SEGUN AGBAJE IS 2013 AFRICAN BANKER OF THE YEAR

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Segun Agbaje has been announced the 2013 Banker of the Year – Africa by the World Finance Banking Awards. In a statement, the bank said the World Finance Banker of the Year – Africa Award is conferred on outstanding bankers who have achieved the most with regards to innovation, profitability and sustainability of their organisation. It said the award also takes into recognition an individual that has been an influential and inspirational leader, has overseen strong financial performance for his organisation and has successfully guided his institution to new heights in its industry. According to World Finance, Segun Agbaje has won the coveted “Banker of the Year – Africa 2013”. It said the category was one of the most sought after categories in the 2013 Banking Awards, adding that someone has to win and the judging panel confirmed that Mr. Agbaje is at the vanguard of African Banking and has earned the reputation and recognition as a truly accomplished and highly respected Banker, locally and internationally. It said his commitment to leading an efficient institution has ensured that GTBank maintains higher margins and the lowest cost to income ratio amongst its peers, despite a relatively smaller branch network when compared to its peers in the country.

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VODAFONE HACKER ACCESSES 2 MILLION CUSTOMERS BANKING DATA

An intruder hacked into a Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) server in Germany, gaining access to 2 million customers’ personal details and banking information. A person with insider knowledge stole data including names, addresses, birth dates, and bank account information, the world’s second-biggest mobile-phone carrier said in a statement . The hacker had no access to credit-card information, passwords, PIN numbers or mobile-phone numbers, Vodafone said. The attack was detected by Vodafone at the beginning of September, stopped and reported to the police, Kuzey Esener, a Vodafone spokesman, said. Clients can check on Vodafone’s German website to see if they are affected, and will also be informed by mail, he said. While the data stolen does not allow criminals to access bank accounts, Vodafone will warn clients of the possibility of so-called phishing attacks, he said. Vodafone, based in Newbury, England, is the latest high-profile company to announce a security breach, Bloomberg reports. Last month there were hacker attacks on Google Inc. (GOOG), Twitter Inc. and the New York Times. KT Corp., South Korea’s largest phone and Internet company, fell the most in seven months in July last year after saying customer data were leaked by hackers. Vodafone shares fell 0.8 percent to 208.40 pence at 10:40 a.m. in London, giving the company a market value of 101 billion pounds ($158 billion). Vodafone said the incident only affects clients in Germany. Authorities have identified a suspect, Esener said. He didn’t say whether the suspect was an employee or an outsider.

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HERTZ FLEET MANAGEMENT DEEPENS CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE

The Hertz fleet management, a unit under C&I Leasing plc in a bid to enhance its customer delivery services and in celebration of its customers week will provide a weekend free chauffeur driven car service to two clients who emerged winners at the 2013 Edition of customer service week in Lagos. Ayodele Babatunde, country manager, Hertz fleet management said the idea behind the customer week which is in its third year was part of the company’s efforts to reward clients for their loyalty and patronage and get customers’ feedback on how to better improve their unique service product to clients who are in need of specific transportation services. Babatunde further said the annual event is intended to put the customers in the front burner in the service provision discourse and assist the company provide customer focused services so they get value for their money. He noted that Hertz is currently represented in over 155 countries, operating a fleet of over 550,000 vehicles from 6,300 locations adding that the decision to expand into Nigeria re-affirms its avowed intent to operate globally in all major markets with reputable partners. Queeneth Wodu, head of marketing and customer relations of the company disclosed that the customers’ week is a period set aside annually to focus and concentrate on customers, celebrate them and appreciate them adding that it is also provide an opportunity to look after their welfare. According to her, “The whole idea is to get a perception of the way the customers see the services we render. Our plan is to make sure that we can render around 90 percent of the services to meet customer satisfaction” “Customer satisfaction gives us the edge in this whole business. Where we have created a niche for ourselves is to settle out each customer and know how they will prefer to be serviced. We tailor our services to the needs of the customers” she said.

