Courtesy And The Nigerian Business Model

I was discussing with a friend online the other day and we got around to talking about how to set up a business in Nigeria.

I was of the opinion that personnel should be trained to smile, be helpful at all times to everyone and to show courtesy to all customers -- for example, I can walk into any Walmart store and ask whoever's at the Customer Service Desk to call me a taxi [I do that all the time].

Over here in Nigeria, businesses like cyber cafes attract customers by offering free food for a while, and after the 'Bonanza' there's lots of shabby treatment. We have illiterate receptonists who're more interested in painting their nails and in speaking on the phone while ignoring you completely.

Nigerian employees tend to be very rude to customers -- especially when they're perceived as having no money. I had an experience like that once until the boss [my Dad's friend and a personal friend of mine] walked in and told the lady in question off.

Please share your thoughts on this issue _{-- I'm afraid I can't be more coherent.}

I have definitely been on both ends of the spectrum:

Bad service: My dad and I went into a restaurant. Being the americans that we were, we waited to be served. Another group came in at least 30 minutes after us and began shouting "menu, foood, water, !!!" They not only ate before we were even offered somethig to drink, but they left before us and laughed at us on the way out. Of course, we decided to outsmart them, so we went back the next day and shouted "water!! spoon!!! foood!!! receipt!!" We were so rude that not only did we get prompt service, but the guy even dropped his tray full of glasses, probably in fear.

Another bad service: Queue at Mr. Biggs. If you want to do oyibo and stand in line, you will be there forever LOL. I had to re-learn how to set my foot in such a way that no one cd get in front of me LOL.

Good service: Took my wife shopping at some place in calabar. Was greeted by pple in suits. Well groomed. Walked us through all the way. At the counter, thanked us for shopping with them, wished us a good day and because we spent over a certain amount, they gave my wife a free purse

Another good service: A cybercafe in uyo. Nice environment, helpful admin guys. Nice music. I used to take a cab to the place, just for the service.

We have a long way to go unforunately. However, I am happy that at least some businesses are taking note and making changes. Like I said, I don't mind paying extra N100 for good service.

Customer service and service quality is cultural to some extent so u can't have the same service u have in the states in Nigeria or elsewhere, For example the way customers respond to service quality is different in the States to the way they react in the UK. A research by culture in business guru Hofstede proves that the british do not show emotions in regards to service quality, they have that "stiff upper lip". so basically it is of no use to try to delight them, because they won't give u feedback, like i was really surprised and a bit irritated by the fake smile and welcoming of american waiters at restaurants in the states. Here in the UK they serve u and get on with whatever they are doing. And a lot of my friends who live in the states just constantly complain about the service they recieve in the UK. In central and East Europe as well people are shocked that MNCs like McD ask their employees to smile at customers even if they are not personally happy, because it is considered hypocrite, My point is because you are used to the service in the states and that very demanding and critical nature of Americans in terms of customer service, your judgement on service quality in nigeria is biased to some extent. I'm not condoning terrible service that you sometimes come across in Nigeria, I think you are right when you say they are not always welcoming and the customer is not placed at the core of service provision, i have witnessed situations where you enter a service and the receptionist is like " yes what do you want? can i help you?" in a very patronising and sometimes rude tone like why are you coming to disturb my peace, and a number of times where they are actually talking or the fone or with colleagues. But there again the interpersonal service u sometimes get is great in that the person providing you the service knows your preferences and know your name etc, they don't see you as a customer u are a client with a life, name and family. they ask you how now? how are the kids ? and give u special treatment,

That's very true -- hmmm. But I think Nigerians tend to be more rude. If you cut out the smiling part, what about courtesy?

There is a difference in customer service in Naija and abroad, but most of them are almost basically the same. In yankee, a waitress is forced to smile at you in order to maintain a positive image of the company, so therefore, their services can be termed "fake". In naija, there is a more personal felicity involved sometimes. You are asked, "How now, how your wife, with a smile, and when they do so, it is done genuinenly. At the same time, when you encounter a rude attendant, they are more direct to you, because they are simply ignorant about the nature of business generally.

What I was driving at is that many businesses lose customers because they don't really care for them -- or treat them as trash.

leilata,

Regardless of cultural differences, customer service is and should be the same. As noted above, the fact that in yankee, a waiter smiles at you doesn't mean she cares. In fact, she may even end up spitting in your food, and surface at your table all smiles, as if she owns stock in macleans (nasty, but true). When you leave, they wish you a nice day on the outside, yet may curse your great-grand-father on the inside.

