Internal versus External Customers

A service center exists to serve its customers. The whole center is involved in a collaborative process to meet its customers' needs. In addition to the external "real" customers, we also have internal customers. Within the service center we relate to each other, and we also provide services to each other.

Often the needs of the "internal" customer compete with the needs of the external customer. The question arises: how do we balance the internal requests for service with the demands and needs of our "real" customers?

The way I look at this issue is: if by providing service to you internally, I enable you to meet the needs of the external customer, then I will treat your request the same way I would treat a request from an external customer.

It's all about the customer. My number one priority as a service center must be the customer.

Now, beyond servicing the needs of the customer, there is also a need to maintain harmony within the organization. The real customer will always be my number one priority. The internal requests for service that don't relate directly to servicing the customer will be my second priority.

It's not that we ignore internal requests for service. In any job there are things that you have to do to adequately meet the requirements of the position. Not all of these things may relate directly to servicing the needs of the "real" customer. Those things do need to be addressed, but not at the expense of your core mission.

If you make a request internally for service, especially if you want it to be a high priority, remember that the external customer gets first priority. Unless your request relates directly to servicing their needs, your request should only get second priority at best.

If we all had lots of time and unlimited resources, this would not be an issue. However, when time and resources are tight, we must set priorities. With a service center, we exist because of the the customer's needs; therefore, priority has to be given to them.

My rule of thumb is: never sacrifice the needs of the external customer. Work to keep harmony within the organization, but never sacrifice the real customers.

Shih-Pau Yen, Academic and Distributed Computing Services and Networking and Telecommunications Services

The views expressed in this column are the personal opinion of the author and not the official view of the Office of Information Technology.

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