What Customer service means to me (Case Study from Rubies.ng)

Many businesses today are suffering from losses that never would have occurred if customers were treated right. This begins from the first day a customer signs up, to how the customer is assisted through the registration or onboarding process and subsequently how the customer’s issues are being resolved.

This treatment is referred to as customer experience.

If I were to ask you what you can remember about any brand you patronize often, most likely what you will quickly remember is how you were attended to. Customer experience is a vital tool for attracting and keeping customers then turning them into brand advocates.

Let me tell you a story of how I finally dumped a popular telecom company that was my favorite internet service provider.

I initially signed up to use their services in 2016. Back then, they were popular and reliable. But over time, their services moved from good to poor with a price increase on some tariff plans.

On one occasion, after completing an online payment for a month's subscription, my account was not credited with the value paid for. I made several attempts to get them to resolve this but the problem persisted. Efforts to try using different channels such as email and social media brought annoying responses, to say the least.

According to them, the funds did not get to them and must have been stuck with the online payment processor.

Till date, I wondered why they could not take a step further to contact their payment processor to regularize their account and the many other customers who may have had the same issue with the company without any tangible solution.

“Customer service means going above and beyond to keep the customer happy, whether that means answering any questions they have or resolving issues with a positive attitude.

A quick visit to their social media pages shows that they don’t respond to comments and complaints by their users.

The company failed to recognize that they were losing money by not going the extra mile to provide a smooth experience for their users and that was how I stopped using their services.

Can you believe this company still calls me every month to find out why I stopped using their services and try to get me back by offering discounts?

So many questions come to my mind when I receive their calls …

• What is the cost of calling all inactive users per month?
• Why don’t they invest this time/money to resolve customers’ complaints?
• How many freebies can they offer every month to all inactive users with the hope of getting them back?

“Customer satisfaction should be a top priority and metrics to create a loyal and increase the number of returning customers.”

How Customer service can win more loyal users for their coys

Here is what I think customer experience officers can do differently to win more loyal users to their brand. I will be sharing some life experiences from other brands that have provided exceptional customer service.

I remember trying to sign up for Rubies. ng, a digital banking platform of Highstreet Microfinance Bank that allows you to enjoy all banking services on the go.

I had downloaded the app, filled the KYC form, but the last stage which required that I set my password was confusing because an OTP was sent to my phone almost immediately. While the OTP was 4 digits, the password had 6 fields.

I got stuck because I thought that OTP was what was required to complete the stage.

As a tech-savvy person, I knew how to get their attention. Though this time, writing a review on their google playstore page was what came to mind.

First impression matters

Immediately I did, Zara stormed my mail inbox.

In my mind, who is Zara again? but I was not ready to reply.

To my surprise, she didn’t give up! She sent me 7 reminders in 5 days. I was wowed …

All this just to ensure that my complaint was attended to and resolved.

Finally, I sent my response to her mail one Saturday morning at around 4:30 Am.

Guess what!

She was awake and responded immediately. It ended up with a call from her boss and I was guided through the registration process.

In summary, here are 3 takeaways from my experience with Rubies Digital Bank's customer service agent.

• Every customer is important — try to contact anyone that signs up on your platform
• Timely response
• Going the extra mile, be like Zara by responding to my mail at 4:30 Am

Today, I can be bold to recommend Rubies to you, because beyond being a platform that allows me to #Bankwithoutstress I know that you will have the rest of your mind knowing Zara will attend to you anytime any day

Download Rubies Digital Bank on Google Play or Apple Store

#BankOnYourOwnTerms #BankFree #RubiesBank.