The collective culture in Ethiopia is as warmly hospitable and as friendly as it can be. We go far beyond necessary to treat and accommodate our guests and visitors in our homes with the utmost respect and hospitality.
Our hospitality, however, is not reflected in our business dealings and interactions. Too often, our business culture deprives people good customer services.
Complaints about the lack of good customer services in Ethiopia can be heard from public offices to private service providers.
But why?
Essentially, a customer is a person or group that purchases goods or services from a business. A customer service is then providing services to customers.
What is often overlooked is that the main customers of a business or organisation are perceived as its direct customers. Customer service scholars say the primary customers are actually the staff of businesses and organisations themselves. They are the face of their respective entities and the most valued partners.
Direct customers with whom a company or a business hopes to build a lasting relationship come second. The third group of customers is those that are served indirectly, either affected or benefited.
Ask any manager at any flourishing business and they will tell you, customer service is more than the quality of product a business provides. Customer service is ultimately building human relations. It goes beyond the momentary interaction when the customer is present to purchase goods and services.
Good customer service is efficient. It saves customers time, energy and money.
Efficient service allows customers to be productive and invest their time and resources on other opportunities. And hence leads to higher customer satisfaction and customer experience translating to lasting bond and customer loyalty.
Good customer service is a prerequisite for any business that wishes to thrive. Albeit having extremely generous and friendly people, how come Ethiopian businesses do not reflect these characteristics?
Foreigners and Ethiopian Diaspora often complain about the lack of customer service here in Ethiopia. Many service providers, on the other hand, refute the case and attribute it to impatient cultural and communication differences.
Just a couple of days ago, a friend and I went to eat in a nice restaurant in the Olympia area of Addis Abeba. Our server came to take our order and he verbally told us what was available.
Surprised at the limitation of our options, we started asking the server what other options might be available. The server would respond “esu yale aymeslegnim”, Which loosely translates to, “I don’t think that is available”. Clearly, he wasn’t certain about a lot of things and we asked if he could go check and come back to us.
We also asked if he could bring us a menu. It turned out that there were many more options.
The server seemed to keep on forgetting things and we needed to ask for utensils, napkins and so on. Having to ask for the simplest things multiple times was not the displeasing part of the experience; it was his reluctance and unapologetic attitude.
If felt as though he waned us to know we were being overly demanding out of the ordinary. It seems almost as if we offended him by not graciously choosing amongst the options he presented to us.
I have had a much more interesting experience on other occasions of course. This is just a simpler sample, the tip of the iceberg, if you will.
There are many steps business owner’s can implement to help provide better customer services. Amongst many, here are my three specific suggestions.
Train your staff: Investing on staff development and training is one of the effective decisions employers can make. Adequately trained employees feel at ease in their work environment, adjust well with their colleagues, feel confident and competent with their responsibilities.
Subsequently, they are likely to stay longer with their employer and provide better customer service. This, in return, increases customer satisfaction, thereby, increases business transaction.
Provide feedback: Providing feedback and acknowledgment assures people their work ethic and contribution is recognised and valued. Employers ought to take the time to appreciate their staff.
Frequent and informal appreciations are great, but even better are in-depth and formal discussions highlighting achievements as well as areas for improvement. Mere couple of minutes of vague and hyperbolic praises will not do it; if anything, it could have the opposite effect. Frequent feedbacks, including constructive criticisms, help employees stay focused on their personal and professional growth.
There also is a need to create a rewards system: Creating rewards system motivates employees and it reaffirms that their efficiency and productivity matters. Incentives help people take ownership of their responsibilities to realise the fruits of their hard work.
Furthermore, it indirectly influences coworkers. In effect, it helps others notice and adapt the habits and characteristics of high performers. Leading them to become more coachable and receptive to change.
The earliest study and publication on customer service suggests that the subject gained focus in the field of industrial marketing in the 1960s-70s. Long before that, generally speaking, service was something of a prerogative to the wealthy few. Driven by globalisation and market competition, customer service gained momentum thereafter.
Now, progressively, with technology, there is dramatic shift from customer satisfaction focus to efficiency and service automation. This is mainly to keep up with the increasing human appetite for instant gratification. Technology is helping improve the efficiency of service delivery replacing human interaction.
In Ethiopia, though, with less than one percent Internet connectivity, we are yet to reach the digital revolution phase. For the most part, business decisions are neither conducted via the Internet nor based on the validity of contracts. Rather, so much depends on human interaction and trust. For the majority, customer services remain the key in attracting new and retaining existing customers. Business leaders who pay close attention to customers’ complaints will reap its benefits.
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