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New Year, Same Old Business


It’s a new year, and as expected, businesses are re-assuring customers of their renewed commitment to serve them better. This, as you would know, includes businesses who have unresolved issues with customers from the just concluded year; but this new year statement of commitment is a trend, so, we all play along.


It’s quite sad that in over 6 months of transacting with businesses of different sizes in different sectors in Nigeria, since my return, I am yet to come across excellent service. This is not to say I haven’t noticed any improvement in service delivery but, the customer-centricity factor is still lacking.

Business owners brag about how sophisticated their products and services are, and even liken them to what obtains in western countries. They encourage customers to patronize Made in Nigeria products (I support this because it helps the Nigerian economy) but, I still maintain that they still don’t get it.

The Nigerian business environment is different, presenting its own peculiar challenges and opportunities. This notwithstanding, excellent service is still a possibility. Business is not just about getting goods and services from the producer to the customer and making profit, there is a mindset, a culture, that oils the wheel of business – customercentricity. It takes a business from being just about opening for business and attending to as many customers that show up each day and closing for business to re-open the next day, hoping that another set of customers  locate the business. It’s a mindset that asks such questions as:

Are my customers satisfied with my product/service?
How can I Improve my product/service delivery?
What are customers dissatisfied about in product/service delivery?
Are my customers returning or deflecting to the competition?
Am I giving my customers value for their money?
What are people saying about my business?

Surprisingly, the entry of more educated people into the informal business sector of Nigeria has not fostered the inclusion of customercentricity in the way business is done in Nigeria. The entry seems to have more of a price hike effect sparked by sophistication, than a cultural effect (positive change). Time is still widely abused, customer deception is still a norm and customers are more often than not, unapologetically baptized in murky waters of the doctrine that delay and disappointment are inevitable in service delivery in Nigeria. Corruption in business has now been perfected and customers have accepted the fate of bearing the bulk of the burden.

As harsh as these realities seem, I believe there are and there can be businesses that do right by customers. The unwholesome business practices I have experienced all point to the fact that most businesses in Nigeria do not regard customers as invaluable assets



They include:
Cleaning during opening hours and expecting that customers wait to be served after they are done cleaning
Not keeping to agreed delivery schedule
Waiting for the customer to be the first to greet
Asking customers to go find change
Refusing to sell to customers because they don’t have change
Sitting and asking customers to go search for items on the shelf
Hurling insults at customers who refuse to buy after being wooed
Not showing appreciation for patronage because they believe they are doing the customers a favour
Attracting customers with deceptive marketing materials (when an economy class business says it’s first class)
Zero follow up on customer enquiries, complaints, suggestions
Adopting rigid and unprofitable business policies just because the business owner says so
Adopting the blame game as a way out of every customer complaint
Imposing religious practices on the how and when of service delivery
Zero tolerance for exchange and return (Goods bought in good condition cannot be returned)
Refusing customers to test products except they commit to buy

I could go on and on. We engage in all these and question why sustainable businesses are considered miracles?
Save us the re-commitment messages , It’s a new year, what’s new about your business? It’s time to get customercentric!

Contact us for consultation
Mobile +2347015307929
Email: dumysamuel@gmail.com
Facebook: Customercentrix






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