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5 PHRASES NOT TO USE IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE BUSINESS

“Customer Service” is a term that too frequently is used as a catch-all for the experience received or given in today’s business world. But what customer service is to me may be different from what it is to you and what you expect, or tolerate. It’s strange that I mentioned tolerate since that is exactly what most of us have been doing when we are on the recieving-end of many service businesses. We wait in long lines because the business didn’t schedule enough staff to work the cash registers. We search down aisle after aisle to find an employee so we can ask where something is or if they have a particular product in store. This has become the norm and worst of all we have been willing to accept it. Our young workforce is not trained in the nuances of customer service, let alone in the simple, courteous & professional terms that should be used during a conversation between a customer and store employee. Our conversations have been reduced to short, cutesy phrases that may be suited for friends at a party but not in a business setting. Here are a few examples: 1. “No Problem” This is the-all-too-standard response from someone that should be saying “you’re welcome”. How many times has a clerk in a store answered your question or pointed you in the right direction and you said “thank you”, what was the response you received? Probably it was “No problem”. This is not the way to answer. “You’re welcome”, “It’s my pleasure” or “I’m happy to have helped” are all appropriate responses. 2. “How Are You Guys Today”? This one drives me crazy. Why has the term “guys” become the standard way to greet someone? What if a restaurant waiter said this to a table of women? I don’t think that if your mom was out to lunch with a few of her friends she would like to be called a guy! There is never a reason to refer to a person’s gender or age. Too many people that are in the position to “greet” people never actually do that. They may say hi or hello but that is nothing more than an acknowledgement that someone has entered their space. That’s it! We should say “Hello, welcome to ____________”. When you “welcome” someone you are allowing them full access to “your space”, to treat your space as if it was “their space”, their home. 3 “You Need To…” I’m sorry, but as a customer of any business, the only thing I “need to” do is to pay for the product or service that you are providing. “You need to go down this hall then make a left” or “You need to take this receipt to that counter over there…” How about saying this instead? “The item you are looking for is just down the hall and to the left. Would you like me to assist you”? Or, “Could you please take this receipt to my coworker Mary at the other counter, she will be happy to assist you? This is not a big change in words but is a big change in attitude and approach to the customer. The customer should never feel that they must jump through hoops just to find, pay for or return a product. If any of these become a burden then they may take their business elsewhere. 4. “Are You Finished With That?” You are enjoying a leisurely dinner with a friend or colleague and you decide to take a brief break from your delicious T-bone steak. Just then the server comes over and says “Are you finished with that”? Well, one of the responsibilities of a server is to “read” the guests to determine how their dining experience is going. But nowadays restaurants are more concerned about flipping tables and moving guests along, so they try to take your plates away as soon as possible. This is a conversation for another article but there is still a better way to address the guest. “I’m glad to see you have been enjoyed your meal, would you like me to remove your plate”? Or, “That was a great choice you made for your entree, if you are finished may I remove your plate”? These are much better, and more polite, options to use. We never want the guest to feel that they are being rushed to make a buying decision or eating their meal. 5. “Let Me Get My Manager” When there is an issue with a customer that can’t be fixed without the assistance or approval from your manager, this is the usual response given. But the customer is not concerned who it is or what their position is within the chain of command that is needed to fix their problem. Plus they probably will not be happy that there will be an additional delay either. Their only concern is that their issue is resolved in the quickest and satisfactory manner possible. We should explain to the customer that additional assistance is needed to resolve the issue and who you will enlist to help. “I’m sorry that I am not able to fix this issue, or help with this, but please allow me to get assistance from my supervisor. He/she will be able to resolve this right away. Will that be ok”? Isn’t this a much more palatable way of handling an issue that needs another person’s help? AUTHOR:STEVE DIGIOIA

