August 2018

The workplace is one of the most complex places on earth. At the workplace are people from different backgrounds that need to work together to get things done. These people are of a different gender, age, religion, education, race etc. In working together, people are expected to put aside their differences and work as one for a common purpose. Unfortunately, that is not easy and as such, smart companies have to be intentional about creating a work environment where everyone feels like somebody. I believe that at the core of such an environment is the ability to spread some love at the workplace. Love is widely misunderstood. It is no wonder that spreading love at the workplace may sound absurd to some. Generally, love refers to how we feel about something or someone. Do you love your job? Do you love your customers? Do you care about your colleagues? Workplace love in its basic form is…

Do you love your job? Do you love your customers? Do you care about your colleagues? Workplace love in its basic form is seen in how we identify with our organizations!

The CEOs must see value from focusing on the customer. Every CEO must remember that the top line of their income statements emanates from customer spend.

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on July 24th 2018 Lucy Kiruthu Most businesses I interact with think they are providing a “not so bad” customer service. Very few managers and staff alike admit that their service could be dismal. Even if their customers were to rate them as a 7, 6, 5, or even 4 out of 10, they would be content, after all many others are providing a worse service. What a repulsive way of looking at customer service! A few days ago, I reached out to a manager at a hotel regarding her team’s level of service. Unfortunately, the manager simply dismissed it and said she had done all that needs to be done to improve service. In yet another incidence when making a call on behalf of my mother to the Teachers Service Commission, I was put on waiting as the staff went on chatting with her colleague in the background.…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 21st 2018 Lucy Kiruthu At a recent customer experience training, I asked the participants to draw a chatbot. Most participants had no idea what that was despite being in the customer service arena. Others had an idea but it was difficult to visualize a chatbot and draw it. Chatbots also referred to as bots are a computer program or software. Simple chatbots scan for key words and respond with programmed answers while more complex chatbots use artificial intelligence (AI). Chatbots are used to create responses that mimic a live conversation. Today, although only a few companies are using chatbots, the knowhow on chatbots is making great inroads in customer experience. Chatbots are being widely used in responding to customer queries and offering support. Several companies globally and even locally have invested in chatbots that allow instant messaging and voice recognition. Chatbots have found use on platforms such…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 14th 2018 Lucy Kiruthu When I went through an MBA program 16 years ago, there were no lessons on business models. The closest we got to learning about business models was in relation to the then upcoming e-businesses. However, business models whether defined or not have been in existence for as many decades as businesses. I believe that even when Ford motor company started, it had a business model in mind. Today, almost every business school is teaching the concept of business models. I believe that business leaders and entrepreneurs as well should be keen to learn more about the transforming nature of having a clearly defined business model. Simply stated, a business model is a blueprint for the successful running of a business. Such a model is seen to encompass the target customers, how customer value is created and delivered, resources required, sources of revenues and…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 7th 2018 Lucy Kiruthu I know a few CEOs that are the number one customer experience champions in their organizations. They know their customers’ journey and they are walking it in their shoes. They know exactly when the shoe is comfortable and when it pinches. They are leading their teams in taking action to get their customer experience better. Most such CEOs have set key performance measures linked directly to customer experience. A few other CEOs pay lip service to customer experience - they just talk about it but their actions are not in harmony with the words. Their actions speak too loudly that their words mean nothing to their team. Unfortunately, such CEOs are a commonplace. Other CEOs seem clueless about customer experience; they equate it to front office services. Why are many CEOs not taking lead in customer experience. Why are they failing to perceive…