Author explores poor customer service across Nigeria in new book

The author of a new book on consumer service and provider responsibilities, Ope Wemi-Jones, has lamented poor customer service delivery across various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Wemi-Jones said this in Lagos at the unveiling of her book titled, titled, ‘Quote Me on Customer Service’.

The event saw a gathering of customer service professionals and officials drawn across several industries discussing major shortcomings in their sectors.

She said the book seeks to enhance the quality of customer service delivery in the country. It is also designed to revolutionise the customer service space in Nigeria with a series of initiatives geared towards heightening awareness for quality service delivery.

With 22 years of working experience in the Nigerian Financial Services Industry, having worked in three banks, the author brings her experience to bear in the book.

She noted that the book was well-positioned to help consumers to understand their rights and enforce them where necessary. It makes a case for the education of both customers and service providers on their roles and responsibilities.

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Wemi-Jones said, “My mission to revolutionalise customer service dates back to an opportunity I had in my workplace. I was given the role to drive customer service, which I didn’t know much about. But in the cause of trying to do my work, I realised that service is actually the best weapon you can have to crush your competition. And unfortunately, it is also one that people don’t pay attention to for reasons I do not know.

“This time of the year people are cutting their budget. If you have a glimpse into the corporate organisations budget, you are not going to find a line on customer service. People would talk about their financial performance from now till tomorrow, have 100 meetings, they don’t spend half of that time talking about service problems and how they can solve it. And every day you go out, people just treat you anyhow even when you have your money paying for their services.”

In the book, Wemi-Jones showcases great quotes by customer service experts and great thinkers across the world in the book.

“They are quotes that will broaden the minds of service providers and customers in their daily interactions with one another,” she noted.

She has also put together a video library on 12 customer service topics. According to her, they are ideal to introduce and reinforce the importance of customer service. She said the videos are flexible to use and can be structured into short or long sessions depending on the amount of time that employers are willing to spend.

Laying emphasis on the Nigerian system, she said we (Nigerians) accept bad service and that poor service thrives in silence.

She also advised consumers to speak up about poor service in other to change the narrative for the better.