Respecting the Customer -
Internal & External
PART OF THE LEAN MINDSET
Respecting the Customer – Internal & External
The external customer is the person who has bought your product or services. This person needs to be shown respect and treated well, otherwise they won’t be a customer again. An internal customer is a colleague, another department, or someone you are passing your work onto.
Both types of customers should be respected. You should be prioritising the needs of customers and treating them with the utmost respect and care.
External Customers
For external customers, you should ensure:
- That you are delivering high-quality products or services that exceed their expectations.
- That you listen to their feedback and use it to improve what you are offering.
- That your products and services are consistent and reliable, without defects.
- That you are responsive to their enquiries, concerns and needs.
Respecting external customers is crucial for building trust, loyalty, and long-lasting relationships. This in turn, can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Internal Customers
For internal customers, you should ensure:
- That you provide support and assistance to colleagues to help them perform their jobs and processed more effectively.
- That you maintain clear communication within the organisation to ensure goals are aligned and people are working to the same aims.
- That you treat all colleagues with professionalism, kindness and respect. You should foster a positive and collaborative work environment.
- That you are recognising that the work of one department can affect others, and you must strive for co-operation between all departments and areas.
Respecting internal customers is essential for creating a nice place to work. It should ensure that there is harmony between departments and individual employees feel valued and motivated to do their best work.
Respect is a core principle in 2-Second Lean. Respecting the customer, whether it is the people buying your products or the person working beside you, is essential. It involves delivering quality, being responsive, listening to feedback, and treating all customers with kindness and respect. By following this, you can contribute to a positive culture of continuous improvement that benefits everyone involved in the business.
