Nigeria Content Online

The customer
service week was observed throughout the globe in the last one week,
but some key issues were not addressed in order to give the week the
meaning it deserves. Customer service is the life of any business and
when customers are not happy, the life of any business is threatened.

The way a customer
is treated goes a long way in projecting brand image. From my findings
and experience over the years, efficient customer service is a key
issue that is lacking in several organisations. This ultimately affects
the image of the brands and erodes consumers’ confidence in the brands.
The culprits in this area are telecom companies, banks and quick
service restaurants. The telecom companies focus more on online
customer service which increases negative perception of their brands.

The truth is that
online customers are invisible and you create psychological trauma for
them. There is that basic need for human to human interaction that
promotes mutual trust and understanding. In most cases, you waste
valuable time waiting for a response that can never be. It was only
after the advent of the Sanusi Tsunami in the banking sector that some
banks started focusing on good customer service. When you walk into a
banking hall, you will find dejected and hostile faces responding to
you. In some cases, some bank tellers scream at their customers!

The issue is it
creates perception problems for the brand in question because word of
mouth goes a long way in either building or destroying a brand. Good
customer service is all about bringing customers in and about sending
them away happy – happy enough to pass positive feedback about your
business along to others, who may then try the product or service you
offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers.

Questions begging for answers

The organisations
who celebrated customer service week in the media, should answer these
salient questions: What have you done to enhance customer satisfaction?
What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere? Do you
follow-up and thank customers even if they don’t patronise your
service? What can you give customers that is totally unexpected?

The gospel truth is
that these questions may never get favourable responses because some
organisations have not integrated customer service into the corporate
strategy. There should be a Customer Value Proposition for any service,
product or brand. This focuses on the need to place premium value on
every individual customer as crucial to the continued existence of the
organisation.

I believe the first
step to good customer service is to know the customer. When you know
the customer, you build a relationship and the customer becomes a fan
of the brand. Most companies do not go this extra mile to know the
customers and build a beneficial relationship with them. It is pathetic
that several brands do not have relationship with their customers. It
is not only when you have sales promotion that you remember your
customers. There should be a database that provides useful information
about your customers, wedding anniversaries, and birthdays among
others. When relationships are not built with customers, there is no
way such business will have customer retention. There is a level of
customer satisfaction that should make the consumers have a life time
experience with a specific brand.

It is also very
important to gain feedback from customers in respect of customer
service. This helps the brand to succeed and retain a strong pedigree.
Effective listening helps in knowing and identifying the needs of the
customers. When customers are listened to, it creates an atmosphere of
trust and ultimately, builds loyalty for the brand. This is also
important as customers feel important and appreciated. When customers
have a sense of belonging, they believe they own the brand.

GTB Example

My wife woke up on
her birthday last September, and the text message she first received
was that of GTB. She was surprised, because she has not operated the
account for some time. I could see smiles on her face. GTB is one bank
that I know has consistently focused on going the extra mile in
customer service.

The point of
differentiation for the bank is building relationship and sustaining
brand loyalty. The bank parades employees who have good customer
disposition. ‘Wouldn’t You Rather Bank with us’?

The bank’s slogan
is a living testimony to the banks customer service culture, I have
been with the bank for some time and through the branches I have
related with, the story has been the same. The bank’s customer’s
service culture is one that has projected the bank positively and
generated favourable perception for it.

A customer centric
approach is important to maintaining a good brand image. The focus here
is to build brand loyalty through customer experience. Customers will
always come back when you deliver a great experience for them. This
translates to enormous results for the brand in the marketplace. The
image of any brand is based on customer’s unique experience and this
whether positive or negative influences his or her decisions. The
resultant effect of this is either death sentence or life for the brand.

Ayopo, a
communication strategist and public relations specialist is the chief
executive officer of Shortlist Ltd, ayopo@shortlistprng.com