Humans are humans worldwide. All you need do is smile. You would be surprised to find out what a "how are you doing today sir" does to some pple. It throws pple with a bad attitude off, It makes them happy, it keeps them coming, It results in more money.

Example: even b4 dreaming of coming to america, I owned a small shop. I sold, among others, soft drinks. I had a deal where if you bought 5 bottles or more, you got one free. Now, at the time, no one offered that and I didn't know anyone in america (not now where there is CNN et al) to know that that is what is done here. Pple would come to my store from all over, bypassing 3 or 4 along the way. Why? Customer service

a my2cents,

you obviously didnt read properly or understood what i meant by cultural differences, as i stated before u are biased about what customer service is and should be because of your geographical location and the norms in the states!!!! to you excellent customer service is the fake smile and the goodbye and the lot, to someone else it is smthg else and to some it is nothing, americans are very demanding and they complain about service quality a lot and companies are very much keen to offer them this "right service" (from their perspective) mainly because one it keeps them satisfied and loyal and obviously according to Riechheld and co it increases the bottom line, but also because the american society is extremely litiguous, one bad move and the customer is suing your derriere!!! Japanese are even more demanding, i don't have statistical report to back this but intuitively i can say that the average nigerian does not even see the essence of customer service and it is not a perogative for company managers, To finish up, the essence of customer servicing is, like i previously mentioned, to boost service quality and customer satisfaction which should theoretically lead to increase profitability BUT the key here is satisfaction, Does excellent customer service lalways and systematically lead to an increase in customer satisfaction in every country, in the same way? My answer like i previously gave examples is NO. There is no point in spending any kind of resources be it capital human or emotional if it is not valued, demanded. Should every Nigerian manager spend resources ( time and capital we all know time is money) on training their staff to servicing customer the way it is done in the states, if it is not going to increase the bottom line? The only reason this would work is because Nigerians aspire a lot to the American culture and anything american is cool etc so if they have a customer service like that recieved in the states then they have the illusion of living the american dream, Nuff said am getting passionately and emotionally involved and my despise to some extent to the american dream will start surfacing

and also customer service and service quality are quite different things!!! i beg to defer the fact that you had a "buy one get one free" type of thing is not an example of customer service, it is just a mktg stunt, basically by doing that you are lowering cost for your customers, instead of them buying 5 bottles at say 50 naira they are getting it for 40, like businesses ppl want to maximise their profit the only different is for customers profit can be translated as the value of the product, so by providing lower price u are beating competition and to some extent building a relationship,

again me loool at my 2 cents your example about the bad service you recieved in the restaurant illustrates perfectly what i mean by cultural differences, i will say it NIGERIANS LIKE TO SHOUT!!!!! and are constantly on the offensive, so when you went to eat and waited to be serve it is not part of the nigerian manner and attitude ( subsets of culture) whereas shouting and fighting people is the way of life in Nigeria, it is the norm(another subset of culture), the waiter there thinks it is natural for customers to come in and yell spoon food bill or whatever because afterall "they are only the waiter", this attitude probably stems from the fact that most ppl in Nigeria treat people badly because they are paying them so they feel they are the oga or superior (you dont believe me just think about how the nouveau riche treats their housegirls) but that is just another debate altogether

not to beat up a dead horse, but customer service, as I understand it is defined as assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services.

By that definition, my offering of the coke deal is a form of assistance. In the end, the customer has a good experience and will do almost anything to come back. Of course, the sinister purpose of that deal is to make the customer spend pepper via marketing stunts, but the politically correct way of looking at it is as a form of customer service.

As I said earlier, the business owner could care less about you. They just want to make you feel better, cos a happy customer is a spending customer LOL

@Leilita

About the discourse on housemaids/houseboys and their experiences in someone's household, read my discourse on this subject.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=10441.msg286616#msg286616

I think Customer service and Service quality works together

so bad customer service = bad quality of service


_{i just noticed this bit}

To finish up, the essence of customer servicing is, like i previously mentioned, to boost service quality and customer satisfaction which should theoretically lead to increase profitability

leilata

Customer service in most nigerian businesses is really poor. What do we expect when some employers compromise qualification, experience and other criteria in order to favour girl friends, people from same ethnic group, same religion, etc. You go to some companies and the way you would be received by the receptionist would make you wonder Most people do not believe that the customer is king!
I know one telecoms company in Port Harcout where almost all the staff are from the GM's ethnic group. You go there to reconcile your account or pay your bills, and all you hear are the workers busy chatting in their dialects chi chi chi chi chi. I had to bang my fist on a table on one of my visits there. I told them that by the time people start having better alternatives, they would be looking for jobs! Thank God, two other better telecoms companies moved into the PH market. The premises of the other customer-unfriendly company is now like a ghost town

Take footballers for instance.

