CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Inculcating Customer
Experience Mindset In
Entrepreneurs
By Pauline Warui
T
here is a joke doing the rounds
clearly stating that if you want to
know your God more intimately,
become an entrepreneur in Kenya. True to
the word it’s very clear that the economic
situation has been very gloomy and has
negatively affected most entrepreneurs in
Kenya.
But Kenyans are a resilient lot and flinging
doors open for customers from downtown
stall to the leafy suburbs is still happening
today. But as a newbie entrepreneur,
it’s imperative to know that without
customers then you will be relegated to
the statistics of the many SME’s which
never see the dawn of operations come
the third year.
My first experience as an entrepreneur
was dogged with a myriad of challenges.
I was armed with the successful corporate
goggles which marred my view of the real
world under. I was the proverbial greedy
cat aiming at eating a hot potato without
cooling the sides to make a small bite.
I wanted it all but as months went by so
did my raw ambition. I suddenly realized
that I had to lower my expectations, drop
the fancy shades, roll my sleeves and get
down-right dirty. No one was going to
knock my door until I strategized and
decided to map out my customer and my
go to market approach.
I was armed with years of customer
experience but in established systems and
certainly, not for my own unknown brand.
I had to design my customer journey,
formulate a great acquisition strategy
with lean means. This remains one of my
most valuable experience and I happily
share my lessons to any start up in Kenya
today.
My Lessons
The customer is Queen. The King can
be tamed. The queen has many demands
and she has the magic wand. At the
beginning you will compromise profits
and give it your all to create a great brand.
The customer will demand and some
will take advantage of you given your
vulnerable situation as a newbie in the
entrepreneurial world.
Stand your ground and brand, manage
expectations but give your customers an
experience they will never forget. If you
There is a joke doing the rounds clearly stat-
ing that if you want to know your God more
intimately, become an entrepreneur in Ken-
ya. True to the word it’s very clear that the
economic situation has been very gloomy
and has negatively affected most entrepre-
neurs in Kenya.
28 MAL34/20 ISSUE
have just opened a clothes shop, cater for
sizes, don’t focus on what you like but
listen out to the customer needs. Don’t
sell what you do not have but be keen to
become an expert of what you possess and
are good at.
Don’t compromise Customer Experience
due to financial constraints. This will
not only be your differentiator but your
mark of excellence. So often Customer
Experience is relegated to the back bench
as most entrepreneurs imagine that the
receptionist is in charge and she is smiling
with the customers appropriately.
Though this is good, I always liken it with
washing a car outside while the engine and
interiors are filthy and badly maintained.
The car will definitely stall and sometimes
in the most embarrassing situations as
outsiders admire the gleaming exterior
while creating all manner and types of
theories on the root cause analysis for your
failed brand.
Customer experience cuts across all the
decisions you make for your business e.g.
quality of your products, the look and feel,
delivery channels and the choice of these
channels, how you pick and respond to
feedback etc.
Another lesson I learnt as an entrepreneur
is that your personal involvement is very
key in ensuring that you drive your vision
and mission. No one can steer your vision
at the incubation period or deliver it like
you would. Your contribution is extremely
important in ensuring that you deliver the
service which you dreamt of while forming
your business. It is very difficult