In business, internal customers are all the people you interact with that are not the external customers. This includes co-workers, supervisors, and others who work in the various departments of your company. They must be treated just as respectfully as you would treat the external customer.
Generally, most of the people you work with will be professional and courteous. This makes it easy to treat them as you would an external customer. In the normal course of your work, you should have many chances to interact with them. You want to be sure that every interaction is positive, and that you leave a good impression.
Office politics sometimes makes us feel like it’s ok to treat some of our co-workers with disrespect. They may not be well liked, or your supervisor doesn’t like them, or maybe they aren’t that nice to you. Don’t fall into that trap.
Treat everyone as if they are potential customers. This can be especially difficult if they are rude to you. Don’t be sidetracked by your emotions. Keep on topic. If you are personally attacked, don’t even respond. Try to steer the conversation back toward the issue at hand. If that doesn’t work, tell the person you are no longer able to discuss it, and leave the area.
After an incident like that, it is natural to want to talk to someone about it, just to vent and get it out of your system. It is better to talk it over with a friend or a close co-worker, not your supervisor. Your supervisor doesn’t have time to listen to your personal rant, and it reflects badly on you. It could cost you opportunities for advancement and additional responsibility, as it shows a lack of maturity on your part.
There are times when it may be appropriate to discuss an unpleasant interaction with your supervisor. For example, if you are disrespected by an executive from another department. Then it is reasonable that your supervisor would want to know about this, as there is very little you can do.
It reflects well on you when others feel confident looking to you for leadership. Once you become more familiar with the company culture, you can immediately direct them to someone who can help. Or if possible, solve their problem right away. Even if it’s a phone call or email they could just as easily have done, you will be the hero if you take care of it. They will remember it and tell others, developing your reputation as a problem solver.
Be someone others can count on. It will open doors for you.
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