CUSTOMER SERVICE

A DUTY OR A FAVOUR

How come it is only in this country that artisans think they do you a favour when they agree to do a service? Last year about two weeks to Christmas I took my material to the seamstress because I wanted new dress for Christmas Convention. Being satisfied with the style chosen, I paid for the dress and we agreed that I come for the dress a Saturday before the event on Sunday. Lo and behold Saturday comes and I find myself at the shop with the hope of getting my dress. To my utter most susprise the place was locked and her phone was switched off. What!😟 My heart broke.😭 To think that this my about the fourth time this has happened to me. Why make promises they can’t keep?

A friend shares his experience of when he contacted a plumber to fix his sink. They agreed that the plumber come at 7am because he wanted to go to work at 9am. After waiting for close to an hour, past the agreed time he decided to lock up and leave for work. On his way out, he met the plumber at the gate of his house and when asked why he was late he said “Traffic”. My friend called off the contract because he was annoyed the man came late. Herh! You should have the verbal bullets that were fired at my friend because he rescheduled the job. The plumber claimed my friend has wasted his time.  Now I ask, “who was cheated?”  .

Step in the shops, you will find a hard face server making it look like you are a nuisance by coming to buy. Her entire attitude screams, “You are disturbing me!” esp. when what you are not buying much and don’t have a car. For some people like my sister they will just leave and not come again but some of us we are usually sympathetic. Let’s do a quick math at this situation. You disrespect a customer because the person was not well dressed or bought something little. If this person has a wife, has three children, has friends, has work colleagues, has church friends etc., who will ask for recommendations from him. Imagine the number of people you have lost! Forget the people who always come to buy because they have nowhere to go and focus on the big picture.

We overlook the fact that every kind business you do so it is already being done elsewhere.  However, your customer service makes all the difference. People travel long distances for some services not because there is none of those available near them but because of the way they are treated.

My brother called a carpenter to change the window nets of the house because some of them were torn. The man came over to inspect and gave us a bill. The money was paid promptly because the nets were in dire need of repair. Somehow several weeks after money had paid, the man refused to show up, does not call and does not pick up his calls. Neither does he return them. I ask “How do you expect to be recommended for the next probably bigger job”. Trust me on this people do lots of things based on recommendations. Thus if you study the trend of adverts we have, it is more about someone esp. celeb recommending a product to consumers. So if you treat me badly there is no way I’m sending someone to your place.

Another issue worth looking at is the unhealthy competition. So I pass by one shop to get an item in the other shop close by and somehow I didn’t get it so I return to the shop I had passed and the vender feels reluctant to sell. Ah! “Is it wrong to have a preference in terms of where we shop?” And if I didn’t get that item, should you not use this opportunity to win me over instead of approving my choice with your cold attitude. It gets so bad that customers feel guilty when they have to buy from other shops esp. in the same area because they will be mistreated when they go back to their first love. I have seen several people hide things they bought from other shops before going to a shop that sells similar items. In worse cases some have to go home and return to the same area they bought the things just to go the next shop. Tis a sad distin😔.

The issue of customer service raises alarming concerns of how we do business in Ghana. It seems that that once you are a request a service you are deprived of rights to be treated as human. Starting from community shops to market stalls to banks and even government institutions. We admire the big companies that have being in existence for decades and ask why this is not possible in our country. But one of the key factors to that success is good customer service. Artisans (hairdressers, tailors, plumbers, carpenters, etc.) in Ghana are you really in business? How come it so difficult for you to keep your word?

We are good at receiving visitors in our home and foreigners in our country hence on the international front we are considered hospitable. Let us extend this to our businesses. Also customers try and understand that at times the people are just having a bad day. Don't take advantage of the fact that the customer is always right to maltreat people who sell to you. Accord them them the needed respect and they will do same for you.  Remember that you need them as much as they need you. And as I keep saying if you do your part and I do mine society will be a better place for us all😇.