Internal customers

The three Rs also come into play when your job involves serving internal customers—other individuals, groups, or teams within the organization. The longer a positive relationship lasts with an internal customer, the more you both accomplish together. As a long-term relationship with internal customers grows, the relationship becomes more and more effective, which in turn affects the company's profitability. In a truly effective internal relationship, a synergy forms. Two groups within an organization can work together to develop new products or serve a customer in increasingly innovative and creative ways. What's more, you don't have to work exclusively with external customers to know that favorable reports about your group create goodwill and positive expectations. A bad reputation creates negative expectations, decreased credibility, and ongoing friction with other groups. Free marketing or bad press? The choice you make is the key to your reputation and your bottom line.