The banks studied appear to implement a number of training and development
programmes that emphasise customer focus and service orientation. Most aim to
inculcate a service mentality throughout the firm by emphasising the importance of
treating employees as internal customers. In the Internal Marketing context, training
is mainly directed at ‘shaping’ employees’ attitudes and behaviour towards recognising
the importance of both internal and external customers and acting to meet their
demands. One could argue that Internal Marketing is the process of ‘selling’ to the
employees a certain set of values which elevates the demands of the market and the
importance of service quality in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
In the banks studied, training does not emphasise employees’ technical skills but,
more importantly, softer skills related to service and customer consciousness. An
interview with a branch manager highlights this point