Banks and telcos care most about clients in Kenya

From left, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) chief executive Habil Olaka, Central Bank Governor Dr Patrick Njoroge and KCB Bank group chief executive officer Joshua Oigara on September 28, 2017. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Poll carried out in the country ranks education, retail, government and transport as occupying other positions down the line respectively.
  • Banks received 43.47 per cent while telcos got 42.39 per cent from a study carried out by mSurvey on Kenyan consumers by asking them a series of questions relating to customer service.
  • The study was carried out on September 20 and 21, and 527 people completed the survey.

Banks and phone service providers are the best when it comes to taking care of their customer needs, a survey carried out last month shows.

According to a global mobile-first consumer experience and feedback platform leveraging text messages and mobile messaging to simplify access to credible, on-demand information from Africa and other emerging regions, the two segments emerged tops in taking care of their clients’ needs.

Banks received 43.47 per cent while telcos got 42.39 per cent from a study carried out by mSurvey on Kenyan consumers by asking them a series of questions relating to customer service.

Other sectors such as education came in at 6.97 per cent, retail (3.76 per cent), government at (1.97 per cent) and transport trailed at 1.43 per cent.

“These two sectors (banking and telecommunication) form a large portion of mSurvey’s customer base; companies in these two sectors are keen on getting customer feedback, which mSurvey enables them to access in real-time at scale.

Such feedback enables businesses to make better decisions across their operations, which eventually address any pain points in the customer journey,” mSurvey team said.
The survey findings were released as the world marked customer service week.

Customer Service Week is celebrated annually during the first week in October when customer-oriented organisations and institutions around the globe recognise the importance of clients experiences and their impact to their entities.

mSurvey’s conversation with Kenyans also revealed that being able to give customer feedback is a crucial part of a buying experience, with 87 per cent of Kenyans saying it was very important and 13 per cent remaining neutral.

INSTANT FEEDBACK

When asked how they preferred to give feedback, 42 per cent of respondents said via text messages because it is fast and accessible, giving Kenyans power of instant feedback, in the palm of their hands.

The study was carried out on September 20 and 21, and 527 people completed the survey.

The outcome revealed that 97 per cent were happier with the customer service now than five years ago.

From the findings, Kenyans are more likely to complain (86 per cent) after receiving bad service, compared to 14 per cent who choose to lick their wounds silently.

The most popular reason for not reacting to poor customer service was that they felt their complaints would not be resolved by respective organisations.

More than half of the respondents (53 per cent) claimed to have stopped using a product or service because of poor customer service, and 91 per cent felt that customer service they receive reflects how much a company values them.

Participants were also asked about customer service week, and 59 per cent of the respondents said they have heard of customer service week.

When asked what they enjoyed most about customer service week, 58 per cent of respondents cited the service they receive with one respondent explaining that the annual event enables an individual to know more about the services or products issued by that given company.

mSurvey chief operating officer Claire Munene said Kenyan businesses are recognising that their customers should be at the heart of their business strategy and where they are not, customer retention becomes a challenge.

“With our flagship product, Voice of a Customer, we are enabling businesses to engage and evaluate their relationship with their customers, by giving them a voice via real-time, mobile messaging conversations,” said Ms Munene.

She said having scrutinised the survey results, there were clear signs that Kenyan businesses are taking the necessary steps to improve some aspects of the service they provide and are giving themselves the competitive edge, by ensuring they are listening to those who know the secrets to their success – their customers.

Voice of the Customer gathers client insights from mobile survey conversations.