Types of internal and external customers: differences and tips

Internal customer service is an important parameter for any hospitality business, as your staff must feel cared for and valued. If they do not perceive that you meet their needs, then the quality of your service will suffer. To avoid this, your best tool is training.

That is why today we want to teach you more about the internal dynamics within a restaurant. Since those small theoretical details can help you to obtain a healthy and harmonious work environment. That said, here are the differences between internal and external customers and how to improve service. Let’s get started!

Internal and external customer service, some definitions

To begin with, we consider it important to know what each customer means and what their expectations are regarding your restaurant’s service.

What is an internal customer?

An internal customer is the person who has a working relationship with your hospitality business. In one way or another he or she belongs to the company, and acts on the service you offer. Therefore, he or she works together with other employees and in the different sections of your business.

This customer is part of the overall system, and is an important part of achieving your goals. Therefore, he shares identity with your corporate vision and feels part of your team. This person is considered a customer and supplier within the business. An example of an internal customer is the cook, chef, waiter, digital marketing manager, doormen, assistants, cleaning staff, among others.

What is an external customer

Unlike the previous one, this individual is not part of your hospitality company. However, they are related to it because they require your products or services to satisfy their objective needs.

They may attend your business on a regular basis, and contribute part of the gross profit. They also include those who simply come to your business premises to satisfy their requirements at a given time

Types of internal and external customers

As we mentioned earlier, both your staff members and those who attend your hospitality business are considered customers

but what are a company’s internal customers? Here are the 3 types:

• The internal business customer must work horizontally with other employees. This allows them to have an accurate perspective of the company’s quality criteria.
• On the other hand, the executive internal customer has the particularity that their function brings them in close contact with external customers. Among their functions is the ability to decide on the products to offer, and to select the target market.
• And there is also the operational internal customer, whose function is the production of products or provision of specific services.

In another order of ideas, we find the external customers. These are grouped into 4 main types:

• Loyal external customers are those who consume the greatest volume of services and attend most frequently. As a result, they accumulate a large part of the business’s revenue.
• On the other hand, impulsive external customers are consumers who respond to the emotionality of the moment to buy. Generally, they make their commercial decision within the establishment.
• In addition, there are the specialized external customers, who purchase your products conditioned by the promotions and discounts you offer them.
• And external customers who seek goods and services out of strict necessity.

Difference between internal and external

If you want to improve the productive dynamics of your business, it is important that you can distinguish the differences between internal and external customers. Here are 4 aspects where they can be appreciated:

1. Expectations they pursue

As we have already mentioned, one of the differences is that the external customer comes to the company to meet their expectations. Such is the case of food, health, safety, recreation, among a universe of things. On the contrary, the worker tries to meet other needs such as affiliation, self-esteem, security and self-fulfillment.

Both have in common that they pursue a benefit in the process. However, the insider has an added constant related to his productive capacity.

2. Satisfaction of their needs

On the other hand, the way in which the external customer tries to satisfy his needs is through payment. On the other hand, the worker invests physical and mental effort to offer his labor capacity to meet the demand of the former.

The interesting thing about this dynamic is that both, without knowing it, need the other to fulfill their raison d’être. Therefore, they unconsciously feed back and get what they are looking for; services and salaries.

3. Real capacity for choice

This is a remarkable difference between the internal and external customer. On the one hand, due to the diversity of service providers, excessive competition is generated. This results in them trying to highlight the unique features of the product.

If they do not see an attractive service offer, the external customer will discard that alternative and look for a more outstanding one. This is justified by the fact that their profit depends on making the best purchase.

Otherwise, the worker, due to the insufficiency of employers, is sometimes willing to do what is necessary to satisfy his needs. And therefore, he strives to maintain and take care of it, since other more favorable alternatives are scarce. Therefore, the most favored are those who have achieved outstanding qualities.

4. The cycle of compliance with the service provided

The compliance cycle of an external customer is very short, compared to the situation of the internal customer. This is due to the fact that the former approach and only satisfy their demands in terms of services and products. Even in everyday or sporadic situations, the interval will always be short.

On the other hand, the internal customer is required to stay at his workplace for a much longer cycle. Many workers spend more hours at their workstations than at home. Consequently, they have to wait longer to restart the compliance cycle.

