How customer focus boosts fortunes for your business – Business Daily
Excellent customer service is the number one job in any company. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK
Customers are the backbone of every business. Without them there would be no business.
Besides the flurry of events that happened last week to appreciate customers for their loyalty, Customer Service Week is an opportune time to reflect on the role of employees in delivering exemplary customer experiences needed for the success of an organisation.
The theme of this year’s celebration was ‘Sustaining Customer Inclusion’ which speaks to the need to involve customers in whatever your business does but critically, treating customers equally and fairly by allowing each to enjoy the same quality of service.
Inclusion from a customer perspective is predicated on an open and inclusive culture within the workplace, one that promotes a customer-centric approach and works tirelessly to make the customer part of what the firm does. This calls for an all-hands-on-deck approach.
An anonymous quote goes, “Customer service is not a department, it’s everyone’s job” thus underscoring the imperative of making service to customers the responsibility of every employee.
As a leading designer puts it, “Excellent customer service is the number one job in any company. It is the personality of the company and the reason customers come back. Without customers, there is no company.”
The legendary Richard Branson, who founded the Virgin Group, advises business leaders to look after their employees and they will look after your customers for you.
And we are not just talking about customer service here but customer service excellence which refers to the ability of an organisation to not only meet but surpass customer expectations.
Think of going the extra mile to deliver a personalised and engaging relationship with clients. Listening to customers but importantly, empathising with them. An inclusive mindset should be part of every company’s customer service DNA.
Given the low insurance penetration levels in Kenya, many feel excluded from insurance, which is seen as a preserve of the few. Insurers, therefore, have a cardinal duty of promoting the uptake of underwriting products by ensuring they are affordable, easily accessible, and meet the needs of the consumer.
This means walking the journey with customers in deciphering and responding to their needs based on their lived experiences. Employees are instrumental in making customer inclusion a real-life experience.
Walking the talk on customer inclusion requires a concerted effort by internal (management, employees) and external (customers, partners) stakeholders. In other words, even as many enterprises increasingly embrace workplace inclusivity, equally, they should pay more attention to creating inclusive and equitable customer experiences.
This entails creating products that are accessible to as many people as possible, for example, through the use of innovative technologies to simplify insurance and bring it within everyone’s reach.
Mr Kiprop is the Principal Officer, AAR Insurance – Kenya
