Proper management of Internal Customer relations is critical. A Customer is dependent on the timely, efficient and accurate generation and communication of data stemming from another party, who can be internal or external to the company. The Internal Customer stems from departments whose functional success is dependent on their relationship with other departments within the organization. Managing the health of these relationships works to assure a seamless and efficient operation within and between functional areas.
The first step to properly managing the Internal Customer relationship is identifying intra- and inter- departmental/functional area dependencies that are critical to the success of the operation. Once the dependencies have been identified, the responsible personnel for managing those dependencies should be identified. Each employee should know who their Internal Customers are and what is expected of them.
Properly managing the relationship between Internal Customers cultivates an environment designed for success resulting from teamwork rather than disjointed silos. The needs of each Internal Customer should be clearly identified, communicated and must be in support of the overall company mission and objectives. Each individual must understand the critical success factors required by the operation and what is expected of them when providing the necessary supporting data to their Internal Customers. The data provided should be timely and accurate and based on company objectives rather than solely based on the needs of the individual receiving the data.
In summary, it is important to remember that when managing the Internal Customer relationship, success is dependent upon mutual respect. In order to be effective, this relationship should be a part of the company culture. Healthy Internal Customer relationships create a more productive working environment that will result in the overall success in an organization.
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