One thing that stands out is that most businesses focus primarily on their customers because they are the ones who bring in the revenue. However, they forget their employees. The obvious consequence is a decline in hospitality service and the subsequent loss of external customers.

How to improve internal customer service

Analyzing the previous sections, it has become clear that it is not at all advisable to neglect your internal customers. Keeping them satisfied is an important key to the growth of your hospitality business

Here are 10 tips to improve service to your employees.

1. Active listening

Try to listen to your internal customers and pay close attention, and you will see interesting results. Your leadership style depends on your ability to relate to your team. Therefore, try to make them feel that their opinion matters and that they are being listened to.

It is well known that feeling that you are not being taken into account and that your perspectives are not valued is frustrating. In addition, it is wise to consider the opinions of your internal customers as they are the ones who know best how your hospitality business operates.

The most popular example is Google, and how they managed to grow as a company by listening to the opinions of their employees. From these practices they founded the Gmail and Google AdSense services, which today are pillars in web platforms.

2. Reward for effort

It is a fact that if your internal customers focus on their monthly payment. And if they feel it is a reward worthy of their effort, they will recommend the best dishes and be courteous to your external customers. Therefore, offering monetary rewards will be pleasant for them.

However, with such demanding work routines, being able to spend time with family or rest are factors they will also value.

3. Doing activities outside the restaurant

Always seeing the same people, and the same work environment, makes the routine difficult to live with. In this regard, we believe that outside activities promote trust and increase the feeling of teamwork.

In addition, these spaces allow you to get to know each other beyond professional skills and genuinely empathize. And even better, you will observe in them capabilities that you might not know in the company.

Therefore, we recommend you to try sports activities, dancing, a family picnic, in short, there are many options for recreation and coexistence.

4. Spaces for active breaks

Rest is a vital moment for the internal customer in a restaurant. We have seen how not allowing breaks to socialize with other people reduces the productivity of internal customers.

Therefore, we recommend creating spaces for your workers to have the opportunity to disconnect. Try setting up a coffee room, and allow time to socialize with other team members. Remember the positive relationship we mentioned above, between satisfied internal customers and happy external customers.

5. Align rewards with your objectives

The above shows that it is important to reward the efforts of your internal customers. And if you manage to align these benefits with your company’s objectives, so much the better. This is why it is important to set goals for your team, but make sure they are achievable to avoid frustration.

And don’t forget to allow your internal customers to participate at the table to evaluate the objectives. This will let them know that you really care about them, and that you take their opinions into account in the development of the company.

6. Let them meet other departments

Another excellent idea is to allow meetings or activities for workers from different departments to interact. In this sense, if your marketing manager was aware of the potential of the cooks, he could take advantage of your social networks. Also, if your waiters were familiar with dessert work, they could explain it to external customers more clearly.

Therefore, we recommend you schedule these departmental exchanges throughout the quarter (for example). With a few meetings in that time we are sure you will see interesting results.

7. Communication

One of the objectives you should keep in mind from now on is to strengthen communication channels. Take advantage of the meetings and activities suggested above to exchange ideas.

Also, allow them to analyze the current situation of the restaurant, evaluate the services, make proposals and help each other. Keep in mind that workers generally want their leaders to communicate with them more frequently.

8. Bring out the maximum potential

Another responsibility you have as a leader is to inspire and bring out the full potential of your internal customers. Try diagnosing your employees’ strengths and weaknesses to help you tap into their full potential.

Then turn that information into an action plan, where employees gain new knowledge and grow professionally.

9. Training

Here’s another definitive statistic: the vast majority of internal customers are certain that continuous training increases the competitiveness of the hospitality business. And the fact is that training your staff gives you many productive advantages.

Consider that if they acquire new skills, as a leader it will be much easier for you to delegate tasks. And best of all, investing in training is now considered a form of subsidy.

10. Share your achievements with other hospitality businesses

Selfish efforts to grow hospitality businesses individually are a thing of the past. Today, it is proven that sharing knowledge born out of everyday life can help everyone. It is not a question of competitiveness, but rather a matter of alliances.

Consequently, we are sure that if you achieve favorable results in the atmosphere and coexistence of your restaurant, you must share them. It allows other internal clients to also advance and to consider their companies as family.

In this way we conclude this interesting topic of internal customer service, and its differences with the external customer. It has become clear the importance of providing quality service to your employees, and how it influences the quality of service