and a supplier within the company.
There are three types of internal clients:
- Executives. They have a closer relationship with external clients. They say what is the product or service to offer and to what market is it directed. Commercial. They have a direct relationship with different groups of workers, which makes them have a clear vision of quality. They are in charge of the elaboration of the products.
The internal customer must have information to understand the work they must carry out from their point of view, the company and the customer. In addition, the internal client must see the training as a personal opportunity and also of the company, since it is supposed to be something positive for him.
The internal customer must provide important information arising from his dealings with the external customer and the products, in order to improve his work. Also, you must have a global vision of the company so you must know how all areas work.
The company must install measures to manage conflicts between departments and avoid damage to its corporate image. Also promoting the importance of the internal client and rewarding their effort and not enough with the financial, should seek their happiness. You should not forget to motivate them and make them feel proud of your product that will allow them to establish an emotional connection with external customers.
External client
The external customer is the person who does not belong to the company and requests to satisfy a need (good or service).
These can be classified into types of Clients
- Loyal customers: they are the base of the company since they generate up to 50% of the income. Specialized customers in discounts: they are regular buyers according to the degree of discount that the company offers. Impulsive customers: they are guided by their impulses, they are not They go from the store without stopping to buy something. Needs-based customers: they have a need and look for a product because they need it. Wandering customers: they don't have any need when they enter the business, they do it sporadically.
Differences between internal and external client
There are differences between internal and external clients in the following aspects:
- The needs that satisfy:
The external customer comes to the company to satisfy a need such as food, recreation, etc.; unlike the internal client who seeks to satisfy needs for affiliation, security, self-esteem, self-fulfillment, etc.
When receiving a product, both customers satisfy a set of needs. For its part, the external client, the magnitude of the set is broader and better known (status, satisfaction, self-actualization, etc.).
On the other hand, the internal client, for most people, their only purpose is to obtain the money and they do not take into account other needs.
- The ways in which they reward the satisfaction of their needs.
The way in which the external client repays the satisfaction of a need is money, without knowing that it is through the physical and mental effort that the internal client makes that the need of the first is satisfied.
They think they are doing the internal customer a favor by letting him work and that the external customer is doing them a favor. But they do not know that if the internal client did not have the need to satisfy their own needs through their work, the external clients would not be able to satisfy or recover their paid money.
- The customer's power of choice.
Because there are many suppliers of the same product or service and the competition between them is increasing, they try to exalt the importance of the external client through product customization, since they know that if the external client is not satisfied, will abandon and seek another. They are absolutely right since it is up to them to make a profit.
But the opposite is the case with the internal client since there are few employers (companies) in the market and they are willing to do whatever it takes to have a job and satisfy their needs; They do their best to maintain it since finding another is difficult, except for those with qualities that make them stand out, in which case, the company does everything possible to keep it.
- The duration of the needs satisfaction process.
The service cycle time in which the external customer satisfies their need is very short compared to that of the internal customer.
External clients only go and satisfy their need (product or service) either sporadically or daily but still the time interval is minimal. Instead, the internal customer takes a total of hours a day (minimum 8 hours). The internal customer must wait longer to satisfy her need.
conclusion
Most companies only focus on their external clients since they give them income forgetting their workers. This generates that the work carried out does not have the necessary quality, and causes the loss of external clients.
In the same way they only care about external clients, forgetting that they must also worry about their internal clients, about how they feel, how they perceive their employment relationship, etc. Doing this will serve to avoid conflicts and improve work.
Finally, in a company the treatment given to workers is reflected in the treatment they give to external customers. Therefore, to keep external customers, we must first keep internal customers happy.
Bibliography
- Internal and external customer: differences and similarities: https://www.gestiopolis.com/diferencia-y-semejanzas-entre-cliente-interno-y-externo/Cliente: http://descuadrando.com/Descuadrando:PortadaSatisfación del cliente internal and external, two sides of the coin: http://www.eumed.net/rev/turydes/05/ysh.htm5 types of clients: http://www.pymerang.com/emprender/que-necesito-para -start-a-business / valid-information / potential-customers / 240-5-types-of-customers
