the bank that I had paid through so I should call her colleague . Through the peep hole I wondered how to do it as it was quite odd . I knocked at the window as I wondered … Am I truly chasing someone who I have just sent my hard earned money to ? This reminded me of banking in the early 90 ’ s when you deposited money and could only withdraw it after seven days never mind after queuing for hours on end . Truly time had not moved an inch here .
I decided maybe I was too fast or may be as a customer experience driver , my expectations were too high . I called out for someone to attend to me and though they could see through their peep hole window , they decided to give me a lesson . The owner approached wearing a dead face and that ’ s when I got my answer . “ The systems are not working and you should wait ! Others are waiting patiently too .”
I asked why I was not given this information prior to paying yet they knew this . I demanded for service and for the first time felt like an activist influencing others to demand for good service . The customers ’ noise was a nuisance to her . She was rich and entrenched in the small town . Who was I to upset her status quo ? 30 minutes had elapsed since I had made my payment . I was palpitating .
The lesson here was simple . Communication was key . The management should have already anticipated these delays and advised customers that there would be some inconveniences . We had already ordered a transport vehicle to carry the purchased items but this was not their concern . She had forgotten a fundamental lesson . If your customers make losses due to your inefficiencies , you indirectly reduce their purchasing power at your premises . You even chance losing them as a customer forever .
Exhausted from this drama , I called the recipient bank as I was tired of staying in this unwelcoming shop . The owners had now locked themselves in their bunker offices because they had better things to do than attend to their angry customers who had already made good revenues for them . Their business model is based on transactions not relationships .
The bank was accessible and quite friendly . I was asked to send the payment code and till number to ensure they completed the transaction . I was happy . My connections would sort me quickly . 15 minutes later , I was called to be asked for another detail which I had provided earlier . Oh my , what happens here ? I was now speaking to myself . I called the bank again after 30 minutes and this was the response : “ We can see the transaction in the gateway but there are many transactions but you ’ ll be sorted in the next few minutes ”.
I waited for 15 minutes and left the shop , I was defeated . I was going to collapse from a burst vein and this risk was not worth it . Customer anger is real . They do not buy items . They buy real needs e . g . a tap to replace an overflowing one to appease an unhappy wife . I was paying idle staff at home as they waited for the necessary materials yet I had been promised I was in the best hardware shop in town !
I left someone to continue with the process as I drove back to the Capital City . Every time I called the bank , I was assured that all would be well in 15 minutes . This went on till 6:00pm and the shop shut it ’ s doors . Customers who had made purchases were asked to get their goods the next day . No numbers were picked to assure them that they would be called when payments were confirmed . People in the villages travel to towns to get their items and it costs a lot of time and money . The customers are still very accommodating like they were born to suffer at the hands of these rich dukawala owners . I laughed a little on imagining tales told by those who worked for Kodak and Xerox . Giants of their time .
Fortunately , the funds went through the next day and we had to hire transport again to deliver the goods . I separated myself eternally from that shop and the bank which never called to find out if my issue was ever resolved .
Why am I ranting about this particular incident ? It ’ s because customer rights are grossly abused by big brands whether global , national or local . With the growing trends in customer experience , businesses must now be forced into giving good customer experience . They should have automation that works . Payment platforms which do not deliver the customer experience e . g . the bank that talked about seeing payments in their gateway need to be penalized heavily . We need to have customer experience policies and standards detailing fair treatment for all buyers from a Government perspective .
I may absorb the loss of time , delays and hiring transport means twice but who will refund me for this inconvenience ? What if I was paying for a patient bill and the recipient bank did not integrate well or plan for capacity to receive payment ? Who would pay for an extra day at the hospital ? How many customers have been affected ? What is an allowable down time ? Do we even have this defined ? How long would it have taken me to access the bank if I did not know someone ? What is the accessibility rate of service providers ? How much are we losing as an economy while we make customers stand on queues for a whole day yet simple planning could easily change these scenarios ?
These questions will remain unanswered but customer experience for revenue generation is not a fad . It ’ s a reality . We must learn and relearn that customers keep us in business whether big or small and we should treat them with lots of respect . Customers feed life into our businesses .
Pauline Warui is the Founder of East Africa Customer Care Centre . You can commune with her on this or related matters via email at : PWarui69 @ gmail . com .