Customer Service Week is an annual event celebrated to recognize and appreciate the contributions of customer service professionals. The event was first established by the International Customer Service Association (ICSA) in the US in 1984. It began as a one-day event and later expanded into a week-long celebration.
This year’s theme across the world was Team Service. The emphasis was on team work. A reminder that each employee no matter the cadre contribute to the bottom line in every organization. When all members of a team participate in discharging the mandate of an organization, there is a sense of pride and ownership by each team member and this increases staff morale and motivation.
In Kenya, the theme focused on CX (Customer Experience) Agility. Which means the “a business’ ability to move fast, adapt to tactics quickly and respond to evolving customer needs and market conditions.” Institute of Customer Experience.
There has been debate on whether corporates and organizations both public and private put so much emphasis on the customer at the expense of the service providers/employees. Regardless of which one has more weight, the two are important and play a critical role in the success of any organization.
Employees ensure the customer is always satisfied in many ways e.g. timely service delivery, response to inquiries, access to information, resolution of complaints and most importantly, listening and taking in feedback from the customers.
In this digital era, customer needs are dynamic and keep evolving thus the need for agility by the organization. Government institutions like ours are not left behind while giving services to the “mwananchi.” We are called to embrace servant leadership, where leaders and anyone in an authority of influence and decision-making prioritize serving the greater good. Leaders with this style serve their team and organization first. They don’t prioritize their own objectives.
This year’s theme reminded us that without team work, we cannot satisfy the customer. Strong teams produce good customer service, assure consistency of communication with the customer and build trust and mutual relationships.
