DEVELOPING CUSTOMER FOCUSED PERSONNEL FOR SERVICES

Internal Marketing is based on the self-reinforcing relationship between employee- and customer satisfaction It says "take care of the employees & they'll take care of the customers." Employees need to be trained, attracted, motivated, communicated and retained in order to meet their wants and needs. If they are met then employees become committed, co-operative, and enthusiastic about the organization. This is accomplished by treating employees as internal customers. This process involves the use of marketing techniques to sell the product internally and employees become customers of the organization when they purchase products or services. This allows them to experience the service firsthand, develop a perception of service quality, and provide immediate feedback. The ultimate goal for the organization is to increase external marketplace performance in the long-run

THE KEYS TO GREAT INTERNAL MARKETING

The company and its employees should know "who they intend to be. The brand, and the idea of "who we intend to be," has to be woven into the fabric of the company's culture. The marketing department should also be focused on it. If your marketing department thinks this is not their issue, preferring HR or training to worry about internal marketing, then this should not be the case. Internal marketing is based on Brand Harmony, not on brute force. Just like your customers, your internal marketing needs should be based on Brand Harmony, integrating all touch points your employees have with the company. Employees participate in articulating their personal roles. Companies who practice great internal marketing create a highly participative, genuinely interactive program that engages employees in dialogue about what they need to do to Be the Brand.

INTERNAL MARKETING IN SERVICE INDUSTRY

Service industry organizations now recognizes the importance of quality and attempt to exceed the expectations of customers .
While the level of perception varies from customer to customer, if service quality provided increases the value for the customer experience, then one method to obtain this level is through the implementation of an internal marketing program Like for an army to go to battle for a cause they must first believe in the merits of the cause they are to fight for. This makes it necessary that before you commit resources to communicate with the outside world, your people should be completely aligned to your brand, its products and its message to the world.

"In the service business you can't make happy guests with unhappy employees" (Hostage, 1975)' Moreover, because of the importance of the service provided, service firms should inform their customer-contact employees of the customers needs, train them in a continual base, support them in order to acquire communication and recovery skills and make them feel comfortable and satisfied with their job

THE INTERNAL MARKETING VEHICLES

Internal marketing messages can be given in various effective ways. The ideas can be sold for best wider acceptance and popularity. Posters: These are most effective when attractive visuals are used. They can be put near the card swiping area, notice boards or cafeterias if you want all your staff to see it.

Visual medium: A CD/DVD with animations, music, etc can work wonders for the internal marketing campaign. Add to it a little quiz or contest .A stirring message from the Chairman can be included as well.
Events: If you are able to think of some ground-breaking events to promote an idea, there is nothing like it. Opinion leaders: Every organization has some opinion leaders. They can be of great help to propagate the thoughts of the management to the employees. Merchandise: We can have pens, key chains, caps, badges, T-shirts, etc with the internal marketing message written on them. Eg: Air Deccan employee wearing the uniform Tshirt with a message- 'no rest till we are the best'. This it is a good way to inspire your staff for a cause. Take external help: For designing a massive internal marketing campaign, an agency or consultants can also be hired. The creative aspect becomes easier and more convenient.

INTERNAL MARKETING IN HEALTHCARE SECTOR

How do you create a successful marketing strategy to improve patient satisfaction? 1. The latest technology. 2. Remind employees to provide a high level of service. 3. Having patient reps check with patients to address any needs or concerns. 4. Solicit feedback from patients and provide a process for dealing with issues of concern. 5. Implement quality initiatives throughout the hospital. All of these are extremely important but the largest factor in patient satisfaction is employees who are highly satisfied with their job and work environment. internal marketing includes variable people involved in the service providing process like doctors, nurses, supporting staff etc.
Hospital

One of the major classifications of hospitals is private and government.

In India government hospitals except a few almost all the hospitals and their personnel hardly find the behavioural dimensions significant. It is against this background that even if the users get the quality medical aid they are found dissatisfied with the rough and indecent behaviour of the doctors. Under hospital marketing a right person for the right job has to be appointed and they should be adaptable and possess versatility. The patients in the hospitals are already suffering from trauma, which has to be understood by the doctors and other staff. The people of the hospital should be constantly motivated to give the best of their effort

THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED BY: Creating the right environment Encouraging and empowering employees

Honoring and recognizing outstanding employee service

Demonstrating genuine concern and interest in employees Training them in proper manner.

FEW EXAMPLES OF COMPANIES DOING INTERNAL MARKETING

Apple has a strong focus on internal marketing, especially with employees in their Apple stores. Each employee attends a two-day training and carries a Credo Card behind their name tag with short tips on how to be the Apple brand.

Apple understands the importance of having every customer interaction blend to tell their brand story. The Geniuses and Creatives at an Apple Store spend at least a week in off-site training. While they learn a lot of technical product knowledge, the bulk of the training is spent on how to interact with customers and properly represent the Apple brand.
If you visit an Apple store there is a purposefully designed customer experience, part of which is communicated by the Apple people. They are enthusiastic and very knowledgeable and actually uphold Apple principles and brand. They are purposely recruited, they are trained and retained, which is all part of human resource management and also a successful internal marketing program. But most importantly, they ensure that the marketing focus includes engaging the people within their own company.

McDonalds understands the value of both its employees and its customers. It understands the fact that a happy employee can serve well and result in a happy customer. McDonald continuously does Internal Marketing. This includes hiring, training and motivating able employees. The punch line Im loving it is an attempt to show that the employees are loving their work at McDonalds and will love to serve the customers During the Service Delivery Process, each moment of interaction between the firm and the customer is called Moments of Truth, it helps understand the opportunities that a firm has to win or lose the customer. For example, these moments of truth are created for McDonalds every time the guard at the McDonalds outlet meets the customer, every time an attendant takes down the order from the customer waiting in the queue, every time the cashier interacts with the customer, every time the attendant guides the customer towards the table or every time the attendant cleans the table, etc

BENEFITS OF INTERNAL TRAINING:

FOR ORGANIZATIONS: Organizations benefit from higher employee satisfaction and retention. Recruitment and training have costs, so when employees stay longer and are more satisfied with their jobs, that helps organizations save money. Other benefits include: a customer-oriented workforce, enhanced external business relationships, a better flow of information internally, empowered employees, increased compliance with standards and protocols, and improved brand reputation, and yes, profits!

FOR EMPLOYEES: Employees feel more motivated and experience higher job satisfaction.
They are empowered to make decisions within certain guidelines and begin to feel more respected and valued for their contributions. This feeling leads to a greater sense of belonging to the team as well as responsibility and accountability to employers and customers.

THANK YOU