"Internal Customer Service: Has It Improved?"
Quality Progress
March 2007, pp. 35-40
In 1993, a national survey examined the quality of internal customer service in U. S. organizations. The results at that time showed that internal customer service ratings were low, with less than 50% of respondents reporting favorable ratings of their company's internal customer service. However, 88% said they believed superior internal customer service was key to business success, and 76% reported having undertaken a major internal customer service improvement initiative.
In 2006, the survey was repeated. The average overall ratings of companies' internal customer service rose from a previous 32% favorable in 1993 to 48% in 2006. Ratings of internal departmental service changed as follows:
- Manufacturing/production/operations—from 42% favorable in 1993 to 57% favorable in 2006
- Communications/public affairs—from 31% favorable to 56%
- IT—from 27% favorable to 48%
- Finance/accounting services—from 32% favorable to 48%
- R&D—from 35% favorable to 46%
- Legal—from 25% favorable to 43%
- Procurement/purchasing—from 32% favorable to 42%
- HR—from 24% favorable to 41%
- Marketing—from 31% favorable to 37%
- Sales—from 31% favorable to 36%
- Quality—from 48% favorable to 67%
The study also found that companies with top ratings on internal customer service are differentiated by cultural attributes associated with quality:
- Top leaders' commitment to quality in words and deeds
- Application of quality principles
- Hiring employees who recognize the important of internal customer service
- Maintaining internal customer service standards
- Staying in touch with their customers
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