We have heard all too often many companies in Kenya and Africa in general hire global consultants to help them turn around their fortunes from losses to instant profits. Most of them pay enormous amount of money expecting some profound advice only to be presented with a 30 or more page document recommending to them to fire or retire employees because it’s always the easier way to solve the challenge.
Organizations are increasingly under pressure by its shareholders to make profits. In so doing many companies have resorted to cost management through adoption of technology among other strategies.
In all this the concept of customer care is all but lost. Organizations are increasingly loosing the human touch or personal service that customers crave for due to automation of most if not all operations.
The more often customers are forced to interact with machines, the greater the yearning for human contact becomes.
People will continue to appreciate and reward warm helpful services by other human beings no matter how computerized the society becomes. People will smile when you address them by name or give them extra information they did not expect.
They will tell their friends about fast service by friendly, helpful employees who knew what they were doing and enjoyed doing it (Research shows that 20% of most businesses is through referral and word of mouth recommendation is more effective than product advertising in influencing purchase decsions)
Customer service has a multiplier effect; it multiplies results achieved by advertising, marketing and sales.
Competitive edge will continue to go to companies with personal service.