What comes to mind when you think of customer service? Line-ups at the bank?

The dreaded “press 1 for accounts payable”, “press 2 for sales”, “press 0 to be placed on hold for several hours”?

Or perhaps it’s the nice lady at the coffee shop who always remembers your order?

How about the people you work with and/or your Board of Directors? Do you consider them your customers?

Most of us do not think of our colleagues as customers or clients. That’s because we tend to associate the notion of customers with the exchange of money – this person buys a product or service from me, therefore he or she is my customer. While this is true, such “external” customers only make up a portion of your client base. You probably have a number of “internal” customers as well.

So what exactly is an internal customer? Mark Rosenberger has a good definition:

An internal customer is anyone you count on or rely upon to complete a task or a function or to provide you with information so that you can get your job done…and anyone who counts on you to complete a task or function or to provide them with information so that they can get their job done.

The way we treat co-workers says a lot about how we interact with our traditional “customers”, however they are defined. Many workplaces tend to become casual over time, especially in the not-for-profit world. We relate to coworkers in much the same way as family and friends. While this can make for a positive work environment, the downside is protocols may become relaxed. One fairly stress-free way to combat this is to begin to view our colleagues through the customer service lens.

Let me give you an example: Say you are a manager and you’re taking an extra-long weekend. You neglect to inform the person in charge of maintenance that you won’t be in on Friday or Monday, and he is counting on you to sign a critical purchase order. He assumes you will be in the office on Friday to authorize the expenditure.

Set aside for the moment that the maintenance person should not have assumed. As your customer, he has an expectation that you will be at work during regular business hours. Any variation from the norm must be communicated.

Here are just a few tips to improve your internal customer service:

• Come to work on time: While this may sound like common sense, it can be very disruptive to a co-worker if you arrive late. For example, let’s say your shift begins at noon, which is the same time that a colleague is scheduled to leave for lunch. He can’t take his break until you get to work. It’s basic consideration.

• Keep your voice-mail message up-to-date. That means ensuring that the message always identifies who you are, what day it is, and when you will (and won’t) be available.

• Same thing for email: Outlook has an Out of Office Assistant that can be activated to respond to incoming messages, letting folks know how long you will be away and when a reply can be expected. Other email programs have similar features.

• Post your hours on your office door: If you need to go out unexpectedly, indicate when you will return.

The bottom line is really to treat your colleagues, be they paid staff or volunteers, with respect. When everyone raises the bar for internal customers, the overall level of customer service will increase as well.