Small things that matter in customer experience

It is that time of year when many companies are hitting the ground running with implementing the strategies that had been discussed and agreed last year.

However, in an effort to keep the focus on the bigger picture, the smaller day-to-day inefficiencies are not given the due attention and they will sometimes threaten the whole existence of your company if left unchecked.

Late last year I had an unfortunate incident/accident when I drove into a trench that was dug across the road at the Kyadondo-Mawafu road junction.

This trench was dug by a national service provider or their contractor and left open, not sealed off and with no notice for vehicle or foot traffic to take caution as they approached.

This incident caused considerable damage to the car. Your jaw would also drop if  you were told how much was required for repairs. Luckily the car was comprehensively insured. Phew thank God.

As a concerned citizen, I wrote to the managing director of this national service provider about the incident that had befallen me and of course gave some suggestions and reminding them of their duty of care.

I hand delivered this letter as this was the option advised by the office. Of course, I still wait even an acknowledgement up to now.

Once insurance had done their verifications, the car service provider was given the green light to go ahead with the repairs.

The repairs took over four trips to the garage because some parts were imported then fixed, others were forgotten and some I had to remind the garage that they had been covered under insurance. 

The time spent on having full repairs has been from October 2022 to January 2023 when the final aspect was fixed.

A quick review of this incident, what happened to the process to checking and ticking off all actions that were meant to be fixed?

How much money was spent on the back and forth taking the car and having half work done? What about the phone calls? What about Uber costs when I did not have the car? What about productivity time spent on just one customer?  Could all that have been saved?

In another incident, this week I went to my bank to send a telegraphic transfer. The funds had not been debited by day two and the account had a hold of double the amount I was sending. With concern, I called the bank and informed them about the anomaly and the delay in sending the funds.

The funds are sent on day two evening because I finally saw a debit but the hold still remained. This is after speaking to three different bank officers. As I write this, I still have a hold on the account.

When a customer comes to send a telegraphic transfer, it will usually time bound. It is only prudent that the bank informs me of any delays on their side so that I can manage expectation.

Denying me access to my funds by putting a hold on my account which is an error and is not corrected immediately even after follow up should actually be criminal. What if I needed that money for an emergency?

It is a new year and a time to reflect on how we are running our businesses. Review those processes and cut out any wastage of time or resources.

It is the one customer whose expectation has not been met that tells a whole village about his or her experience. So even one customer matters. Like an old saying goes “A stitch in time, saves nine”.

Babra Mehangye Kahima,

Customer experience enthusiast