Monday, July 03, 2006

Serving the Internal Customers

Employees are often termed as the internal customers. Management gurus have been preaching the fact that to satisfy the external customers it is initially necessary to satisfy your internal customers. Internal customers are more than your Brand ambassadors. Indeed, they are a part of your culture. They do more than merely representing your company.

1. Employees who imbibe the organizational goals can be pro-active and help suppress your fears about competition. Employees are the most significant weapons you can use against competition. If your employees are able to safe-guard your interests in fighting with your competition, the war is half-won. Customers who can understand the loyalty of the employee indeed, in turn, become loyal to your company. The route to customer loyalty is therefore employee loyalty.

2. There are many products and services of which your employees are also your customers. Many companies offer free samples to their own employees. This has two advantages. Firstly, employees are happy to be a part of the organization and for getting the recognition that they very well deserve. Secondly, they can act as a centre of feedback as you can get the real customer feedback through the employees. Unbiased feedback can also be derived from employees who are really loyal to the company. With such a feedback, companies can improve the quality of their products or services and increase the customer base.

3. Research has proved the fact that employees who are also given a share of the company realize the significance of ownership with increased sense of responsibility. Such employees often leave no stone unturned to ensure the success of the company. It is very easy to imbibe the organizational goals in the minds of such employees. They devise strategies to generate more revenues with minimal costs.

4. A big multi-national company has succeeded in innovation when compared to the other companies as it has succeeded in motivating its employees in the right way. The company, indeed, has found the easiest route to motivation. Managers motivate the employees and the managers get the deserved recognition at the success of a project. This does not happen in most of the companies where the Chairman or the Managing Director win the accolades for successful projects where they invove in nothing beyond planning of the entire activity. It is is necessary to ensure recognition for the real leaders who encourage innovation.

5. Human beings always pine for something more. Companies are at crossroads on how to satisfy and motivate their employees. New strategies have been designed to increase the satisfaction levels of the employees. Leaders have learnt to become more participative encouraging the involvement of each and every team member. The best way to esnure that the employees are continuously satisfied is to delight them in ways hitherto unknown. This rule is borrowed from the Marketing theory where customers delight needs take significance over other needs.

It is employees who make or break the organization. Learn to deal effectively with the employees and avoid problems in the future.