NCC GIVES 7 COMMANDMENTS TO MTN,GLOBACOM AND AIRTEL

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Monday, gave three Nigeria operators, MTN Nigeria, Globacom and Airtel Nigeria, seven strict instructions that must not be violated following their detoriating network quality since January 2014.

The seven laws followed a sledge hammer of N647 million sanctions which must be met before March 7, 2014.
The fine according to the commission’s Head, Media and Public Relations, Mr Reuben Muoka was specifically for failing to meet the Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, for quality of service in the month of January 2014.

For that, the commission also demands that the affected operators must not roll out sales promotions or sell SIM cards, in the whole of March 2014, pending when their services will improve. Conveying its disappointment over the operators’ service quality, the commission issued seven strict instructions with a stern warning that they will be implemented to the least option.

Instruction one says that “payment of the fines shall be on or before March 7, 2014”. The second commandment warns about defiance to the first law: “Failure to settle the said amount within the stipulated period, the operators shall continue to be liable to pay the sum of N2,500,000 ( Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) per day for as long as the contravention persist”.

The third commandment mandates the operators “to stop the sale of new SIM Cards throughout the month of March 2014, with effect from March 1 to 31, 2014”
However, the commission did not rule out the possibility of the operators trying to adopt quick measures which may not favour them and so ruled in the fourth commandment that “the Service Providers shall not churn or delete inactive or none revenue generating SIMs from their networks during the period of March 1 to 31, 2014”
Meanwhile in the fifth law, NCC directs that “Service Providers shall not supply new SIM Cards from their warehouses or other sources to its dealers or third parties throughout the period from March 1-31, 2014.

Similarly, the sixth law conditions that “the Service Providers stop all promotions until the KPIs which have been identified in their respective networks are positively addressed”.
Pursuant to ensuring strict compliance, NCC in the seventh commandment advised that “any deviation or alteration of provisioning pattern, in terms of average daily number of provisioning, in the remaining days of February 2014 compared to the regular provisioning rates by the concerned service providers shall be construed as a breach to the directive”.

Details of the new sanction showed that Airtel Nigeria and MTN Nigeria, are to pay a fine of N185 Million each while Globacom is liable to the tune of N277,500.
The sanctions were said to have been communicated to the three operators in a letter signed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah.

Part of the letter to the affected operators, said that the Commission will carry out an audit of the three companies on March 1, 2014 and also on March 31st, 2014, to ensure that no sale of new SIM Cards takes place in any of the three networks within the period.

The letter made reference to an earlier directive of December 10, 2013, which warned the operators that “if the Quality of Service does not improve by 31st December, 2013, the Commission will be compelled to direct operators to, among others, suspend the activation of new SIMs and subscribers until such an operator can prove that it has met the Key Performance Indicators specified in the Regulations”.

According to Juwah, “ the Commission after careful collation of statistics from the Network Operating Centres, NOC, of all major networks operators for the month of January 2014, has concluded that the service provided by some of the operators during the period fell below the Key Performance Indicators published by the Commission in the Quality of Service Regulations, as amended”.

CULLED FROM VANGUARD

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ETISALAT NIGERIA LAUNCHES GOLD SERIES EXPERIENCE CENTRE

Etisalat Nigeria has taken customer experience to a different level with the launch of the first ‘Gold Series’ experience centre situated at 43 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island. The new state of the art gold series experience centres are targeted at their esteemed customers and will provide an environment that encourages customers to explore and immerse themselves in the essence of the Etisalat brand.

Speaking at the unveiling of the centre last week, the CEO of Etisalat Matthew Willsher the centre was designed to enable customers explore and experience the products and services offered by the brand in a highly interactive and exciting environment that stimulates the senses and educates the customer on what’s possible with the brand’s technology.

He further said that the centre with two more to be build this year encapsulates the essence of Etisalat brand and brings it to life for the brand customers. “The retail touch point is a very important “moment-of-truth” area in the telecoms industry. This is a physical centre where our customers come in contact with our innovativeness and get to experience what we mean when we say we are not just a network but an attitude.  We are taking shopper experience to the next level.  Every consumer that walks into any Etisalat experience centre would be enmeshed in our world of innovation, quality of service and customer-friendly environment.  This is the 0809ja way of life which is better experienced, than explained”.

