Customers
As with Delivering Results, this guide uses the term “customer” to describe those people who will benefit from the process or change. At the university this includes students, staff, faculties, schools, service areas etc.
Who your customer is will depend upon the process you are delivering.
There are 2 types of customer
Internal Customers
Defined as colleagues, teams and stakeholders within the organisation of the University of Leeds.
- A member of staff at the university it is almost certain to be an internal customer.
We’re all on the same team.
Ultimately, we all work for the University and its external customers; involving our internal customers in the design process builds trust and generates engagement which in turn will improve the likelihood of our changes being delivered successfully.
No one ever achieved anything on their own.
Without the support of our internal customers it is very unlikely that we’ll be successful in any process analysis or design work. Working in partnership with our internal customers by sharing knowledge, experience and creative ideas will deliver the best results.
External Customers
Defined any individual or organisation outside of the University of Leeds. Generally external customers will "pay" for goods or services.
- This includes students, research partners, the NHS, contractors, businesses, local and national government, local and national enterprise initiatives, higher education governing bodies and regulators, other universities and other stakeholders.
- There may also be legally binding contracts or other legislation in place between the University and an external customer.
Students and their parents
Want to see value for their money through the provision of high quality teaching, world class facilities and support to give the student the opportunity to reach their academic potential.
Research partners and funding bodies
Want to see a return on their investment into research; whether this be through the advancement of science and expansion of knowledge or the development of new products and technologies.
Government
In return for student funding and other financial support; the government expects to see greater diversity in the student community, and the provision of high quality education. It also demands regulatory information for statistical and reporting purposes.
Without customers there would be no University.
Without student fees, government funding and research income the University could not exist.
Process analysis creates a mechanism for customers have a voice
Reputation is everything in higher education; having a good reputation allows the University to attract the best students, the best researchers and academics to Leeds.
The University has an obligation to provide a service
External customers typically “pay” for a service, if the University fails to provide this service satisfactorily then it may face the threat of regulatory action, loss of funding and damage to its reputation. It is therefore key that the customer’s needs and requirements are considered at all times.
Hints & Tips
- You may have no internal customers if you only deal with external customers
- You may have no external customers if you only deal with other colleagues in the University.
- It is important to consider the needs and requirements of all our customers before making a change. Please see “Understanding Customer Needs” in the Delivering Results handbook for further information.