There is certainly no question government agencies should strive to offer the highest quality possible, within the constraints of law and accountability-and. indeed, many agencies are doing so. One of the most sophisticated efforts to improve service quality begins with a recognition of the differences between customers and citizens Schmidt with strickland1998. citizens are described as bearers of rights and duties within the context of a wider community. customers are different in that they do not share common purposes but rather seek to optimize their own individual benefits. The distinction then is made between citizens and clients, the latter either internal or external The following example may serve to illustrate these definitions. A citizen may not collect employment insurance payment would be an external client. A regional employment insurance office that depends on a central agency to distribute the employment insurance payments to their office would be an internal client it is important to recognize that public servants rarely with a single citizen.