The customer experience accommodated Nokia, Solophone, Huawei and Tecno who are leveraging the centre to provide services to its customers and make sure that there is seamless network and phone service integration.

When Etisalat entered Nigerian telecom service in 2008, it was clear from the beginning that it will not be a pushover, judging from its marketing communication approach and customer service.

The telecom firm has since its entry into the market in 2008, consistently demonstrated and sustained its objective as innovative and customer centric network.

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START UP TECHNOLOGY TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2014

Every year, hundreds of new tech startups form to ride trends, create new ones and ultimately captivate the public with stunning momentum in hardware and fantastic new applications. Dozens of those companies rise to the top, shaping the direction of new generations of startup tech companies to come.

This year, it seems, will be no exception to that movement. No doubt, entrepreneurs all over the country (and all over the world) are working to finalize their business plans and move into practice, while others are still shaping their initial ideas.

No matter which camp you're in, or if you're already making waves as a startup entrepreneur, be sure you're paying attention to these four rising tech trends in 2014:

1. Smart Stuff. Smart phones, smart glasses, smart watches, smart homes. Everything's getting smart, and that means entrepreneurs are moving in to make things smarter. Look for new applications for devices you haven't even heard of yet, and new forays into augmented reality.

2. Increased Attention to Privacy. Leaks and intrusions on individuals' privacy abounded in 2013, creating mini bouts of panic and causing many consumers to favor private apps like Snapchat. Look for more privacy-attentive apps and websites to pop up in 2014 to capitalize on that.

3. Drones. Yes, it still seems like something out of a science fiction novel, but they're coming. Amazon led the first massive wave of consumer-practical drone interest, and that interest hasn't subsided.

4. Unlimited Data. Big data was a major trend in 2012 and 2013, and its practicality is growing. Entrepreneurs should look for new companies and new ways to use this data for better advertising, better products and a better overall consumer experience.

Written by Jose Vasquez

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GOOGLE UNVEILS SMARTPHONES WITH 3D SENSORS

Google has unveiled a prototype smartphone with “customised hardware and software” that enables it to create 3D maps of a user’s surroundings.

The device’s sensors allow it make over 250,000 3D measurements every second and update its position in real-time.

Google said potential applications may include indoor mapping, helping the visually-impaired navigate unfamiliar indoor places unassisted and gaming.

It has offered 200 prototypes to developers keen to make apps for it.

Google said its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unit developed the phone as part of a project called Project Tango with help from researchers at various institutions.

“We are physical beings that live in a 3D world. Yet, our mobile devices assume that physical world ends at the boundaries of the screen,” the firm said.

“The goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion.

“We’re ready to put early prototypes into the hands of developers that can imagine the possibilities and help bring those ideas into reality,” it added.

‘Smart’ technology

Various firms, including Google, have been looking at developing niche technology.

For its part, Google has already unveiled its Google Glass – the intelligent specs due to go on sale later this year.

Earlier this year, the firm said it is also working on a “smart contact lens” that can help measure glucose levels in tears.

Also in January, it bought DeepMind, a UK firm that specialises in artificial intelligence, for £400m.

According to DeepMind’s website it builds “powerful general-purpose learning algorithms”.

Analysts say that firms have been looking at ways to help bring the advances made in technology to practical use in every day life in an attempt to attract more customers.

“The focus is not just on the hardware or the device, but on what the gadget can actually do,” Bryan Ma, associate vice president at research firm IDC told the BBC.

“It is all about taking it to the next level of usage – be it augmented reality, help with basic healthcare or even just creating better maps.”

Mr Ma added that once fully developed such gadgets could have huge commercial applications as well – which would help drive demand not only among individual consumers but also businesses and corporate users.

“There could be a lot of opportunity waiting to be exploited in this area,” he said.

Last year, Japanese firm Sony filed a patent for a “SmartWig”, with healthcare cited as one of its potential uses along with the ability to help blind people navigate roads.

It said the wig could use a combination of sensors to help collect information such as temperature, pulse and blood pressure of the wearer.

BBC

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CBN GIVES BANKS 18MONTHS FOR CUSTOMER'S BIOMETRIC REGISTRATION

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given all banks 18 months to begin and conclude the biometric reg¬istration of all customers across the country.

The apex bank weekend launched the Bank Verifi¬cation Number (BVN) for biometrics identification of customers in the financial industry aimed at revolu¬tionising the payment sys¬tem in the country.

