Talking about strategies, planning, and so on, we most talk about the external factors. But without a proper internal marketing, neither strategy nor objective can be achieved. There are roughly 6 steps to coordinate among the internal departments which are responsible for delivering service or products to the external customers.
1. Horizontal communication
The customer contact personnel must have input in advertising planning and execution or are aware of external communication to customers before they occur.
The salesforce must interact with customer contact personnel to discuss the level of service that can be delivered to customers?
2. Channels of communication between advertising and operations
When advertised, it is essential that the advertising accurately reflect what the customers experience in actual service encounters. To implement this, the company must inform the contact personnel what the advertisement is promising to the customers and train them if required.
3. Communication between sales and operation
There must be a two way communication between these groups so that the operation personnel can make it out what the sales people promise to the customers, such as promise of timeliness, accuracy, reliability and so on.
4. Communication between human resources, marketing and operations
The human resources department must deal the employees as internal customers because the service they receive strongly affect the way they serve external customers, such as incentives, training, motivation and selection must be aligned with service quality objectives in the company if these internal customers are to deliver high quality service to external customers.
5. Policies, procedures and consistent service across branches or departments
If the customers receive is different level of service quality from different outlets, it means that the customer is not getting what is promised on the advertising because there is only one form of advertising for all outlets. So, the standardization of the service is important to deliver service quality while the outlet managers are empowered to serve the customers in their own way. Simple example is like 7/11, big C. Shangrila hotels.
6. Developing appropriate and effective communication about service quality
To be appropriate and effective, communication about service quality must (1) deal with the quality dimensions and features that are most important to customers, (2) accurately reflect what customers actually receive in the service, and (3) help customers understand their roles in performing the service.
Finally in summery, the point is every employee in the company must regard each other as their customers because all of them are working for the same company to deliver quality service to the external customers. It is just a kind of internal value chain. When we talk about external value chain, we talk about the suppliers, the company itself, and the customers. How smooth, efficient or effective value chain will reflect in the cost and saving of the business operation.
Source: Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry (1990); Delivering Quality Service: Balancing customer expectations and perceptions.
1. Horizontal communication
The customer contact personnel must have input in advertising planning and execution or are aware of external communication to customers before they occur.
The salesforce must interact with customer contact personnel to discuss the level of service that can be delivered to customers?
2. Channels of communication between advertising and operations
When advertised, it is essential that the advertising accurately reflect what the customers experience in actual service encounters. To implement this, the company must inform the contact personnel what the advertisement is promising to the customers and train them if required.
3. Communication between sales and operation
There must be a two way communication between these groups so that the operation personnel can make it out what the sales people promise to the customers, such as promise of timeliness, accuracy, reliability and so on.
4. Communication between human resources, marketing and operations
The human resources department must deal the employees as internal customers because the service they receive strongly affect the way they serve external customers, such as incentives, training, motivation and selection must be aligned with service quality objectives in the company if these internal customers are to deliver high quality service to external customers.
5. Policies, procedures and consistent service across branches or departments
If the customers receive is different level of service quality from different outlets, it means that the customer is not getting what is promised on the advertising because there is only one form of advertising for all outlets. So, the standardization of the service is important to deliver service quality while the outlet managers are empowered to serve the customers in their own way. Simple example is like 7/11, big C. Shangrila hotels.
6. Developing appropriate and effective communication about service quality
To be appropriate and effective, communication about service quality must (1) deal with the quality dimensions and features that are most important to customers, (2) accurately reflect what customers actually receive in the service, and (3) help customers understand their roles in performing the service.
Finally in summery, the point is every employee in the company must regard each other as their customers because all of them are working for the same company to deliver quality service to the external customers. It is just a kind of internal value chain. When we talk about external value chain, we talk about the suppliers, the company itself, and the customers. How smooth, efficient or effective value chain will reflect in the cost and saving of the business operation.
Source: Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry (1990); Delivering Quality Service: Balancing customer expectations and perceptions.
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