REVIEW
In his article, “Customer Service and the Better Ghana Agenda,” Randall Kerr, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Tullow Ghana attempts to showcase the customer service lapse in the Ghanaian business environment. Kerr recounts his experience right from the airport where an official drew his attention to the fact that she is not a “nursery school teacher” to help his daughter to the lavatory. The article also touches on the state of normalcy of bad customer service. This is evident from the way the author’s hotel driver trivialises and normalises issues of “mix-ups” of guests of the hotel at airport. The glimpse of hope according to Kerr came with a receptionist at the Petroleum Commission Ghana who did not only show him some sense of quality customer service but in depth knowledge about Tullow Ghana.
Some academics have attempted to build theory around customer service. The first attempt was in 1988 when Professor A. Parasuraman, Dr. Valarie Zeithaml and Dr. Leonard L. Berry developed the SERVQUAL quality service model. The model highlights the main components of high quality service. These components were originally ten but were later reduced to five. Often expressed in the acronym RATER, these five components are reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. The theory is to measure service quality by expectations of a customer or client about a service with performance. Expressed in mathematical formula (P) SQ=P-E. This means that businesses with high service quality may meet customer expectation while remaining economically competitive.
Reliability is the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Assurance is the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. Tangibility is the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials. Empathy is the provision of caring, individualised attention to customers. Finally, Responsiveness is the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service. These make up good customer service.
In the case of the Airport official, it is clear that she lacked or did not show the necessary empathy towards Mr. Kerr especially when the child is a female and the father was confused whether to take her to a female washroom or a male washroom. The official’s responds suggested that she did not simply care let alone give some attention to Kerr and his daughter. In the second scenario of the hotel driver, it suggests that such pickup service of the hotel and its drivers is not reliable. This is worsened when the driver goes a notch to see it as normal and something which usually happens. The front desk executive at Petroleum Commission Ghana who the author describes as “a service hero (sic)” seem to show assurance having deep knowledge on what the organisation is about.
A renowned Ghanaian Professor in Customer Service and Marketing at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Prof. Robert Hinson has pointed out that Africa is struggling with Customer Service issues. He emphasised that the balance of power is shifting from organisations to customers and therefore the ability for corporate entities and businesses to stay around and be profitable is contingent upon customers staying with them and spending over their products.
Be it as it may, to some extent these lapses can be attributed to two things. The first thing has to do with personal attitude of the employees. The second is the lack of proper training and orientation in service quality for the employees. Many a times, some employees are indifferent about rendering quality service. In effect, they create a “disconnect” between the customer’s expectation and performance. Most Human Resource department do not really take the time screen the attitude of potential employees before employing them especially front desk executive, drivers, cleaners among others.
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In the final analysis, it is important to underscore the point that service quality has the human being at the centre. And this is irrespective whether the human being is trained or has attitude issues. The solution is employers bear the herculean task to create a connection between the quality services delivered by their employees as a measure of their output for wages. And the need to employ the right people with the requisite skill and posture to produce optimum service quality. The time has come for change in attitude not only at front desk or drivers or cleaners department but at all levels of a company to ensure high service quality.