Biometrics uses one’s physical characteristics such as iris, finger print, voice or veins that ensure your real self.

Biometrics are electronic verification tools for on¬line and mobile banking that offer unique customer identification which gives unchangeable identification that helps in Know Your Customer (KYC).

The introduction of bio¬metric authentication is target¬ed at addressing cyber crime, ATM fraud and other kinds of financial frauds as well as to safeguard customers’ funds to avoid losses through compro¬mise of Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).

Responding to journal¬ists immediately after the launch, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, governor of CBN, said the apex bank would next week issue circulars to banks to inform their customers to come in and register for the biometrics, saying the registration at¬tracts no charges.

On the issue of theft, Sa¬nusi said, “I have just regis¬tered. This is my card. My biometric data is on this card. My picture is on this card, no¬body can steal this identity”.

He said customers can register anywhere whether with the banks or agents, adding that once registered, one cannot register again as the verification will show it.

In his opening remarks, Ade Shonubi, the managing director of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), whose company provides the connectivity service, said that the initia¬tive represented a major landmark in the Bankers’ Committee’s efforts at pro-moting financial inclusion drive and deal with money laundering in the system.

Godwin Emefiele, the managing director of Ze¬nith Bank and chairman, Bankers’ Committee sub-committee on biometrics project, said that he was excited that the group met the project deadline.

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5 WAYS TO MANAGE CUSTOMERS

Finding new customers is good, but keeping old ones is just as important. Always strive to maintain good relationships with customers who supply profits.

The key is to build a collection of loyal buyers who will encourage referrals and find effective ways to manage your customer base.

Here are 5 tips to help you manage customers for long-term success.

1. Spend More Time With Customers

Spend more time talking directly to customers about their interests and concerns. Having face-to-face interactions with clients is important if you work as a salesperson. Dress professionally, address customers by name and shake their hands are suggested tips. Instead of just helping them find a product, get to know their interests so that you give recommendations.

2. Send Out a Newsletter Regularly

Sending a newsletter gives customers in-depth information about your products and services. It only takes a few pages to create a newsletter that is sent through the email or direct mail. Place the best offers on the first page and then fill the other pages with shopping tips, product guides, images or infographics. 

3. Use Customer Relationship Management Software

A customer relationship management software tool is the best tool for managing leads and customers. Once people make purchases, they become tracked for future purchases. If they ask questions to the customer service department, their calls may be recorded as a way to improve conversations between salespeople and buyers.

Use this software to review customer buying trends when it is time to develop new products, update their details when it is time to send out newsletters, and stay informed about valuable information that involves your sales and profits. 

4. Send Out Surveys

Sending out customer surveys is an ideal way to conduct buyer research. These surveys are commonly used to obtain feedback. The main point is to determine the satisfaction level of customers. Surveys are also effective tools to help sellers learn more about customers.

5. Send Out Incentives

Do not offer products without offering some kind of incentives like a coupon or freebie. To retain customers, show them which products you are offering. Customers can request the samples that they want to receive, which improves the experience. Offer incentives to keep customers interested in using your business.

The effectiveness of your business depends on the content of your customers. Make sure to maintain this relationship the best way you can. Stay in touch with customers every week, month or year in order to build loyalty. Understand the importance of satisfying people who provide regular profits and then find ways to better manage those relationships.

Written by Lindsey Patterson

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THE KEY TO BRAND DIFFERENTIATION

Accord­ing to O’Boyle, “You have to add more to the rela­tion­ship there. B2B in par­tic­u­lar, has a mani­a­cal focus on the fea­tures, prod­ucts, and deliv­ery mech­a­nism but some­times fails to rec­og­nize the strength of the rela­tion­ship that they need to build.”

Fully engaged cus­tomers, accord­ing to Gallup’s def­i­n­i­tion are those who “are strongly emo­tion­ally attached and atti­tu­di­nally loyal. They’ll go out of their way to locate a favored prod­uct or ser­vice, and they won’t accept sub­sti­tutes.” These cus­tomers were found to aver­age a 23 per­cent pre­mium over typ­i­cal cus­tomers in over­all wal­let share, prof­itabil­ity, rev­enue, and rela­tion­ship growth.

