Abstract
In the literature on public management, the customer plays a prominent role. At the same time, however, the term „customer“ is treated with a certain amount of vagueness. In particular, little attention is paid to the fact that employees in public offices are confronted with a pronounced heterogeneity in the customer structure they have to deal with. The aim of the article is to describe what customer orientation means in public management today, and the role that the aspect of heterogeneity plays in this respect. In addition, an analysis is made of the factors which have an influence on the treatment of heterogeneous customer groups. Recommendations are then derived from the relevant findings.