Zimbabwe is marking its 10th National Customer Service Week (NCSW) under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While previous editions of the NCSW have been extravagant, this year the commemorations will be comparably muted, a fact that was acknowledged by organizers Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ)’s secretary-general Rinos Mautsa at the launch on Wednesday.
But, as is very common, the greatest developments in the history of mankind have been accompanied by crises.
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated major changes in how businesses and organizations interact with their customers.
“Particularly in times of crisis, a customer’s interaction with a company can trigger an immediate and lingering effect on his or her sense of trust and loyalty.
“As millions are furloughed and retreat into isolation, a primary barometer of their customer experience will be how the businesses they frequent and depend upon deliver experiences and service that meets their new needs with empathy, care and concern,” say international business consultants McKinsey & Company.
“Now is also the time for customer experience (CX) leaders to position themselves at the forefront of the longer-term shifts in consumer behavior that result from this crisis.
“Keeping a real-time pulse on changing customer preferences and rapidly innovating to redesign journeys that matter to a very different context will be key.”
Zimbabwe’s Customer Service Week CSW, is running from October 5 to October 9.
For companies and organizations participating in the NCSW is an opportunity for organizations to, recognize and appreciate external customers for their custom and loyalty, remind customers of their commitment to customer satisfaction, recognise and appreciate staff for the role they play in delivering great customer experiences, reward members of staff who are a great example in serving customers.
But beyond this, the COVID-19 pandemic is compelling firms and organizations to rethink customer relations.
Lockdowns and social distancing requirements – due to the pandemic – has changed the consumer habits of buying and shopping, as well as how businesses offer their products and services.
Calls are getting louder, even in the local environment, for organizations to shift from customer service to customer experience.
‘Customer experience’ (or ‘CX’) is referred to as customers’ holistic perception of their experience with a particular business or brand.
Said CCAZ president Dr Lance Mambondiani:
“Customer experience is now much more important than customer service. It’s not a department in an organization, but rather a philosophy.
“When your team’s work is aligned to the same goal, service excellence is guaranteed. Success is an inside job.”
The theme for this year’s Zimbabwe Customer Service Week is ‘Dream Team’.
“It does not help for two or three organisations to be excellent at providing efficient customer experiences, it’s more useful when as a country we develop a customer-centric culture,” said Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) secretary-general Dr Rosemary Siyachitema at the NCSW launch event.
The Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe is the sole association for all contact centre and customer experience professionals in Zimbabwe.