By ARINZE OKAMELU
TUE, JANUARY 24 2017-The importance of customer to any business cannot be overemphasized; what is awkward is the lacklustre attitude of some businesses to their customers. Mind you, customers are not only the people we have over the years understood to be “customers”-the people that give us money in exchange for goods and services rendered; those employees of yours are equally your customers. We will dwell on this in subsequent articles.
However, the sight of “bad treatment” to any customer is appalling, to say the least. By bad treatment I simply mean when a customer’s expectation from a product and/or service is below standards- this is awful and inexcusable and this can be reduced or eradicated completely if businesses understand and see customers as partners in progress!
Regrettably, because bad customer service has gone on over the years unchallenged, it seems to have become a tradition, and somehow it has affected the psyche of an average Nigerian customer to accept, even below average, as the best- the aphorism that “customer is the key” no longer holds sway to them, even to businesses. While the customer seems to be living like a conquered “enemy” at the mercy of businesses with whatever-you-give-me-goes attitude, businesses are rather living in self-denial about their poor customer service, with some contradictory self-glorifying slogans and customer service experiences stories. You see slogan of a company that reads that their services are all-over, whereas outside some particular areas, their presence is next to nothing, yet one is inundated daily with this slogan like it is true, in their adverts. There is this otherwise beautiful hotel in Abuja- Nigeria’s federal capital territory, with nice architecture and luxuriant touches, but with poor services and poor food. The hotel staff behave dismally with some inhospitable attitude that suggests, like my friend observed, that “they are obviously not well taken care of”. While at the hotel’s pool-side bar, we kept hearing “squabbles” between some customers and the staff. It was clear the management knows about this poor service but simply ignores it for whatever reason.
On the other hand, the Nigerian customer isn’t helping matters at all with his lethargic mien towards service excellence. This appears to have emboldened businesses that they take him for granted. I overhead a business owner recently yelling at a customer during a disagreement, saying “you can go…I don’t need a fool like you as a customer. Go… you are not the only customer I have…to hell with you”. I shuddered! But I believe if the man sees and understands the customer as a partner, he perhaps would see the need to develop a good relationship with him and won’t react that way to the extent of making those uncomplimentary remarks.
My experience with some bank comes to mind each time the issues of business-customer- partnership/relationship come up. To be fair, some banks take their customers as partners with the way they relate with them. Some Lagos State bank customers are lucky in this direction unlike in some other states in Nigeria where bankers (those in operations especially) see and carry themselves as offering special favour to the customers. It was a disturbing sight seeing a bank staff venting her frustration on some hapless customers on a queue at bank in Benin City, Edo State- she was screaming repugnantly at them like the customers enjoyed wasting their time in the over-crowded banking hall at Kingsquare area of the town. She forgot that had her bank created a swift process for attending to customers, there wouldn’t be need for the crowd. At a bank in Owerri- Imo State, a female banker apparently irritated that an elderly customer wasn’t complying easily with her directives on how to fill some rather “complicated forms”, had to talk down on the old woman like she was talking to her 4year old child.As if that was not enough insult, she abandoned the already terrified old woman to her fate until I offered to help. Agreed some customers could be funny, but treating them like enemies rather than partners, like the bank staff did to this innocent unschooled woman, is inexcusable and indefensible.
There must be some kind of understanding that the relationship between a company, its staff and customers, is like business partnership where trust, mutual benefits and respects are the watch words. Businesses as a matter of deliberate policy must create and instill (in their staff) cordial relationship mechanism, for them to see and treat their customers as partners. And this partnership, like that between a wife and a husband must be reviewed and fine-tuned constantly. Like a car engine or any engine at that, it needs constant check and servicing so as to get the best relationship from it. There must be constant communication; the customer’s next need must be anticipated and provided for before she asks; the customers’ expectation must be exceeded and good standards created that he will be looking forward to amongst other goods expected from a partnership. Customers should be valued and treated as partners-partners share common interest, they trust one another and they grow together. Besides, the customer remains the Boss!
WHEN 24HOURS ATM SERVICE IS NOT WORKING 24 HOURS
Automatic Teller Machine otherwise known as ATM has no doubt since its introduction into the Nigerian banking space added to the efficiency of financial services delivery in the country. The obvious benefits derived from this electronic platform have made Nigerians to see it as a good development. Many would readily give instances where this technology has benefited them especially during non-banking hours, weekends and public holidays. Financial institutions on their own have been leveraging on this platform to retain customers, gain competitive advantage, and grow profit. They have individually been innovative on their ATM services; striving to provide seamless technology with signboards with bold inscriptions- 24 HOURS ATM! Nevertheless, not all of these ATMs operate for 24hours- that’s not too good. The security personnel attached to these machines more often than not care less about the said 24Hours service. They simply close the banks’ gates at their own time and will and go to sleep. Many instances abound, but the ATM of Zenith Bank Plc at Abba Johnson Busstop on Adeniyi Jones Road Ikeja is notorious for not working after 10 to 10.30pm. Please the management of the Zenith Bank Plc do something about this as that area is both a business and residential area that needs ATM 24hours.
Arinze Okamelu (Esq.) – MEDIA ENTREPRENURE, CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERT AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT
