• Celebrate great customer delight stories .
Mzee Kiplagat ’ s presence in the Eldoret shop created a great delight story that was shared across the organization . This triggered great conversation and an opportunity for others to learn .
2 ). Listen relentlessly , understand customer pain points and resolve them quickly : these days customers communicate across all channels . They either call , email , reach out on social media or create a conversation online . Social listening , capturing feedback from all touch points becomes absolutely crucial in understanding pain points .
Further , regular check in with our customers helps us understand them better . Asking once in a while how their experience with us is has been a great way to get feedback . In Java after a nice cup of coffee , there is a feedback loop where customers are asked to rate the service . I am sure this provides the organization great insights about their customers across their network .
3 ). Customer journey reviews become an important daily task for the teams . Reviewing how customers interact with us whether online or physically is crucial . We have great benefits now with digitation as we are able to get a satisfaction score for every journey as our customers engage with us . We are able to see the points at which customers drop off and we learn how to simplify the experience to provide a delightful experience . This process requires the whole organization to be courageous enough to step back and review all processes end to end , even if they have been in existence for a long time . Be ready to self-disrupt for the benefit of the customer .
4 ). Communicate to customers using the channels that they prefer : customers demand to be understood . Customers demand to receive personalized messages . Customers prefer to be called by their names . Segmentation of customers has now evolved to the segment of one . Each customer is a segment unique in their own right . With this as our reality , the message is as important as the medium of communication . Email , a pop-up screen message on an app , engaging online with customers , a call back , SMS , WhatsApp , etc . All these are channels that can be used to connect with customers .
5 ). Express gratitude : thanking customers for choosing us every day is a culture we should embed as we seek to connect with our
customers . The customer is the only one who makes a decision every day to buy goods and services from a certain provider . They bring their hard-earned cash . After a purchase , sending a customer a thank you message is a great way to acknowledge patronage . Customers appreciate the recognition of the role they play in organization . Constantly thanking customers should form part of an organization ’ s DNA .
6 ). Seek to create wow moments : We must create wow moments for our customers . Sending a cake to their office on their birthday . Giving a preferential calling rate on the day of the birthday , having delights during public holidays , giving offers during special occasions . These acts create great memories for customers and build affinity to the brand .
On 19th May we hoped to create such a moment for Mzee Kiplagat . We wanted to officially celebrate his 88th birthday in our Head Office and he accepted our humble invitation . He took a flight to Nairobi , an experience he expressed to us that he will never forget . We welcomed him to Michael Joseph Centre for cake and a few gifts . He shared with us great stories of his childhood , his wife , his children and his journey with Safaricom . We were honored to celebrate the day with him .
We thank all our customers for the honor they continuously give us to serve them daily and for their patronage . TUINUANE .
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi is the Chief Consumer Business Officer , Safaricom PLC . You can commune with her on this or related matters on email at : Fawziakimanthi @ gmail . com .