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WHY TELECOMS AND BANKS FAIL AT CUSTOMER SERVICE

The story is always the same whenever a new survey is released about customer service. Telcos, Banks and Utilities consistently top the list for complaints and customer dissatisfaction. The big question is, why? Most of these companies spend a lot of time and money in training and development, so what is causing this seemingly chronic problem? There are three primary reasons: 1. They're Big, Customers are Small From the minute you make the call and reach their automated phone system, you know that you are a very tiny minnow in an ocean of customers. When you finally get through to an agent - which can often be an excruciating process - you know that they can't stray company's internal policies and processes. Your personal needs and situation appear irrelevant. They have Rules, and if you want the privelege of being one of their customers, you must follow them. Customers often profess a profound sense of helplessness and lack of control. Yes, we can vote with our feet and move someplace else (except for Utilities, where you can't even do that), but we know that the next company won't be much better. We feel, for all intents and purposes - trapped. For those companies that actively work to overcome the negative customer perceptions created by their bigness, they face a significant challenge. Fairly or unfairly, people have a natural distrust of large organizations, and they are natural targets for people who like to find fault. How many times have we heard people mocking companies such as McDonalds and Wal-Mart? Despite the fact that they remain two of the most successful organizations on the planet, people seem to love to hate them. For many people, Big = Bad. 2. They're Public Companies Creating a sustainable customer service culture takes time, investment and patience. They payoff is there, and can be huge. There are countless studies and case histories to support this. But these three things are almost impossible to achieve in an environment that is driven by quarterly financial reports. Shareholders look for one thing - profits. Long-term, even medium-term planning, can be CEO killers. They also look for straight-forward ROI. It's easier to sell them on an automated phone system, for example, that promises costs of pennies for every call, than it is on teams of live, skilled agents that can cost ten times that, or more. These are hard numbers, and are easy for people to grasp. Selling people on the bigger picture can be a futile and frustrating endeavour. The value of live agents - more first-call resolution, reduced conflict, higher customer loyalty, higher customer retention, more positive word-of-mouth - is profound, but almost impossible to definitively quantify. Bean counters have a difficult time making the connection between the expense line and the revenue line. 3. Customer Service is a Line Item - Not a Philosophy Organizations that have a genuine customer focus are the ones that have embedded it into their corporate DNA. From the CEO down, customer experience is treated as the primary objective - the primary meas by which they turn a profit. This is not the way most companies do business - despite what it might say on their mission statement. All you have to do is look at the job description and KPIs for people in leadership positions. Are behaviours and activities related to customer satisfaction number one? Most often they are not. Are performance bonuses linked to service performance, or customer satisfaction - or are they more weighted toward productivity and efficiency? All too often, we see HR or Training Department initiatives thwarted because the skills and behaviours they teach are not actively championed by the very leaders the programs are developed to assist. Why does that happen? Because their real priorities lie elsewhere. It Doesn't Have To Be This Way The sad fact is that it doesn't have to be this way. There do exist large companies who have overcome these obstacles to customer engagement and satisfaction. There are the classic examples of Disney, Southwest Airlines, Amazon, Apple and Four Seasons. The advantage they had, of course, is that customer experience was part of their makeup from their very starts. They didn't have to undo pre-existing beliefs and create new ones. But imagine what would happen if, for example, a Telecom company was able to make the transformation. Imagine if people started to talk about them in the same breath as Disney or Southwest. Where do you suppose that company would that company be sitting in their hyper-competitive market. You've got it - right at the top. What will it take? For an organization to actually transform themselves, they will need four things: a) A CEO who is absolutely passionate about customer service, supported by shareholders b) An objective transformation of the organization's policies, processes, people and practices c) Customer experience accepted as the primary focus of everyone in leadership positions c) Time and Patience CULLED FROM CUSTOMERTHINK.COM

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FORD LISTS NIGERIA AS STRATEGIC DESTINATION FOR BRAND DEVELOPMENT

FORD Motor Company has declared that Nigeria remained a key driver for the development of its brand products globally, just as it announced a 33 per cent sales increase in the country. Ford Motor’s Senior Manager, sub-Sahara Africa, (SSA), Eugene Prinsloo, made this disclosure at a media parley with the Ford management team to Nigeria, in Lagos. According to him, Nigeria was a very significant market in Ford’s sub-Sahara Africa region and accounted for a solid chunk of its regional sales. He said that the company’s sales in Nigeria grew more than 40 per cent from 2010 to 2011 and eight per cent from 2011 to 2012 despite overall challenges in the Nigerian auto industry. “So far, we have recorded continued growth in our performance with a 33 per cent increase in sales. Sales are up by 44 per cent through July compared with the same month in the previous year’s total sales through July were 2,156 units compare to1,617 units sold during the same period in 2012.” Prinsloo further explained that remarkable growth in sales was led by the high demand for the Ford Ranger pickup, Explorer SUV, Edge Crossover, Focus and Fusion sedans. “These vehicles sales account for 78 per cent of overall sales,” he said, adding that their continued growth and stability in sales could be attributed to their strong dealers’ network. The Ford boss however pledged that the company would continue to strengthen their dealers’ parts and service department, adding, “they were still seeing great results from the full line of vehicle choices available in their new product lineup.” According to him, part of their efforts to give customers the best service in Nigeria was when in 2012, Ford launched its extended warranty programme tagged the ‘Extended Service Programme, ESP’. The first of its kind, the ESP is offering customers free after-sales service of up to four years or 120,000km, whichever comes first through both of Ford’s dealer. He pointed out that currently, Ford operates 30 outlets including showrooms and service centres throughout Nigeria through its dealers, Briscoe-Ford Motors and Coscharis Motors.” “In the near future, Ford would be launching and establishing the EcoSport as a new, credible small urban SUV focusing on design, smart technologies and affordability. The EcoSport is a nameplate that exemplifies the DNA of Ford’s global vehicles and is a step forward in our One Ford strategy of producing best-in-class vehicles that take the lead in quality, technology, safety, fuel efficiency and design. “Our vision is to establish EcoSport as the most desirable small SUV in its segment.

