Ask any customer care provider who their customer is and they will answer: present customers, past lapsed customers or new prospects who may need our products and services. This reply is a great definition of our external customers. But they often overlook the internal customers – those people within the company from whom we will need something, whose support we’ll need, who can slow us down, or who can expedite our jobs.
Suppose a customer is having a problem with getting a credit approval or with their billing, would it help to have built a great relationship with the finance team?
What if a customer needs an order expedited. Would a great relationship with the warehouse group ensure priority shipping for an account needing that quick turnaround?
How about sales people? Customer care professionals often needs information from the sales team that takes them away from their other duties. Building strong win/win relationships with outside sales people ensures they’ll take that time rather than be reluctant to disrupt their day for you..
Internal customers, or partners, are often taken for granted. Customer care professionals who invest time and thought into growing those relationships almost always find their days are more effective and their external customers are better served. What ‘partner’ relationships should you invest in to achieve better results for your customers?