zations and determine what it takes in operational terms to ensure
internal marketing success. In the interim, here is a range of inter-
related internal marketing activities which are thought to be critical
in helping to implement internal marketing.
●Organizational designmust be conducive to internal marketing concepts
and philosophies. Market-facing organizations which draw key employ-
ees together in multidisciplinary teams, which seek to marshal
resources to achieve market-based objectives, provide the ideal envi-
ronment for developing an internal marketing orientation.
●Regular staff surveyswhich assess the internal service climate and culture
and obstacles to service quality improvements are essential in deter-
mining the focus for future actions.
●Internal customer segmentation by, for example, level of customer
contact^1 in order to target specific service provisions and enhance both
internal and external service quality.
●Personal development and training should be focused on core competen-
cies for internal marketing. Performance data can be collected to deter-
mine internal and external customer requirements which will shape the
nature of the training and development.
●Empowerment and involvementenables staff, within clearly defined param-
eters, to use their discretion to deliver a better quality of service to
their customers. Self-directed work teams, employee involvement activ-
ities and job design all help to remove barriers between people and give
them the authority to act and improve service quality.
●Recognition and rewards based on employees’ contribution to service
excellence. Rewards and recognition are critical to determining
employee behaviour and should be based on careful consideration of
the likely impact on behaviour and the attractiveness of the rewards and
recognition for the individual. For example, Credit Card Sentinel has a
range of formal rewards and recognition for employees, but their
‘caught in the act’ award, which is a postcard sent by the managing direc-
tor to employees who have been caught by their colleagues giving
exceptional service to customers, is particularly valued.
●Internal communicationsprovides a mechanism for cross-functional par-
ticipation in the coordination of activities in the organization. It is a valu-
able method for reinforcing service quality and ensuring that everyone
knows what to do and their role in the activity.
●Performance measures should be visible and should measure each
person’s and department’s contribution to the achievement of per-
formance objectives for each key success factor.^35
324 Relationship Marketing