Dr. Lucy Kiruthu

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Dec 15th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu I have been reading Bossidy and Charan book titled Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. As I have read it together with other material on the subject of execution, I have realized just how much organizations are struggling with putting strategy or plans into action. On the contrary, considerable amount of time is being spent putting together very good strategies most of which are never implemented. Why is execution so difficult? Why is it such a daunting task for executives to lead their organizations into doing what they have planned to do? Most organizations want their customers to be satisfied, they want them to come back and spend more, they want them to tell others about their good experiences and so on. All these are indeed very good intentions, but good intentions are not adequate if they are not followed by action.…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Dec 8th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu I recall with nostalgia the trips to Uchumi AgahKhan walk and a ride back to Buruburu on Matatu number 23 with a whole month shopping neatly stacked in brown bags. That is as far back as I can remember shopping at Uchumi. I really liked it because I would always find everything on my shopping list. More than a decade and a half later, so much has changed. Uchumi has gone in and out of receivership and then back to empty shelves and is once again trying to rise up.  The main question is – will Uchumi win back its once loyal customers? Just like the new CEO of Uchumi Supermarkets I am a very optimistic person. I believe anything is possible. There is a possibility that Uchumi could get back to its feet. Winning back lost customers though is not an easy…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Dec 1st 2015 Lucy Kiruthu It is 10 years since Google launched Google analytics the most widely used website statistics service. Every click of the mouse is an opportunity for Google to harvest data from millions of internet users.  Just imagine how massive such data is and more importantly how useful it can be to a business.  The more I take a keen interest in data, the more I realize just how important customer data is to the customer experience. It is just amazing how many smart organizations are using data both small and big to attract and retain their customers as well as make important business decisions. Why are some businesses not using data to improve their customer experiences? Why would a bank not be aware of its peak hours and plan accordingly? Why does a supermarket not stock enough milk on the day it is expected…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Nov 24th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu For those whose financial year is ending in December, the planning period is almost coming to the end. A key activity of this planning process has been the approval of the 2016 budgets. The process of getting this done is daunting. I recall having to put in so many hours to get the figures for the department I was heading in tandem with the sort of projected financial statements that the finance team needed when I was in mainstream corporate Kenya. In the midst of all the financial planning, it is very easy to forget to put plans in place that address customer retention and loyalty. Customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention do not just happen. They require putting in place a plan that addresses a key player in the organization’s income statement.  Such planning ahead requires a good understanding of the customer from…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Nov 17th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu Most frontline staff that have attended my training session have one thing in common, they want to learn how to deal with the rude customer. One of the things I always quickly point out to them is that only a few customers are rude.  In addition, most are rude possibly because they are dissatisfied though they must not be rude. I have witnessed interactions where the customer was rude and in almost all instances the rudeness was ignited by the staff.  Does a customer need to be rude to get better service or to pass across a point? I abhor rudeness; in fact I do not even understand it. Why would anyone be rude? I think people who are often rude need some sort of help. Possibly they need to see a psychotherapist or better still they need to leave their rudeness in…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on Nov 10th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu The customer experience continues to receive overwhelming spotlight from across business circles. Most executives globally are today interested in the customer experience more than ever before. They recognize that the customer is not only contributing to the top line but is also crucial for the long-term survival of the business.  In addition, such executives know too well that the customer has a choice and if growing expectations are not met, customer attrition maybe evident. This new era of the Customer experience can simply be described by VUCA the term coined by the US army to mean a Volatility, Ambiguity, Complexity and Uncertainty. Customer expectations keep changing; they are vague and are indeed hard to comprehend. What one customer wants is not what another one wants. As a result many organizations across the globe have learnt to be agile and many are treating each…

As it appeared in the daily nation of October 27th 2015 by Lucy Kiruthu Do our customers have all the information they need when they need it? Are they updated regularly and reminded of some important details? Or do we assume that because all the information is posted on our website together with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that our customers are aware?  As customers, are we knowledgeable about the products and services we buy or use? Do we keep the user manuals or instructions in an easily retrievable manner in case needed urgently? A recent incidence made me realize just how the information I thought I had was inadequate. I have had motor insurance for many years; despite this I did not know what happens in case of an accident. Do I wait for the police? Do I call the insurance company or what do I do? The only call I made was to my dear…

As it appeared in the daily nation of October 20th 2015 by Lucy Kiruthu Happy Mashujaa day! It is yet another day to celebrate our country’s heroes fondly referred to as Mashujaas. Several years ago the only heroes that showed up during the Mashujaa day celebrations were the freedom fighters. However, this has since changed. Today across the country athletes will be celebrated. In my village in Nyeri where we started the “Shujaa Wetu Awards” 4 years ago we will be celebrating Gachatha coffee factory for best coffee. The leading coffee farmers will be feted too at a ceremony to be held at Wamagana Stadium.  Who are you honouring this Mashujaa day? Who is your hero?  Who will be our heroes 100 years from now? For some their hero is a father or a mother, for others it is a sister or a brother yet for many others their heroes are renowned public figures, musicians, footballers,…

As it appeared in the daily nation of October 13th 2015 by Lucy Kiruthu Customer Service week celebrations happened last week world over. Here in Kenya it was evident that something different was happening. On Monday morning some C-Suites were empty as their occupants albeit reluctantly joined the frontline in launching the customer service week. The occupants of the C-Suites were seen leading cake cutting ceremonies amid great excitement from the frontline staff. The Customer Service week has become a flagship activity to drive the customer service excellence agenda in many organizations. The key question though is – is the C-Suite fully involved in driving this agenda? I suspect very few C-Suite executives had the Customer Service week celebrations on their agenda. After all, they are so busy in meetings, in strategy conferences and the like that they cannot spare a whole week to have fun with their staff and customers. However, from their C-suite they…

As it appeared in the daily nation of October 6th 2015 by Lucy Kiruthu The Customer Service week 2015 is finally here! Organizations across the globe are marking the week by celebrating their customers both internal and external. Others are launching service improvement initiatives that will last all year round. Here in Kenya the celebrations are underway all week and this Friday hundreds of customer service enthusiasts will gather for a gala dinner that culminates the celebrations. The main question that lingers in my mind every first week of October is ... Why don’t we celebrate our customers every day? Celebrating our customers every day does not mean giving them freebie promotional items every day. Neither does it mean doing anything extraordinary. It simply means doing the ordinary things in a way that is above the average all the time. These ordinary things include – interacting smoothly with our customers, getting the job done right the…