Receive your clients warmly all the time, not because the supervisor is watching. FILE PHOTO | NMG
You and I undertake customer journeys every day. Some are more
or less fine throughout, and some have their ups and downs; some are
consistently outstanding and some are the opposite, while with yet
others it’s as though it depends on what those with whom you interact
ate for breakfast that day.
As I reflect on my journeys
with suppliers it always amazes me that in a country like Kenya, where
people are naturally so friendly and helpful, we still endure the most
awful experiences.
I ask myself how do the
organisations from whom we buy that are at the low end of the spectrum
continue to exist. OK, some are actually or virtually monopolies. But
there are others who face many superior competitors.
But
let me start with the best of the best, like the Laptop Clinic in
Westlands, where I go when my PC decides to stress me. I almost look
forward to it playing up, knowing that I will be treated so well from
the moment I enter their premises till I leave, entirely satisfied.
I am confident they will always fix my problem, provide value
for money — and thank me for being their customer. They are the sort of
people you unhesitatingly recommend to others.
Another
example, not unrelated (this is where I take my mobile phone when it
needs medical attention), is the Safaricom Platinum store in Sarit
Centre.
Admittedly it is there for Safaricom’s
‘Business Class’ clients, but it makes the best of the airlines pale by
comparison. The staff there can never do enough for us, whether it is in
dealing with the technical issues or offering us a cup of coffee… and
then another. Their approach is consistently delightful.
Finally
among my podium providers let me single out PrideInn, at whose Nairobi
properties I recently ran some workshops. Unlike the other two this is a
much larger set up, with many more staff. And this is precisely why it
is so impressive.
Because each and every one of them,
all the time, is only concerned to see that we are well looked after. It
is not because supervisors and managers are touring around asking us if
everything is OK. No it’s everyone, everywhere. It’s just the culture
of the place, the norm.
Now let me move to a totally
different category of service providers: banks. Lots of good people work
here too, both in branches and in head-offices.
But
the financial services sector has faced so many challenges, has become
so regulated, and is faced with so many compliance constraints, that it
becomes very hard for them to do the right thing for their customers.
I
feel really sorry for their customer-facing people, the ones in the
branches and in the business development function, as much of the time
they are faced with having to tell us what is not possible — however
reasonable and in everyone’s interest it may be.
They
are the messengers of bad news, and they speak thanks to some eagle-eyed
character in the credit department or the legal office who has spotted a
reason-why-not that cancels out any earlier expectation of a loan or
other facility being granted.
Worst
of all is when issues are being handled by a call-centre, where you
never know who will be dealing with you, and never the same person.
Plus
you may well have been put on hold before even speaking to anyone…
while being told by a recording how important your business is to them.
There
is no possibility of any relationship being built between you and the
bank, and hence of anyone getting a feel for the full background of your
case or for your trustworthiness.
Too many of my
experiences with such call-centres, ones where I have complained about
some aspect of the bank’s service, involve the unfortunate agent
muttering apologies on behalf of their employer, without having any
ability to do anything about it.
In future those that survive in our ever more competitive environment are the ones who offer the best customer journeys.
The three companies with whom I led will be among them. But I truly fear for some of our banks.
No comments :
Post a Comment