Internal customers are people that work within your organization but who should also be considered as customers because you are required to provide a service to them as part of your job specification and in order for them to function properly in their roles. The definition of an internal customer differs from that of an external customer, who are outside of your organization and are the people who are most commonly thought of as 'customers' when we usually think of the word.
The Skills for Logistics website (www.skillsforlogistics.org/home/qualifications/customer-care) provides the following example of the sort of internal customers that a delivery driver might have as part of their day to day job:
• Warehouse staff
• Traffic office staff and transport manager
• Maintenance workshop staff
• Sales and marketing staff
It is vital, that customer complaints are resolved with the same levels of professionalism and sensitivity regardless of whether the complaint has originated from an external customer or an internal customer. It may be the case, that your company already has specific guidelines for dealing with complaints from internal customers as opposed to external customers. In this case, you should try to find out if such guidelines exist and then to follow them as closely as you possibly can if they do exist.
If anything, it is more important that customer complaints from internal customers are resolved with more immediacy, as any ongoing disputes or disagreements are likely to impact upon the ability of your company to function and perform tasks properly. In this sense they should take priority and attempts should be made to resolve any ongoing disputes as quickly as possible.
The Skills for Logistics website (www.skillsforlogistics.org/home/qualifications/customer-care) provides the following example of the sort of internal customers that a delivery driver might have as part of their day to day job:
• Warehouse staff
• Traffic office staff and transport manager
• Maintenance workshop staff
• Sales and marketing staff
It is vital, that customer complaints are resolved with the same levels of professionalism and sensitivity regardless of whether the complaint has originated from an external customer or an internal customer. It may be the case, that your company already has specific guidelines for dealing with complaints from internal customers as opposed to external customers. In this case, you should try to find out if such guidelines exist and then to follow them as closely as you possibly can if they do exist.
If anything, it is more important that customer complaints from internal customers are resolved with more immediacy, as any ongoing disputes or disagreements are likely to impact upon the ability of your company to function and perform tasks properly. In this sense they should take priority and attempts should be made to resolve any ongoing disputes as quickly as possible.
