When we talk about customer service, we generally think only of the external customer, leaving aside the internal customer service. The truth is that all members of the company that any employee interacts with are internal customers, who need to be as well served as external customers.
Internal customers, that is, employees, are not only the people who hold a position and have a specific function within the company. They are actually brand ambassadors in all their relationships. For this reason, treating the internal customer well, through an organizational culture that reflects in turn what the company wants to convey to external customers, and that keeps employees motivated, is a fundamental foundation for business performance.
Companies must be clear about the need to serve their internal customers in an excellent way, through policies, strategies, action plans that promote the motivation and commitment of employees towards their work, their colleagues and their company. The excellent service received by internal customers will be reflected in the service they provide both to external customers and indirectly to the company's stakeholders, becoming positive brand ambassadors.
A positive organizational culture that keeps employees happy and engaged will have positive effects on sales. A happy, committed and satisfied employee with his work merges with his work, with the products and services of the company, is committed to the objectives of the company and is concerned with innovating and improving the way of doing his work, increasing the productivity of your activities. Such a situation in the company will be reflected in the attention they provide to external customers, facilitating loyalty and obtaining cross-sales. In addition, a happy and committed employee will speak in their social circles about their company with a passion and energy that will end up selling it to others. Finally, Fatima Martínez highlights on her blog,Unmotivated employees will hardly be able to transmit happiness and good energy to their customers and consumers. Also, when a company's staff is unmotivated, absenteeism rates increase.
Thus, treating internal customers with the same level of excellence with which external customers are treated will translate into increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, customer loyalty, new business opportunities and a better image of the company.. A motivated and happy employee is one of the best marketing tools that companies have.
Footnotes:
- Jiménez, Juan Carlos. "Internal customer service: Give to receive". Article published in Infociudadano in January 2012, available in Martínez, Fátima. "The Best Marketing Tool: Happy Employees." Article published in fmlopez48.wordpress.com, in March 2013, available at
