I had some issues with a security software I downloaded on my laptop and immediately reported the issues I had through the software company's support mail. To my surprise and delight, I got a response to my mail within an hour of sending the mail and expressing my concerns. The mail suggested steps to take to correct the issues and get the software working well again. In the mail, I was encouraged to never hesitate to get across to the support team if the suggestions did not help my situation.
I tried the steps suggested but still had my issues unresolved and, following their encouragement, promptly sent another mail to report the failure of the suggested steps. Within another few hours, I had received another mail which informed me that another programme installed on my laptop was the cause of the issues I was having and suggesting steps to take to correct the situation. I followed the instructions in the mail and was elated to see the software working again. I immediately reported the success of the new measures to the software company.
It is instructive to note that the software was a free security software I downloaded from my bank's internet banking page. I paid absolutely nothing for this software and yet when I had issues with it, I was given speedy, top-rate customer care attention and further encouraged to always report further issues as the support team was always ready to assist in the resolution of any issue I might have with their software. I have emphasised the free nature of this software to show that this company has nothing to lose if I decided to withdraw my "patronage" because they do not thereby lose any income. It got me thinking again about companies here in Nigeria most of which have either rude or completely clueless customer care representatives. As I have written before in a previous post, I have found that a lot of our companies either have non-functional email addresses or do not bother to check their mails and maybe even worse, they do not deem the bulk of the mails sent to them to complain about products/services worthy of responses.
I have said it before and I will continue to say it until something gives, we, the customers have enormous powers that we refuse or neglect to make use of to get better services, and until we exercise our powers and say enough is enough, even the few companies that have relatively good customer care service will be tempted to join the others. After all, if the customers are not complaining, they must be content with the quality (or lack thereof) of the services they receive. It is after all, again said: If you can't beat them, join them!"
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Thanks, 'Nike, for the positive exeperience reported.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not able to determine the limits of your advocacy, I'm taking advantage of being on your page to at the least "vent."
Recently, (read about a month or two ago) I've been getting text messages from one of our GSM providers that my SIM card was not yet registered per NCC guidelines and that I should walk into any of their customer care centres to get that done ASAP to avoid my line being tossed. I basically ignored the messages knowing that I had gone through the hassle of registering my SIM card with this particular provider ahead of that initial deadline that NCC gave quite a good while ago. That was before the implementation of the NCC directive banning the selling of pre-registered SIM cards.
In any case, having some time on my hands last week, I did walk into the particular outlet in which I had done the SIM registration to complain and ask for some clarification.
The first thing I was told was that I needed to fill a form to register my SIM! I protested, saying I had done that a good while ago. However, seeing I was not going to get any attention without filling the form, I filled the form and waited for my turn. I showed the attendant I was directed to the text messages I had been receiving, which she found funny, as the then most recent message was in pidgin English. She then proceeded to register my SIM, but I stopped her in her tracks. I demanded to know why I was being asked to register my SIM yet again having done that previously. She referred me to a superior, who also referred me to another colleague as she was busy with another customer. (I feel she sensed I could be trouble and would rather not deal with me.) The third colleague heard me out but could not advance a reason for why his company would be asking for a fresh registration of SIM. He did say the directive had come from the Lagos headquarters, and that a good number of people were already re-registering their SIM cards. He also hinted at the probable loss of customer records within the organisation. In any case he couldn't be definite.
Considering the unsatisfactory nature (to me, at least) of his answers I told him clearly that I was not going to register the SIM again. I then walked off and shredded the form I had filled.
My customer service agent unware of what I had done called out to me to fill to fill out a form. To this I calmly responded that I just shredded a filled out form and left their outlet.
Since then I've got some more text messages and a pre-recorded voice message in English, Yoruba, Hausa (I don't immediately recall if there was Igbo and pidgin English in the line-up also.) urging me to register my SIM card to avoid service disconnection.
My resolve is unshaken. Even if it means losing the number, I won't be doing another SIM registration without a tenable reason why. Not in these days of "porting."
By the way the number "under threat" is 0805-240-0947.
So, should you get a number not available, or not registered on our network message, you would know why.
Once again, thanks for reporting the good and not so good of our service delivery experience as a nation.
Cheers!
Edinrinverere Francis OFOGBA
Thank you so much Sir for taking the time to read this post and reporting your experience on the call for re-registration of a SIM card you had previously registered.
ReplyDeleteActually, you are not alone in this, I have heard of a number of people who have been sent messages to come and register their SIM cards that those people had previously registered. One of my brothers was in fact once called by one of the network's customer care agent who told him that they no longer had record of my brother's SIM registration. The lady eventually came over to the house to register my brother's SIM again.
One would have thought that these mobile network operators will have back-ups for all their data. It speaks volumes that not even up to a year into the SIM registration deadline, the networks are reportedly losing subscribers' data and putting the subscribers through all sorts of discomforts to get their SIM cards registered again.
It is a very good thing that you have reported this, because then, it just might expose these operators and get them to be more careful with the subscribers'data that they gather.
And it is because of that that this website and a facebook page (www.facebook.com/CustomerServiceReports) were created. I don't know if it is just me, but I feel the quality of customer service we receive generally in this country is very poor. And businesses which would not survive without our patronage get away with this because we the customers allow them to. I am determined to, with the support of people like you desirous of better customer services and a better country, make an impact in this direction (so help us God).
Once again, thanks so much for this comment Sir. I know you are a very busy person and your comment is all the more appreciated for that reason.