There are a num­ber of ways to cre­ate engaged cus­tomers beyond offer­ing an out­stand­ing prod­uct or ser­vice. One way, of course, is through var­i­ous forms of brand mar­ket­ing. How­ever, while a well thought-out and cre­ative mar­ket­ing cam­paign can cre­ate the strong emo­tional attach­ment needed to form a high level of cus­tomer engage­ment, cus­tomers will quickly switch from engaged to actively dis­en­gaged if they have a bad inter­ac­tion with cus­tomer ser­vice or support.

Hence the grow­ing focus many com­pa­nies are plac­ing on achiev­ing world-class cus­tomer ser­vice. By spend­ing a frac­tion of their mar­ket­ing dol­lars to improve the cus­tomer ser­vice skills of their employ­ees, pro­vid­ing their ser­vice and sup­port teams with the appro­pri­ate tech­nol­ogy to sup­port them, and mak­ing sure com­pany processes and pro­ce­dures are customer-friendly, these com­pa­nies are achiev­ing out­stand­ing results. Invest­ing in ser­vice deliv­ery will not only mea­sur­ably improve cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion and loy­alty, but also reduce oper­a­tional costs as well.

With the econ­omy begin­ning to improve, it’s time to con­sider re-allocating resources to ensure that your cus­tomer ser­vice and sup­port teams stand ready to build on your brand promise, and cre­ate cus­tomers who loudly sing your praises.

Written by Peggy Carlaw

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THE SECRET TO DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS

What motivates employees to go above and beyond the call of duty to provide a great customer experience? Disney tells a story about a little girl visiting a theme park who dropped her favorite doll over a fence. When staff retrieved the doll, she was covered in mud, so they made her a new outfit, gave her a bath and a hairdo, and even took photos of her with other Disney dolls before reuniting her with her owner that evening. The girl’s mother described the doll’s return as “pure magic.”

The theme park team didn’t consult a script or seek advice from managers. They did what they did because going the extra mile comes naturally at Disney. Such devotion to customer service pays dividends. Emotionally engaged customers are typically three times more likely to recommend a product and to repurchase. With an eye to these benefits, many companies are making customer experience a strategic priority. Yet they are struggling to gain traction with their efforts.

Why is customer experience so difficult to get right? The main hurdle is translating boardroom vision into action at the front line. That’s even more important in an era when optimizing individual customer touchpoints is no longer enough —when you have to focus on holistic customer journeys, instead.

There’s only one way to create emotional connections with customers: by ensuring every interaction is geared to delighting them. That takes more than great products and services — it takes motivated, empowered frontline employees. Creating great customer experience comes down to having great people and treating them well. They will feel more engaged with the company and more committed to its goals.

The best companies make four activities habitual:

Listen to employees. Want your employees to take great care of your customer? Start by taking great care of them. Treat them respectfully and fairly, of course, but also get involved in tackling their issues and needs. Establish mechanisms to listen to concerns, then address them.

When Disney first opened its Hong Kong resort, employees had to pick up their uniforms from attendants before every shift. With up to 3,000 people arriving at once, waiting in line could create frustration and delay. So leaders responded by pioneering a new approach using self-service kiosks. Employees pick up a uniform, scan the tag and their ID at a kiosk, check the screen display, and walk away. Result: a smoother start to the day that frees frontline staff to focus all their energies on customers. The new approach was so effective that Disney rolled it out across all of its parks and cruise ships.

Hire for attitude, not aptitude — and then reinforce attitude. To get friendly service, hire friendly people. Airline JetBlue has embedded this philosophy in its hiring process. To recruit frontline staff with a natural service bent, it uses group interviews. Watching how the applicants interact with one another enables hiring managers to assess their communication and people skills to an extent that wouldn’t be possible in a one-to-one setting.

Having hired people with the right attitudes, leaders need to ensure they reinforce the behaviors they want to see. Although Disney hires janitors to keep its parks clean, everyone else in the organization knows that they share the responsibility for maintaining a clean and pleasant environment. Asked why he was picking up paper in the restroom, one leader replied, “I can’t afford not to.” Leaders’ actions are visible to all. Or as Disney puts it, “Every leader is telling a story about what they value.”

Give people purpose, not rules. Rules have their place, but they go only so far. To motivate employees and give meaning to their work, leading companies define their “common purpose”: a succinct explanation of the intended customer experience that resonates at an emotional level. When people are set clear expectations and trusted to do their jobs, they feel valued and empowered. They choose to go that extra mile through passion, not compliance.

