The Customer In Naija

The NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) recently rolled out a Mobile portability system where customers can choose to migrate from one provider to another. We may start asking, what would make most customers migrate from one service provider to another. The top three reasons are usually: Competitive Tariffs. Great Customer Service. Quality of network service in comparison to cost. MTN recently launched its marketing strategy using various media tools(Television and radio) informing the general public about options of migrating to their network. But what kind of strategy would actually give a competitive edge in the migration process? What do customers really want? Recent customer surveys show most customers will stick to a telecoms provider that can successfully combine offering competitive tariffs, excellent customer services and a seamless network. In my opinion, focusing on excellent customer service will create a greater...

NIGERIA’S CONSUMER PROTECTION COUNCIL LAMENTS CUSTOMER CARE CHARGES Issue no 322 The Consumer Protection Council CPC has lamented the charges imposed by Telecommunications Operators on Customer Care Lines. The CPC in a submission made to the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC stated that the customer care line should be made toll- free. It added that all care services are an integral part of after sales support service that must be encouraged in a highly unenlightened society as prevalent in Nigeria. The CPC stated that all problems encountered by subscribers such as System/Network failure which means product failure ranging from inability to make or receive calls, inability to recharge, drop calls, non access to figures on scratch cards, queried deductions etc.  cannot be the fault of the consumer hence the consumer should not be charged for calling the Networks concerned to complain about these failures because the consumer is not responsible f...

Zenith Bank bags KPMG’s most customer-focused Bank Globally revered audit and tax firm, KPMG, has declared Nigerian-owned Zenith Bank PLC as the Most Customer-Focused Bank in the country. In a release made available to Daily Sun yesterday, KPMG made the declaration in its 2013 Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS), which covered more than 14,000 retail customers, 3,000 SMEs and 400 corporate and commercial organizations across Nigeria. Information Culled from the SUN Newspaper, Article by Akeeb Alarape

How many times have we all waited patiently on a never ending queue in a Bank or Telecoms service branch only to be told when its your turn to be served that you were actually on the wrong queue! Annoying isn't it! Situations like this can be very easily avoided by organizations by ensuring a very effective Customer Interaction Strategy. It would help for all service branches to have a meet and greet team who interact with customers just as they step right into the branch. Customer service officers in this team are trained to politely make enquiries about why the customer is in the branch and efficiently guide the customer in the right direction. Many organizations are adopting this effective strategy as it ensures a better quality queue experience for the customer and greatly reduces the stress level of front desk officers who find themselves dealing with customer related queries that could easily be handled over the phone or through the customer,...

Customer Feedback Forms are a great way of improving on your service delivery to customers. Some customers are not very keen on filling these forms but these forms actually give your service provider some insight into improving their services to you! So customers, next time you are handed one, do take your time to fill in the blanks! You may just have improved the kind of service you receive on your next visit!

According to an article by Leon Paternoster, two thirds of consumers think social media is a better way to communicate with companies than call centres. 68% feel it gives them a greater customer "voice" and that organisations are using it as a way to win customer trust and brand advocacy. So what is Social Media? According to Andres Kaplan and Michael Hanlein, social media is defined as " a group of internet based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content. Put simply, social media allows seamless communication between Individuals, organisations and the community through the Internet. With popular sites such as facebook, LinkedIn and twitter, organizations can create a more interactive and cost effective customer care model for their customers over traditional media tools such as call centres and customer surveys sent through post.