3 Minute Read

We have all had it happen. You have a lot on your plate and so many things to get done. It seems like everything is an emergency. Then you get an email from someone outside of your department asking (what seems to you) a question that only requires common sense. You shoot back a short, witty response and go about your day. Everything is fine…until the person receives your message.

“Customer service is not a department. It's an attitude” – Unknown

 What was common sense to you was actually new information to the person who asked you the question. What you didn’t know was that this person was new to his department, and had not been trained on the task. This person is now frustrated. He was reaching out for help and received a sarcastic, snarky response instead. And the jargon you used only confused him more. This person now knows that every interaction with you is going to be a moment of misery and no longer wants to work with you. He not only has this impression of you, but everyone in your department. Not such a good first impression.

Who are your customers?

When you think of a customer, what comes to mind? Most people would think of the person or organization who purchases goods or services from your company. But that’s only half correct. What’s the other half? The other half are the employees within your company. Those people who work every day to make your company successful.

Now for another question: When the word customer service comes up, which department do you think of? Most likely, you thought of the “Account Services” department. But in reality, customer service is the responsibility of each and every employee in your organization. Even if you are not working directly with the outside customer, chances are, you are probably working with someone who is. Everyone within your organization has an impact on the external customer.

Why are internal customers important?

Simply put, an internal customer is anyone within your organization who is dependent on anyone else in the organization to do a job or complete a task. Have you ever needed information from another person before you could complete a task? That makes YOU an internal customer. Have you ever helped on a project for someone else, or given information to another department? That makes THEM your internal customer.

Every department within your organization has goals and priorities. Sometimes, those goals and priorities are dependent upon information from other departments. The thing people fail to realize is that even though they have many things to get done, so does everyone else. And the kicker is…all the things you are doing somehow relate to the external customer. The reason you are in business in the first place.

"We are all one team working toward a common goal."

 It’s time to start working together. Department versus department needs to be a thing of the past. Remember, we are all one team working toward a common goal. If we fail to have empathy for those in other departments and fail to build bridges between departments, then we are not doing our jobs. What goes around comes around. Helping other departments succeed in reaching their goals can help your department succeed when those roles are reversed.

It’s time to stop thinking of questions from other departments as a distraction and waste of your valuable time. It is time to make their success your success. It’s time to see the greater good in helping others succeed.

Customer service has to be a TOTAL company effort. For both internal and external customers. So the next time you are busy and frustrated with another department that needs information from you, ask yourself this: How would you treat your customer?

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