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UNIMER MOROCCO REVEALS NEW MARKETING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR TITUS SARDINES

At Sheraton Hotel and Towers Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 27^th August 2013, the brand owners of the Titus Sardines, worldwide; UNIMER Group, SA Morocco in conjunction with her biggest Distributors   on the west coast of Africa, unfolded plans for a new marketing campaign aimed at protecting consumers of the vintage quality Titus Brand canned sardines, as well as reassuring them that the brand is ever available and ever more affordable for them as it has been for the past 80 years!

The event which saw an impressive presence of professionals from all spectra of the media, with almost every media organization in the country in attendance, took the form of two major presentations, one from the Global Marketing Director of UNIMER Group, Mr. Mohammed Edderkaoui and another from the Chief Executive of DP Partnership+DraftFCB, Chief Odun Fadoju, whose company is saddled with the responsibility of executing the advert and publicity project for the Titus Brand. Also present at the important occasion were some major distributors of the Titus Brand in Nigeria namely: Chief Sir, Emma Bishop Okonkwo OFR, Group Chairman, Ekulo Group, Chief Sylvester Obiakor and also Chief Israel Egwuonwu. 

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HOW TO DEAL WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS

Customers get rude or angry for a variety of reasons—some justified, some not. But since you’re in business to serve your customers, you’ll likely encounter rude or angry individuals at one time or another. How you respond can make the difference between a customer who feels satisfied with the resolution and one who vows never to patronize your business again. Here are tips for coping with a tense situation and hopefully resolving it to everyone’s satisfaction: 1. Remain calm. When a customer starts yelling or being otherwise rude, there is nothing to be gained by responding in a similar manner. In fact, that will probably escalate hostilities. Maintain control of yourself, even if the customer’s tirade makes you feeling like yelling yourself. 2. Don’t take it personally. Remember, the customer is not angry with you, they are displeased with the performance of your product or the quality of the service you provide. Your personal feelings are beside the point. 3. Use your best listening skills. The first thing an angry customer wants is to vent. To do so, they need someone to listen—and, for better or worse, you are that person. Listening patiently can defuse a situation, as long as the customer feels acknowledged in his or her complaint. Hear them out. When they are done talking, summarize what you’ve heard and ask any questions to further clarify their complaint. Body language can be critically important here. Keep eye contact. Stand or sit up straight. Keep your arms uncrossed. Show how closely you’re paying attention to their problem. 4. Actively sympathize. After the customer vents, he wants to know you understand where he’s coming from and how he or she feels. Express sympathy for their unpleasant customer experience. Respect and understanding go a long way toward smoothing things over. 5. Apologize gracefully. Whether the customer’s complaint is legitimate or not is really irrelevant. If you want her to stay a customer, you need to express an apology for the problem they are having (or perceive to be having). A simple, straightforward statement is often all that’s needed: “I’m sorry you’re not happy with our product. Let’s see what we can do to make things right.” 6. Find a solution. Once you understand why the customer is unhappy, it is time to offer a solution. Ask him what he feels should be done or put forward your own fair and realistic answer to the problem. In most cases, that’s all the customer is looking for—and may result in providing some degree of satisfaction. 7. Take a few minutes on your own. After the situation has been resolved and the customer is on her way, it’s helpful for you to take your own “time-out.” Even if you’ve handled the situation in the most professional way possible, it’s still a stressful experience. Rather than let that stress linger inside you, take a short walk, treat yourself to a snack or find someone to talk to who makes you laugh. Then you’ll be ready to once again engage with your customers. Culled from Forbes Magazine

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