Zimbabwean businesses urged to value customer service

Zimbabwean businesses have been urged to value customer services as a way of boosting sales and increasing revenue streams.

Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ) southern region spokesperson Benson Mukandiwa said service excellence is now an indispensable standard of service quality every serious brand must set as a benchmark for both their internal and external market share growth.

"With customer service expectations exponentially dynamic, the global community is becoming aware of the value and role that customer service plays in achieving business success," he said on the sidelines of the Building Customers for Life - Service Excellence Networking event in Bulawayo last week.

Mukandiwa indicated that this highly demanding factor was arguably the critical success factor for many organisations.

"For this core reason among other keys, it is important that the customer service profession promote and reward excellence, professionalism and outstanding achievement, to the corporate business community, which measures its performance through the bottom line, let me stress that service excellence pays better dividends and it is, therefore, priceless," he added.

This comes as researches have indicated that customer experience is the next competitive battleground.

A recent study in the United States shows nearly $62 billion is flowing from companies' pockets into the hands of their competitors as a direct result of poor customer service.

Failing to deliver the right product, failure to meet on-time delivery promises or even just a lack of clear communication are just a few reasons why customers are disappearing.

Mukandiwa noted that Zimbabwe should not be left out as this is the time to leverage on legendary customer service dictates so as to be-come competitive on a global landscape.

"The time has come to shift focus towards efficient service delivery. Those corporates which are still disregarding their customers' power should start shifting focus towards service excellence, lest they be left lagging behind the conceptual shift and go under," the renowned customer service expert said.

"As a company, you must choose whether to compete on the basis of price in a cutthroat commodity market, or on the basis of customer relationships created through a superior value proposition," he added.

CCAZ has lined up many events for the Southern region this year which include the Customer Service Building Customers for Life Conference and CRM Master Classes, Charity Golf tournament, Winter Inter Corporates Sports Day and the Service Excellence Expo among others.

"We are looking forward for successful networking events which build lasting synergies," he said.

The service excellence event was graced by various captains of industry from the banking Sector, motor industry, manufacturing industries and health sector among others.