Active Customer-ship: The Guaranteed Way to Improve Customer Experiences

We know an active customer as that who frequents a particular service. However, there is more to an active customer than that. For instance, is a customer truly active if he frequents a service he does not enjoy, just because he lacks options? An active customer, just like an active citizen, refuses to settle for mediocre services. Active customers take intentional actions to seek and reinforce best experiences, because that is the only way to challenge, and where necessary, take bad service providers out of markets.

The following section will highlights some of the practices that active customers must adopt in order to elicit better experiences.

Understand that they deserve good customer service, and demand it. I once attended a dispensary in Dar es Salaam, with a tummy upset and my experience there was downright terrible. The washroom did not have tissue paper or flowing water. Some soap powder had been poured directly on top of the sink, where patients were expected to dip their dirty hands to use the soap. I inquired from a nurse who casually responded that there was no other hand soap, and left.

A hospital, a place that demanded the highest levels of hygiene, lacked even the most basic.

In what turned out to be a rather unexpected turn of events, I made a similar inquiry to the doctor in charge, as he walked out of the males toilet. “Someone was to buy hand soap today but I think he forgot”. He responded. "What are you using the money you are charging us for?” I asked with agitation. He offered an apology that sounded more like “please don’t tell any official or don’t speak any louder” rather than sincere.He left without washing his own hands, came back after a few minutes and offered me some napkins. 

Long story short; I got a prescription for acute typhoid (which was later proved wrong), the cashier asked how much I had in my wallet for a reason I am yet to comprehend, and I left to get medication at another hospital. 

Now, do you think this would happen if every patient was an active customer? If every patient demanded hand soap and toilet paper?

Own their experiences. I once took my daughter for a measles vaccine, which apparently, we couldn't get because we were the only ones in need of the service that day. So, I asked what other options we had. The nurse suggested that we could wait for sometime until other children came.

“What if no one comes?” I asked, and at that moment she noticed the impracticability of her suggestion. She then went an extra mile, even calling a nearby hospital to ask if we could get the service there. At the end of the day we were vaccinated without having to wait for an indefinite period.

Utilise their power to influence outcomes. My former landlord called me one early morning and greeted me with; “when are you paying my rent?” “I paid last week, haven’t you checked your account or the WhatsApp screenshot I sent?” I asked. “When did you pay? Couldn’t you give me a call? When you have issues you call, but when you need favours you send messages.” She rambled about multiple things, sounding angrier by the second, infecting both of us.

Just before she hang up, I mustered all calmness, called her name, and said, "can I ask you something? Why are you so angry? What have I done that caused you to call me in such anger?” She paused for a moment and when she responded, I noticed she had reciprocated my calmness. “I think it's just the way I speak that may seem angry, but I am not.” The call ended with a mutually and peacefully agreed way forward.

Active customers see opportunities to use their power to improve outcomes.

Give their opinion, as it matters. I once lived near a farmers’ market in Dar es Salaam and was happy that I could always get my favourite sweet potatoes easily. However, only one woman sold them, which wouldn’t be an issue if she accompanied the potatoes with great services. During one of my visits there, she angrily suggested that I could return my potatoes if I wasn't going to wait for her granddaughter to go and seek change elsewhere, saying that if she gave me change she had, there would be none left for other customers.

“You should know if you keep talking to your customers like that you will loose them. You should also know that if there was anyone else selling potatoes here I would go buy from them and not you. But the year is just starting, I suggest you also start treating customers better”.

I said as I left, once the girl she had sent to find change was back. I knew my opinion counted because during the entire year that I continued to use her services, every subsequent experience was better. She welcomed me with a smile and always told her girl assistant, “give her one extra potato, take the bigger one” 

Give genuine feedback. My Kenyan friend Sylvia once mentioned in a conversation how she always rated Uber drivers after every trip. “It is very important to give people feedback, both positive and negative. We need only the good drivers on the road”. She said. I couldn’t agree more. Indeed, we only need good service providers in the market, and we, “active customers” have the potential to dictate that through feedback.

Take responsibility. I once conducted an international fund transfer and later realised that I was given a bad exchange rate. I had the opportunity to negotiate for a better rate, but this knowledge came a little bit too late. I could blame the bankers for not sharing these options with me, but what good would that do? I was responsible. Since then I learnt to explore multiple options in advance of any transaction. Active customer proactively seek information.

Seek insights and give suggestions, open-mindedly. Questions such as; is there anything the bank could do to reduce the queue in the bank-hall? I am in such a hurry, is it possible for you to expedite my service please? Do you think you could speak in a more friendly tone? Why is this cheaper than that?, etc. Active customers seek to understand barriers and offer improvement suggestions.

It is unfortunate that many businesses stagnate simply because of poor customer service. Similarly, many customers tolerate bad services due to lack of knowledge or options. On the other hand, many businesses abuse the monotony in their market segments, and get away with offering substandard services. The only way to end this madness is through "active customer-ship”. We must all become true, active customers. We must speak up and influence better services - because the fact is that, our opinions matter.

A version of this article was originally published by The Citizen