The judgment
of brand analysts and managers is that Nigerian entrepreneurs, despite being
acknowledged globally for their tenacity and can do spirit, have not been able
to ride on the platform of a robust service delivery culture to build brand
equity. This development was confirmed by a recent Africa’s Top 50 Companies published by African Business Report, in which only seven Nigerian companies
made the list. The survey, which jolted not a few business owners, brand
experts and stakeholders, added that many local brands failed in according
their customers the required excellent service delivery. The belief is that
when compared to some businesses that invest immensely in excellent customer
service strategies, Nigerian businesses still have a long way to go. The care-free
attitude of most brand managers and chief executives is said to be largely
responsible for the poor level of patronage of local brands.
But the
situation appears set for a reversal. The
Workplace Centre Limited (TWPC), a human resource and information
technology consultancy firm, has concluded arrangements to engage managers,
supervisors and client interfacing executives on how to make strategic
decisions to transform their organisations’ customer relationship management
and to emotionally connect and add value to every interaction. Specifically,
the firm is set to host business managers, chief executives and social
entrepreneurs to its customer service training scheduled for the 24th of
this month, in Lagos.
The training
is aimed at providing insights into consistent service delivery strategies that
will revolutionise customer service culture in Nigeria. According to its
organisers, the forum tagged: ‘The
Customer Amazement Revolution Master Class’
will expose participants to current trends in customer service relations,
drawing from the wealth of experience of speakers, including Shep Hyken, a customer service expert
and the award winning author of books, such as The
Amazement Revolution; Benjamin
Ola Akande, the 21st president of Westminster College, Missouri, United
States; and the immediate past Dean, George Herbert Walker School of Business
and Technology, Webster University, among others.
To meet the
increasing demand for quality customer service, co-founder and Managing
Partner, TWPC, Mrs. Bola Adeniyi-Taiwo,
urged business owners, managers and social entrepreneurs to join hands with her
company, which offers unparalleled quality services in its areas of expertise,
to promote the much-needed amazement revolution in customer service delivery. She
expressed optimism that if stakeholders in Nigeria heed the call for a
consistent amazing customer service, more consumers of goods and services
within and outside the country would increase their demand for products, which
would in turn reduce unemployment in the country. This, she noted, will
help the nation gain global competitive advantage.
Mrs. Adeniyi-Taiwo,
who emphasised that TWPC is guided by strong values and high ethical standards,
said the company’s mission is to provide innovative solutions and excellent
services that maximise client’s return on investment. According to her, the
best way to do that is not to view customer service as a cost, but as an
investment in building future and long lasting relationships that would create
customer evangelists. Quoting Shep Hyken, she said: ‘Hitherto, one unhappy
customer would tell 12 people about his experience. Now, one customer may have
500 Twitter followers to spread the message to.”
For Mr. Tobi Oni, a stakeholder, the theme of the forum is apt and timely.
According to him, there is no better time for such a thought-provoking event
that is designed to change the face of service delivery in Nigeria and Africa
at large. He noted that apart from several economic challenges, thousands of
Nigerian businesses have collapsed due to the inability of their owners to
manage stardom by adopting amazing customer service culture that can give their
customers reasons to come back.
He said: “I expect owners of dead and living companies to attend the
TWPC training and specifically learn from the masters (Hyken and Akande among
others). We should start looking forward to practicing the much needed
consistent service delivery system.”
Mr. Oni is
right. Not a few industry experts and stakeholders agree that the importance of
quality customer service training cannot be overemphasized for businesses
regardless of their sizes, services or market focus. As Mrs. Adeniyi-Taiwo
pointed out, the most successful companies take customer-service farther by
applying it directly to their employees. When a service or sales team regards
and treats one another with the same consideration and respect that they would
offer the customer, amazing team spirit is created and the overall work dynamic
of the establishment is improved.
She,
however, added that there are certain skills, tools and priorities that are
essential to the growth and development of amazing customer service.
She said: “We must have the technical knowledge, financial and material
resources as well as the required infrastructure and up to date technology to
attend proactively to our customer’s needs. The benefits that excellent
customer care skills provide to every business are endless. Not only can it
make the difference between an immediate sale or lack, thereof, it can also
make or break a potential long term client relationship”
The TWPC
Managing Partner further stated that all things being equal, almost everyone
will choose the company that recognises and meets their needs consistently over
the one that does not. She said when dealing with quality customer service, the
most immediate and important factor is establishing an orientation of respect,
which is one element that is immediately felt by the consumer.
She said: “This alone can lead a hesitant customer to make an instant
purchase or cause them to walk right out of the door. After the respectful
attitude is established, then it is vital to anticipate and very importantly
focus on the customers’ needs. This is when active listening skills are
essential.”
Indeed, such
admonishment could not be timelier. At the moment, Nigeria is largely perceived
as a nation where businesses/factories are commissioned daily, without adequate
plans to relate the sustainability of the business to customer relationship
management. Nigeria and Africa consume mostly imported products and always rate
their service delivery higher. This, according to customer service experts,
hinders Africa’s quest for cultivating unparalleled quality of its service
delivery.
An erstwhile
manager with one of the defunct local fast food outfit, Gbenga Osho, said: “We are basically a
consuming nation; we applaud service delivery of foreign brands and
multinationals because we have failed in ours. We praise others for doing what
we can do to protect and secure the future of our brands. I believe several
local brands can compete internationally if only the correct measures are put
in place.”
Interestingly,
these are issues that will engage the minds of participants and resource
persons at the training. Already, world’s number one customer service
guru, Shep Hyken, has given his words that ‘The Customer Amazement Revolution
Masterclass’ would engender more competition among businesses within the same
segment leading to positive change in the perception of service delivery in
Nigeria.
Founded in
February 2013, TWPC is a state-of-the-art skills development centre that
provides employability and entrepreneurial skills development as well as human
resources and ICT services to its clients.
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