Outside Nigeria, the coaches rent limos for them, put them in first class on flights and stay in economy.

In Nigeria, the coach gets a limo and leaves the players to find transport or use a bus, gets into first class and leaves the players in economy, etc.

I don't know if this is meant to be in the sports section but I maintain it's still customer service.

yea it's still customer Service

plus the coach drink Moet or bottled water while the players are thrown sachets of pure water

. Nigeria -- we'll change but I'm impatient to see the change.

the good thing is that the change as began, competition will help alot in spreading it.

It's happening in every facet of life. When power becomes fully commercialised, those NEPA replacements won't dare annoy people when they come for bills -- they might even offer credit [with interest].

diyobdw:

the good thing is that the change as began, competition will help alot in spreading it.

I agree, i heard the banks are at the forefront

but some of them still have nasty atittude, like the gateman asking you what do u want , even telling u the requirements for opening an account   _{*source* seun from another thread}

I'll never forget this charming lady I met at Fountain Trust Bank -- pretty, smiling and very educated. I walked in confused and she walked up to me and asked if she could help me.

I needed to apply for a Visa and needed the eVAPS scratch card. She painstakingly went through every thing with me and discussed what I wanted. She then helped me change some money -- i fact I felt like I was the only one there and she declined my tip.

I later found out her name from the plaque in front of her -- and thanked her profusely.

Now that's what I call service.

I'm not a very charming or patient person, but i recognize the value of hiring such people.

i agree with you Seun

Just to add my own two cents,

I remember when i was growing up as a child in D'line port-harcourt. We had this guy on our street who had small shop ( A.k.a Kiosk) and he sold small things like peak milk, sugar, milo, key soap and those kind of stuff. I've known this guy like forever,  we used to call him ibo man,and once you mentioned his name everyone knew him. He was the kind that would ask you about your school work, if you were been respectful to your parents, if you were coming first in your class, he would also give you a sweet if you had been good.

I will never forget ibo man. When i went to portharcourt on a visit, i went to his shop and that was after over ten years since he last saw me,  ibo man was close to tears when i reminded him of who i was,  he told all the customers in the shop about me, and how he knew me when i was a child and praised me so much when i told him of all that i had achieved since the last time he saw me.

I tell u, the admiration and genuine appreciation in his eyes will live with me for the rest of my life.

Bottom line is, the african definition of customer service may be different, but when we come across such genuinity, we never forget it. If i ever have the opportunity of owning a business, i will learn from "ibo man" because he taught me so much. Actually, even in my daily life, i try to make a difference because you never know who you can touch and change by simple genuine concern and a loving smile you give to that person.

Moral of the story is in your everyday life,  whether in business, a relationship or otherwise, ALWAYS STRIVE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

That's so sweet. I love people like that.

Customer service in Nigeria is poor the way it is, because an owner of a grocery store for example feels he is doing you, a Customer a favor.

IB,thats is such a lovely story,I hope Iboman is a happy man wherever he is!

I went to someplace in Gbagada on saturday where they sell diced roasted goatmeat(Asun).The guy in charge there was so friendly and nice.To have a simple bottle of coke there is about 200 naira or so but that didnt matter to me because this guy was so friendly and inviting,he´ll make you want to buy another drink!

We accept that customer service currently available in Nigeria cannot be compared with what is offered abroad. Unfortunately as the world continues to integrate and businesses merge and relocate, Nigeria is becoming a player willingly or not and the big corporations that will be doing business with Nigerians will demand for the same kind of service that is obtainable in the developed world.
Training is key and the sooner Nigerian companies agree that customer service is instrumental to their overall success, the better it will be for their profits.
by the way i ama customer service training cosultant and have been running the "Achieving Excellence in Customer service" course for sometime now all over Europe. So if you know any companies in Nigeria that can do with out business let me know.

I totally agree with Zah! Just take for a case study, vmobile customer service! the only one in the country toll free

they all need to attend trainin skuls for this otherwise proper interview if possible is required to give proper service

we will get there in the sweet by and by