For Chilean bank BCI, common purpose is about developing trust-based customer relationships that last a lifetime. Leaders at the bank tell a story about a lottery winner who was deciding who to entrust with his prize money. Asked why he chose BCI, he said advisors didn’t just sell him products, but tried to satisfy his needs. Some of them traveled regularly on the bus he drove, and he thought they seemed just as genuine in their free time as they were in the branch.

Tap into the creativity of your front line. Giving frontline employees responsibility and autonomy inspires them to do whatever they can to improve the customer experience. When they see a problem, they fix it without waiting to be asked. Frontline staff are also a rich source of customer insights. They can help leaders understand what customers want without the time and expense of market research.

Take Wawa, a US convenience-store chain. One enterprising manager decided his customers would like a coffee bar and a bigger choice of fresh food. When customer traffic and profits soared, head office noticed and dispatched a team to find out why. With facts in hand, the company quickly developed a plan to replicate the innovation across its network.

Technological advances have made it much easier for companies to understand customers on an individual basis. Even so, engaging with customers is still undertaken largely through personal contact. Building a relationship of trust happens at the front line, one interaction at a time. So to create an emotional bond with your customers, start with your employees.

Written by Dilip Bhattacharjee, Bruce Jones and Francisco C. Ortega  

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ARE THERE GAPS IN YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY?

Great customer experience improves customer loyalty, customer referrals, the desire to purchase again and even stock price. .

So how can you achieve all these benefits?  How can you succeed in the age of the customer? 

You have to think about the interactions that you are having with your customer as a complete end-end journey.

I know a lot of readers are from many different industries. Some of you might call your customers shoppers, passengers, patients or members. According to Forrester, no matter the name or industry, customers all go through the same archetype of journey. It starts as they discover that your company has products and services that might meet their needs. They evaluate those products and services against those of your competitors. Hopefully, they then buy your products and services.

Then your customer reaches a step in the journey that Forrester calls Access, and this is the step that is largely overlooked in a lot of companies. It includes everything that happens from the time that a customer buys your products and services until they start using that product or service. If you are a product company you could think of this as the unboxing experience.  If you are in airlines you could think about all interactions that happen as customers download their boarding pass, make their way to the airport, pass through TSA and travel through the airport terminal.

It is all of the interactions that happen before your customers get their hands on your product and uses it. If they have trouble they are going to reach out for support and this is where your customer reaches a critical juncture. This is where your customers decides if they will reengage with your organization or not. We tend to think about this at the end of the customer journey, but in reality it can happen at any point along the way.

Of course, there are a lot of factors that go into your customer’s decision to reengage, but their customer experience has the most weight. We often see organizations struggling with how to deal with this journey.  If you think about the interactions that happen at the beginning of the process, they are typically managed by your marketing department. Then they throw the customer to another part of organization, maybe a sales or e-commerce group, maybe a physical retail channel, for the buying phase. The customer moves on to the use phase and we typically see product or service development departments handling this part of the journey. Support is often handled by operations or perhaps an outsourced organization. No one is paying attention to what happens when customers leave.

So here are the challenges we see. We see each part of the organization working to bolster those interactions that they personally feel responsible for within their department. It makes sense for people to focus on what they are responsible for, but the problem is that this means no one is looking out for the entire end-to-end journey and there end up being gaps in the process. Your customers have to make wild leaps as they go from working with one part of the organization to the next and oftentimes it is going to result in a pretty painful fall. It isn’t painful for only your customers, but for your business as well. You must unify the experience for your customers.  You need to make sure that transitions are seamless as they move from channel to channel. You need to make sure that your brand is infused appropriately at each step along the way.

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GTB WHERE IS MY MONEY?

I received a mail from an aggrieved reader and a customer of GTB (Adeone Adeola),hope GTB responds to this:

I was in Dubai for a conference in March 2013.At the expiration of my stay on Sunday 17th March, 2013, I needed some cash to settle my hotel bills and other incidentals, I went to one of the ATM belonging to the commercial bank of Dubai near the hotel I was staying, to withdraw 1,200AED (N54, 000).At the first attempt, the transaction was denied, but I discovered that my account has already been debited. I walked into the bank to lodge a complaint, but I was advised to get back to my bank in Nigeria, who will file the complaint on my behalf. Since I did not make alternative arrangements, I was left cashless and stranded on a foreign land. It was by a share miracle I was able to return home.

