MARKETING EVOLUTION
Is training against prejudice given ? A man like BP for example is clearly in touch with his femininity . Is it possible that the store assistant ’ s treatment of BP was drawn from her discomfort with concepts like homosexuality and androgyny ? He is also a black man , and this incident happened in the United States .
In the case above BP articulated his frustration and used his social media handle to vent . Fortunately , word got to those higher up in the company and they were able to rectify the situation leaving BP content . BP encouraged his fans and followers to visit the store in his second video because of the maturity that was displayed in taking personal responsibility for the unpleasant situation he went through . Additionally , he made it clear that he would be making purchases from the store .
This customer complained , the company made it right . This is the advantage that a customer who complains can bring . They allow you to see flaws and gaps that can be corrected which will be beneficial not just to the said customer but to other customers as well . However , not all customers complain .
In his book ‘ Crown Your Customer ,’ Sunny Bindra speaks of the ‘ Acquiescent Kenyan Customer .’ He bemoans how Kenyans are meek , timid , and uncomplaining . “ No matter what run-arounds we are given and what lies we are told , we do not speak out .” ‘ A strange phenomenon ’ is what he calls it . I may not have the full answer to this , but I believe that this behaviour is drawn from a culture that typically downplays . Take for example if you , a Kenyan meet with another Kenyan who seems to be doing very well , when asked , they will likely say , “ Ni kujaribu tu .”
Kenyan culture may not have changed much since he wrote his book , but the business environment has . Now , customers have much greater choice . Only a handful of companies can claim dominance in any area . As a result , the acquiescent Kenyan customer may not complain as they should , but they do have a power they can wield . Below is the story of one Kenyan woman who was frustrated and did something
“ Dissatisfied customers typically tell 9 to 15 other people about their experience ; some tell 20 or more ; It takes 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one negative experience ; Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing customer .”
about it . Her approach can be considered ‘ quiet ’ and the loss the business faced as ‘ insidious .’
Life today is such that it is very hard to cope without internet access , even more so for those living in urban areas . Elizabeth lives in an estate in Nairobi . This internet service provider ( ISP ) pitched tent at the entrance of the estate to sell internet connectivity to its residents . She was happy to and quickly signed up . Two days later , she was connected . She was elated .
A few months later , she noticed a red blink on the router accompanied by no internet . She got in touch with the ISP who fixed it . The problem was mice . Gnawing on fibre cables seems to be a fun pass time for them . These fibre cables were placed in manholes and so the ISP technicians advised her to ask estate management to fumigate to deal with the mice . This was done .
Around 4 weeks later again , a red blink on the router . She called the ISP hoping it was not the same problem . Unfortunately , it was . The ISP technicians fixed her internet connectivity but Elizabeth the second time around was agitated . In her mind she knew that it would not be long before she would suffer the same problem . Mice are still mice at the end of the day . She was right . 4 days later , another red blink on the router . She sends a message to her ISP provider .
Elizabeth : “ Good morning . Unfortunately , my router is having a red blink again . I suspect that it is still the problem with mice . Is it possible to address the issue especially because despite fumigation , the mice still appear ?”
ISP : “ Hello Elizabeth , thank you for getting in touch . We have informed our technical team and they will call you upon arrival .”
Approximately 2 hours later , the technical team passed by and as before it was a fibre cut caused by gnawing mice . She asked the technical team if anything could be done to address the issue . They told her nothing could be done ; she would have to try and convince the estate management to fumigate once again . And so goes the conversation ….
Elizabeth : “ I would like to request for fumigation of manholes near house number XXXX . Mice keep gnawing on the fibre cables which means I can ’ t access the internet .”
Estate Management : “ Greetings Elizabeth . About a month ago you placed a request for fumigation which was done . Out of concern for the environment and the well-being of the estate residents we cannot fumigate again so soon after . Ask your ISP to use encased cables that the mice cannot bite through .”
Elizabeth : “ Alright , thank you .”
No sooner had this conversation ended than a message from her ISP landed .
ISP : “ Good evening , Elizabeth . This is to let you know that our team has fixed your connectivity . Please find a way of eradicating the mice .”
Elizabeth : Thank you .
Elizabeth was beyond frustrated . She knew history would repeat itself and that soon she would experience another fibre cut . That was a Wednesday . Friday morning , a red blink on her router . She had been through this before , so this time she was calmer as she headed to the office . At lunch they share a tradition of stepping out together . That Friday she went for lunch with 8 of her colleagues . She shared her frustration and was advised by one of her colleagues to try another ISP .
She called right there during lunch and asked this competing
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MAL 45 / 21 ISSUE