Evolve Insights

What is your Level of Customer Service?

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.…
Dr. Lucy Kiruthu
July 25, 2018
Evolve Insights

Stop Spamming Your Customers

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on July 17th 2018 Lucy Kiruthu Every so often, I unsubscribe from an emailing list or a mass SMS that I never signed up for. Why should any company add someone to their emailing or mass SMS list without their consent? In some cases, there is no option to unsubscribe or stop the SMSs. Many of us in Kenya have been victims of unwanted and irrelevant emails and unsolicited SMSs. I have no idea for example how Smart E Marketing a digital marketing agency in Sri Lanka got my email address and phone number. Why do they think I am interested in a plastics exhibition? Why should they send me a daily email and SMS? Why should any organization send its customers too many unnecessary SMSs or emails? Two decades ago, telemarketing was a menace in the US. Majority of the phone calls received on home landlines were not…
Dr. Lucy Kiruthu
July 17, 2018
Evolve Insights

Use Customer Experience to Differentiate your Business

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on July 10th, 2018 By Lucy Kiruthu Is your customer experience the same as that of others in your industry? Is your business using the customer experience to differentiate itself from others? Do your customers find the experience they go through better or worse than that of your competitors? Do you know that you can use customer experience to differentiate your business and make it more attractive? In the world of business today, customer experience is considered a great differentiator. Most products and services that organizations have to offer are very similar in quality. The price differences are minimal and the cheapest products and services do not always attract customers. To stay ahead, smart businesses must rethink their end-to-end customer experience, they must be intentional about their overall customer experience, and they must provide an experience that is worthy coming back for. Unfortunately, many of our local businesses are…
Dr. Lucy Kiruthu
July 10, 2018
Evolve Insights

Business Lessons we can learn from the World Cup

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on July 3rd, 2018 Lucy Kiruthu Football is a game that some like. Others do not really care about what goes on in the world of football. I may not know much about Kenyan football and I know very little about the European league. However, something excites me about the FIFA world cup. I like the world cup because it brings all of us together. A world united is a beautiful thing. I also like the buzz characteristic of sporting events and above all, I enjoy watching a good game. As I have watched this year’s matches, I have been reflecting on the many business lessons we can learn from the world cup. I did not closely follow the world cup-qualifying matches and was surprised to learn that team Italy did not make it this year. It was also a major surprise for Germany the 2014 winner and favourite…
Dr. Lucy Kiruthu
July 4, 2018