An actual or potential recipient, user, or impactee of a program, policy, product, service, system, or other evaluand. Consumers are the individuals, families, organizations, or communities whose needs are (or should be) met or to whom some effects may occur as a result of the program or policy. These effects may be immediate, short or long term, intended or unintended (the latter are called side effects). In product, service, and personnel evaluation, the term internal customer is used to refer to recipients of goods or services within the organization, and the term external customer refers to recipients outside the organization.