On the 19th March when I arrived home, I went to Ilorin GRA branch of GT bank to lodge the complaint, presenting the ATM receipt as an evidence of the denied transaction. I was given a card dispute form to fill and submit, which I did. Few days later I called the customer care to find out the likely time of resolution was told it will take 45 working days to resolved. At the end of 45 days, I called to find out what has been done but got no reasonable response. At a point I was even told no complaint of such was ever lodged. I went back to the bank’s branch and the complaint was resent in my presence. I waited for another 45 days and there was no response whatsoever from GT bank. All my calls and complaints fell on deaf ears. I was given the attitude of “Go and die”

Finally in the first week of August 2013, I took my time to go to GT bank headquarters in Lagos, where I was directed to speak to a faceless officer over the intercom. With the arrogance of a peacock, in the most uncomplimentary manner, the lady told me over the intercom that their investigation revealed that the disputed transaction was successful and that the cash was received by me. My first question to her was that, I lodged this complaint since March 19th March 2013, why are you just telling me the outcome of your investigation in August, 2013? .Secondly, I asked her if it was possible for the ATM machine to issue me a receipt for transaction denied and then record a successful transaction in its leger. Thirdly, I said I have a printout receipt from the ATM machine as an evidence that the transaction was denied, where is the evidence that the ATM paid me the cash? She mumble some incoherence excuses and then hung up.

I left disappointed in a bank I have been loyal to for over 10 year. With my trust and confidence eroded, I promise to get to the root of this daylight robbery.

Two weeks later, I received a letter from the complaint unit of the GT bank, telling me that I had received cash for the disputed transaction.

I returned to Dubai in the first week of February, 2014.Armed with the denial letter from GT bank, I went to the commercial bank of Dubai, where the transaction occurred. Unlike their arrogant counterpart here in GT bank, I was given a warm welcome and the CSO listen to my plight. The CSO told me that it is impossible for their ATM machine to honour my transaction in the first place as it can only process MASTERCARDS denominated in dollars or Pounds. Since my MASTERCARD was denominated in Naira, the transaction will always be denied. To prove this point, I went outside the bank and tried 3 MASTERCARDS denominated in Naira and all was denied.

I was then advised to go to the Bank’s headquarter in Deira city Centre where I will be provided with further proof.

I have since stopped operating all my accounts in GT bank before they run me out of business.

This is not the first time GT has failed in resolving transaction issue, but this is one case too many.

The question I now ask GT is WHO HAS MY MONEY?

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A CUSTOMER'S BILL OF RIGHT

Each and every one of us is a cus­tomer. We put gas in our cars, eat at restau­rants, and reg­u­larly make pur­chases at a vari­ety of stores. As cus­tomers, we all have expec­ta­tions for how we ought to be treated. It goes with­out say­ing, then, that the cus­tomers of your orga­ni­za­tion are no different.

You've prob­a­bly heard the say­ing, “Do unto oth­ers as you would have them do unto you.” Well, this is a great rule in life, espe­cially when it comes to deal­ing with cus­tomers. By tak­ing care of cus­tomers the way they would like to be taken care of, you offer customer-focused ser­vice and make a pos­i­tive impact on your customers.

Below is a list out­lin­ing some uni­ver­sal “rights”—expectations that all cus­tomers tend to have.

Cus­tomers want to be:

• Lis­tened to and under­stood
  Cus­tomers want to know that you truly hear what they’re say­ing. What’s more impor­tant is that you under­stand what your cus­tomer really wants or needs.
• Taken seri­ously
  Cus­tomers want you to rec­og­nize the .importance—at least to them—of their con­cerns and needs.
• Served in a timely way
  Cus­tomers want to be taken care of in an effi­cient and timely manner.
• Treated with respect
  Cus­tomers want to be treated as val­ued and respected individuals.
• Treated with sen­si­tiv­ity
  Cus­tomers trust you to be car­ing and pro­fes­sional at all times.

Fol­low­ing are ways you can help your employ­ees embrace and exe­cute the Customer’s Bill of Rights.

