Assessment organisation gears up for consumer protection

Following persistent cases of customer service breaches by corporate organisations and its attendant trail of complaints by customers, the stage has been set for a debate that will pitch organisations against the customers.

The debate, the first in a series of events being organised by Customer Service Practitioners Association (CUSPA), a non-governmental body poised to bring a sense of responsibility in service provider-customer relationship, will hold onJune 26, 2014.

The debate is meant to afford organisations that feel responsible to their customers the opportunity to have the customers’ viewpoint of the standards they offer and further present their position on what constitute good customer service.

According to Uloma Umeano, president, CUSPA, customers who have been agitating for good service can now have their expectations met by CUSPA, an independent assessment organisation kicking off its yearly agenda beginning with this debate.

“This year’s debate is the first of many to come as it is part of CUSPA’s annual activity which will take place in the second quarter of every year. The purpose of the debate is to get possible solutions to the issues surrounding the customer’s experience. This year’s debate is strategically planned to address the lack of service accountability by service providers,” Umeano says.

As most organisations have woken up to the consciousness of customer service delivery, which in itself is a great start to a process that is meant to delight every customer, she says, however, being aware of customer experience is a far cry from “doing” it. CUSPA is determined to ensure organisations are practising excellent service delivery. Hence, this year’s debate topic: “What function in an organisation is responsible for the customer’s experience.”

The assessment organisation is dedicated to the development of customer experience management practices, and has positioned itself to improve, manage, and maximise how organisations relate with their customers.

It is taking service experience from the grass roots, she says, as we do not want to assume that service providers know what they are doing; we want them to tell us how prepared and responsible they are regarding their service delivery, we want them to tell us how they are positioned and tooled up to meet the customers needs, both psychologically and physically, and how effective their processes are.

“Every organisation is in business to make profit, no doubt. But we are around to ensure they give customers experiential service in the process. CUSPA is the voice of the customer, but we are also prepared and equipped to aid organisations who are customer focused and willing to embrace this initiative. We will also not hesitate to hold accountable any organisation that does not put the customer at the centre of its strategies and operations,” she says further.

The debate will have in attendance customers from various sectors, professionals from various organisations in the private sector and representative of customer-focused organisations that are inclined towards maximising every opportunity to enhance their service delivery.

Anne Agbaje