Customer care in Kenya

State of customer care in Kenya

The art and science of customer care in Kenya leaves a lot to be desired. The greatest criminals are government officers who create a scenario of chaos to give room for  bribery. Kenyan Police  are the best terrorists in customer harassment.

Police: Young man what is your name?

Customer: John

Police: So you have one name like my dog Jimmy?

Customer: John Okoth

Police: So you have two names like Range Rover? You think its special.

The private sector is not innocent either. Safaricom is doing well in the telecommunications sector but most corporate entities do not have functional customer care departments leaving serious concerns unattended. I have been a subscriber of Startimes Media for the last three years. I appreciate how they try to take care of us. They have a hotline number 0719 077 077 which has served us relatively well.

However, for the last three months especially a trend that can only be regarded as a digital scam has been going on. I only receive Startimes signals around the time of renewal of subscription after which they are not available only to resurface two or three days before expiry of the monthly subscription.

 I called the often busy hotline several times for a solution and realized the sorry state of our customer care staff. I finally had to write to The watchman in the Daily Nation before steps could be taken.

To which the following reply came:

However, I beg to ask one question. Did I have to go this far before  they could be able to get to “the bottom of my problem?” The following statistic came in mind.

To avoid matters going too far, the staff should have done the following simple things.

1. Be Great Listeners

They were never attentive to what I told them. They were giving me answers for questions I never asked and asking questions I was not supposed to answer. Do you stay near a tall building? What if I am in the only tall building?

2. Correct Body Language

When I decided to go to the Mombasa office for one on one help, I was met by bored staff who seemed tired of receiving and serving clients. A lady attended to me with eyes glued on the computer screen and a proud body language that said I don’t need to help you. She was also not very conversant with the technical language and general know-how.

3. Understand your product

Most of the ladies I communicated with never understood what they would talk about. Previously I was receiving the same channels at a signal strength of 35 and a signal quality of 33.One of them now declares she cannot be of any help because the signal quality has to be 60.Are you sure you have been a subscriber? She asks yet my subscription history is a click away before her.

4. Great Communication Skills

This is a must- have. This will help you handle customers as well as interact with fellow staff. Other staff will help you develop by sharing their experiences.

5. Be Calm and Have Patience

Government front desk officers and police have a great deficiency in patience. Understanding how to manage your personal emotions is a key factor in having success when working in any area of customer service. Staying calm and developing patience will benefit you when you are dealing with disgruntled customers or those who are confused about the services and products you offer. Conveying a calming attitude will allow your customers to feel more respected and listened to while talking with you.  

6. Keep Your Promises

We will do something today. What is done after that is that nothing is done.

That is how many feel. Cheated and disrespected. Keeping your promises that you have made to customers is essential in building your reputation and being taken seriously as a professional in your company. Learning how to manage expectations of customer complaints and what you can offer in exchange when you are helping an individual is essential. Keeping your promises also proves your loyalty to your customers, which can help you to get ahead in the workplace with enough referrals and recommendations.

7. Is the Customer Satisfied?

After offering the service was the client satisfied?

If you solved the problem, it is an addition for the organization. Double-checking with your customer after each offer, solution or sale can help to improve your reputation with clients while also ensuring complete satisfaction for all of your customers. This is the ultimate goal in customer care and if you have not attained it, you have failed despite all the talk you made.

8. Time Management

Why should you pick a client’s call and talk for the sake of talking? Then while pretending to solve you are really beating around the bush. This is wasting time.