• Incor­po­rate dis­cus­sion of these rights into your coach­ing ses­sions and staff meetings.
• Cre­ate a sign or a poster out­lin­ing these rights, and post it where it will be seen by all employees.
• Con­sider var­i­ous ways to put these rights into action through your cur­rent prac­tices and new initiatives.
• If you are look­ing to move towards a more customer-focused cul­ture, the Customer’s Bill of Rights can help you achieve this. In short, the Customer’s Bill of Rights is an effec­tive way to remind all of us of what is truly impor­tant to our customers….taking care of them the way they want to be taken care of.
• Written by Monique Castillo 

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NOKIA LAUNCHES ASHA ICED RANGE PHONES IN NIGERIA

The manufacturers of Nokia phone products have made another debut with the launch of Asha 500, 502 and 503 devices in the Nigerian market.

The device which was launched in Abuja, Benin Port Harcourt and Lagos state has features of a unique innovative layered that is design to achieve dual shot Nokia technique.

Speaking at the launch, the Head of Marketing, Nokia West and Central Africa, Miss Deborah Shepard, explained that the new phone would be available for Nigerian customers in Easy Swap dual SIM and single SIM variants.

According to her, the Easy Swap Dual SIM technology which is unique would allow users to switch between SIM cards on the go for better tariffs or alternate between SIM cards or SMS, voice and data, without having to turn off the device.

Miss Shepard explained that “the stunning new look of the Asha ICE range boast of new features and apps that will impress our customers such as the amazing swipe feature that enables people take pictures with a single swipe and share instantly on their social network with a simple tap, its colourful variants and most importantly, its affordability. For the first time, WhatsApp will also be available to Asha Platform devices along with other popular chat and messaging apps already available for Asha Platform devices, such as WeChat, Line, eBuddy and Nimbuzz” Shepard added.

According to her, the Asha 503 would be available as single SIM device and Asha 500 and 502 would also be available in single SIM and Easy Swap dual SIM respectively.

She said that the devices feature the updated Fast lane home screen, a unique, second screen that acts as a shortcut to the phone’s recently accessed apps, features and content, as well as future activity, such as calendar appointments.

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CUSTOMER LOYALTY SHOULD NOT HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE

It’s well recognized amongst all business owners that it cost more money to find new customers than to keep the customers we already have while trying to attract more clients to climb aboard our growing organizations. No matter how we try to dazzle, the golden rule of presenting the best product and doing it right, continues to successfully align our future for growth and success.

The ultimate satisfaction for customers is receiving the best product at a reasonable and competitive cost. We must strive to deliver all that we have promised on our websites, in our flyers, and on social media. To add to the best product or service we can supply, can we then deliver more? How do we step out of the box to help our customers realize the extra mile is what we are anxious to provide? Most of us have experienced customer service at its best and its worst. I treasure the shoe store where the salesperson knows me by name, knows what I like, and sends me a quick email when new merchandise comes into the store. And when I get a moment and arrive at the boutique, I am greeted with a big smile by my name and can always be assured the best is yet to come.

Now on the other side of the customer service grid lies the company only interested in viewing me as a dollar sign. “Look around, and if there’s anything we can help you with, just holler,” was the only interaction I received after having been in the store for 15 minutes. Those were the words the salesperson uttered as she looked up from the customer she was assisting seemingly annoyed; as if I was going to interfere with her lunch break.

Studies have shown that retail and restaurant customers will spend 40% more if the service provided is outstanding, so everyday we as business owners, should try to do better. Understanding their reality and adapting our programs, efforts, and products to enrich our customers lives show how we value each person.

Here are the Golden Rule suggestions of showing customers how much we value their business:

• Treat all customers equally. Of course, some customers may spend more than others, but the referrals are what help us to succeed and grow. One never knows who just might walk into your store one day or call upon you for your expert services.
• Value each customer and make everyone’s experience as efficient and as pleasant as possible.
• Appreciate people and show them your appreciation by being on time, listening, acknowledging them as they walk into your store even if you are with another client, be polite and smile, and be well informed.
• Have a process formulated to thank your customers; whether you send out personal thank-you notes, email appreciation letters, small gifts, or coupons for discounts on subsequent business.
• Use loyalty reward programs. Especially useful now during the holiday shopping season when customers are plentiful, plan something special for after the holidays when business slows. Take that time to work on customer retention.

Although it is human nature to cater to the top tier of our business customers, we must never forget that earning the trust and respect of everyone is what helps us to succeed.

Written by Krassi Genov

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