07/10/2026
*ARTICLE*
Who Is Your Customer?
By Niran Olatona
Customers Week – Going the Extra Mile
A Simple Question
It is Customers Week, and this year’s theme is “Extra Mile.” On my way into the office this morning, I asked a number of my colleagues a simple question: Who is your customer?
The answer I received most often was, “Taxpayers.” Of course, taxpayers are our major external customers. But I challenged some colleagues, particularly those in the back office: are taxpayers really your only customers? Many of them never meet, discuss with or serve taxpayers directly; rather, they support the teams that do. So, who then is their customer?
Redefining the Customer
I believe we need to broaden our understanding of who a customer is. Your customer is not simply the person who gives you money. Your customer is anyone who depends on you for a good or a service, or whose problem you are responsible for solving.
If you are a driver, the officers you drive on tax assignments are your customers. If you are an IT officer, the colleagues whose computers, systems or technical problems you solve are your customers. If you work in finance or administration and you ensure that someone receives the money or service due to them, that person is, in that respect, your customer. The same principle applies everywhere: a doctor serves patients, a teacher serves students, an accountant serves those who depend on his or her professional services, and a technician serves the people whose equipment he repairs. In each case, someone depends on you to solve a problem, provide a service or meet a legitimate need.
The Internal Customer Is Also King
This understanding is important when we talk about going the extra mile. It does not mean going the extra mile only for the taxpayer or the person outside the organisation. It means going the extra mile for everyone who depends on your service. There are external customers, but there are also internal customers. And if the customer is king, then the internal customer is also a king.
We sometimes reserve our best attitude for people we regard as important, especially those outside the organisation, while treating our colleagues casually because we assume they are merely “part of the system”. But the colleague sitting next to you may be depending on your service to do his or her own job effectively.
Let Your Service Speak for You
The way you serve people determines how they see you. And how people see you eventually determines what they say about you, recommend you for and entrust to you. This is why a good vendor does not need to spend all his time advertising himself: when people receive good service, they return and recommend him to others. When you are genuinely good at what you do, your customers become your best advertisers. You do not have to show off or continually prove yourself to everyone. Excellence has a way of announcing itself.
In many organisations, we think the best appraisal comes from the boss. But sometimes your most accurate appraisal comes from the people you serve. Your supervisor may see your reports and your attendance, but your customers experience your attitude, responsiveness, competence and willingness to help.
Service as a Spiritual Principle
The Bible gives us a beautiful picture of this principle. When Jesus entered the home of Martha and Mary, He was not a stranger to them; their relationship had been built through service and hospitality, and He valued that service. Jesus Himself taught, “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:27, NKJV). Service is therefore not merely a business principle. It is also a spiritual principle.
Beyond the Workplace
Perhaps we need to take this understanding home. Your husband, your wife, your parents and your children can all be your customers – not because marriage or family is a commercial transaction, but because they depend on you for something you have the responsibility and privilege to provide.
Going the Extra Mile
Once we understand this, “going the extra mile” takes on a much broader meaning. It means asking ourselves:
Who is depending on me today?
Whose problem can I solve?
Whose work can I make easier?
Who can I serve better than I did yesterday?
That is the spirit of the extra mile. So, during this Customers Week, let us not think only about the people who buy from us, pay us or come through our doors, but about everyone whose life or work is touched by our service. Take care of your customer. Serve them well. Go the extra mile. And remember: the person whose problem you are solving is your customer.
Happy Customers Week. God bless you.
