Many people think of customer service as something external, or outside the company, that goes along with a sale or a transaction.  "Buy something from me and you're my customer," is often the prevailing logic.  But such a thought process excludes those to whom we often provide essential products and services – our internal customers, that is, our fellow employees. 

Strong, positive inter-departmental co-operation – satisfying the internal customer – can make the difference in providing an appropriate level of service to our external customers.

This program encourages participants to broaden their view of a "customer" – to think of co-workers in their own departments and particularly in other departments as teammates with similar goals and objectives.

Internal customer service poses both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses, other organizations, and individuals.  In some cases, people may cling to outdated notions of departmental autonomy.  In other instances, they may protect their "turf" by not communicating effectively.  And in still other cases, they may demonstrate a counter-productive commitment to individual rather than collective goals.

This program examines how even in a company where people are aware of the importance of customer service, problems arise when the funndamentals of good internal customer service are ignored.