Total Kenya, Telkom Kenya, DSTV, Co-operative Bank #ticker:COOP, Chandarana Supermarket, Old Mutual and Aga Khan Hospital are the companies leading the way in customer loyalty in their respective sectors, a new report says.

The survey done by a Kenyan firm covered the energy, telcos, digital TV providers, banking, retail/modern trade, insurance, and health facilities/hospitals.

This follows adoption by local businesses in use of the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a globally recognised industry management tool used by individual businesses to track and measure customer loyalty.

So far, over 100 companies operating in Kenya are using the score, which has been adopted by more than two thirds of Fortune 1,000 companies, including Apple, Sony, Amazon, British Airways and Tesla.

The report titled NPS Industry Benchmark – Kenya for quarter one 2018, by mobile-first consumer experience platform mSurvey, used NPS to measure Kenyan consumers’ overall perception of brands.

“mSurvey is a platform that allows businesses to measure their Net Promoter Score using SMS conversations with their customers. mSurvey also compiles a quarterly report on customer loyalty in Kenya, which shows NPS scores by industry. This allows businesses in the country to have access to industry standards they can work towards or exceed,” said mSurvey Chief Commercial Officer Claire Munene.

NPS is the most recognised measure of customer loyalty. The score is based on the answers to the question. “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend……….to friends or family?”

A score of zero to six implies (very unlikely), seven to eight (neutral), nine to 10 (very likely).

“Promoters (score 9 - 10), are loyal customers. They help drive product adoption on the market and contribute a high proportion of revenue. Passive (score 7 - 8) means that these are simply content users. They do not help promote the product and are likely to switch to a competitor when given the opportunity.”
“Detractors (score 0 - 6), these are frustrated users who can be detrimental to the brand’s reputation. They had one or more bad experiences with the product,” Ms Munene said.

According to NICE Satmetrix, the co-developer of NPS, research shows that companies with scores higher than their competitors grow faster and are more successful.

The report shows that the energy sector has the highest NPS in the seven sectors due to accessibility across geographies in the country, customer-centric and friendly staff, and quality products.

However, high prices and fluctuations are a key driver for detraction.

“This is not within the companies’ control. There is need to inform customers that the energy providers do not set the prices,” mSurvey team said.

In the telco industry, affordable and fast data is the main reason for Telkom Kenya’s promotion.

“Telkom improved its internet service in order to better appeal to the Kenyan millennials, which is its target market, and the high NPS is reflecting this focus,” the report said.

Safaricom is second, and the efficiency of M-Pesa and the variety of services and promotions that come with it are the most mentioned reasons by the company’s promoters.

However, the increasing number of detractors feel that the experience is diluted by what they say is expensive pricing.

There is also a significant proportion who say that data (bundles) are consumed faster and cost more.

On the other hand, Airtel experience is described as economical, affordable and cost effective by many. The provider’s network coverage, however, is a big impediment to a great experience for many.

In the digital TV providers, DSTV, according to customers, offers a wide array of channels that serve the interests of all household members. This is the main driver of a delightful customer experience for their customers. DSTV’s pricing is the biggest source of discontent among clients according to the survey.

StarTimes and GOTV are providing customers with a balance of affordable bouquets and diverse content.

GOTV’s free month for new subscribers is impactful in defining the customer experience. The signal strength for both providers is highly lauded.

In banking, customer service, transaction fees and accessibility are the most impactful customer experience themes. These are especially pronounced in the three leading banks – Co-operative Bank, KCB and Equity Bank.

KCB’s M-Pesa feature and Equity’s innovative Equitel and Eazzy app services are huge sources of delight for customers, in addition to the great customer service, which makes them feel valued. This has tremendously increased the ease of transacting.

Long queues

Long queues and subsequently the time it takes to be attended to on the other hand seem to be dragging the brands’ sentiments across.

In retail/modern trade, Chandarana, Naivas and Khetias supermarkets topped. A lot of promoters are happy with the availability of fresh produce and excellent customer service in these outlets. The products are also relatively cheaper in addition to having a wider range of stock.

On the other hand, bad customer experience from some brands is solely driven by the low number of check out points, leading to longer queues.

In the insurance industry, Old Mutual, Jubilee and Britam are the top underwriters.

Customers cited reliability and quick reaction time when needed/during emergencies as the most notable customer service attributes in these brands. The claim process is also highlighted as efficient by many customers, in addition to affordability of the services (premiums).

NHIF, despite being cheap and easily accessible, is faulted by many because of the limits to what patients can access and the tedious claim process.

In health facilities/hospitals, Aga Khan, Gertrude’s and Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (MTRH) provide a great customer experience across the various touch points. Customers say that the staff are friendly and take good care of patients without negligence.

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and other government hospitals (Level 1 – 5) are reported to have very slow service and faulty or even non-existent equipment.

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