How is your internal customer service?

Customer service isn't just about what happens outside the building. It's also what happens right down the hallway

How is your internal customer service?

On the September 12 episode of my Lykken on Lending podcast, we had the opportunity to interview Keith Polaski of Radius Financial Group. For a long time, I have been impressed by the organization's efforts toward employee engagement. The company does a great deal to attract and retain talent, and I've always thought that it serves as a great model for the rest of the mortgage industry. In our conversation, though, I realized that there's more to employee engagement than benefits and perks.

During our discussion, Keith mentioned a concept that the folks at Radius call "internal customer service." Of course, in all organizations, employees are accountable to the customer. In the mortgage industry, the customer is the borrower and all efforts go toward the end of serving that customer. At Radius, though, they also consider the importance of each employer serving his or her "internal" customers -- or other employees within the organization.

How is your internal customer service? As a leader in your organization, do you expect your people to be accountable to their points of contact within your organization? When people in your organization feel like they can trust each other, the organization moves forward much more smoothly. Customer service isn't just about what happens outside our building; it's also what happens right down the hallway.