A Tap on the Glass - Vol. 28 - Service with a Smile!

You are a Service Center

Job security today depends on how valuable you are to your "customers."   The better you serve them, the better you protect your career.

This heightens the importance of knowing precisely who these people are.  You need an in-depth feel for your targeted market.  What do your customers do and how do you fit into the picture?  What are their needs?  What does it take to please them? How can you contribute to their success?

If you sharpen your insights into your personal "marketplace," you'll see exactly what you should do to make yourself indispensable.

Keep in mind that there are both INTERNAL and EXTERNAL customers.  You may deal directly with each type, but let's focus on whom you're supposed to serve INSIDE the organization.  It may be some other department, several people in your own functional area, or just your direct supervisor. Maybe you've always thought of them as coworkers, or as people you work WITH rather than FOR.  But make no mistake - these are your clients and customers.

Too often we don't stop and think about the full implications of this.  We more or less take our job for granted.  That means you're taking customers for granted, and that's a risky way to run a career.

Unless you take pains to provide the best possible service, and do so at a competitive market price (i.e. salary), you'll find it hard to keep customers. They'll replace you with a better service provider.  In essence, somebody will "steal your business."

The more you allow your service to go soft, the greater the odds you could end up in some downsizing statistic.  Or, the organization might simply decide to outsource your work, to farm it out to some other firm that specializes in doing what you do.

More than likely, you're actually in competition with external providers who offer the same service, whether you realize it or not.  The question is, who will provide the best bargain, you or somebody else?

You must get close - VERY close - to your customers. Seek out regular direct contact with them.  Build a strong relationship.  Deliver the highest quality service possible.  Anticipate their needs, and develop a reputation for responsiveness.

In the final analysis, customers both internal or external are your ONLY source of job security in today’s economy.