Evolve Insights

The Pain of Being an Insurance Customer in Kenya

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on March 5th 2019 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu The Insurance Regulatory Authority recently launched the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. One of the outcomes of the plan is to increase the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) index from 70% to 100%. Every insurance services customer has a story to tell. These stories may be of a fair or unfair treatment. The stories may be of an aggressive sales agent, a mishandled policy renewal, a delayed claim’s settlement or a financial loss prevented through insurance. These stories paint a picture of an insurance industry that has supported customers mitigate risk as well as an industry that has caused some painful moments. What is your story as an insurance services customer? Have insurance companies treated you fairly? Insurance products and services are diverse and unique. Most customers do not seem to fully understand insurance. As a result, there is lots of misinformation about insurance. Furthermore,…
robert
March 5, 2019
Evolve Insights

Are hotels staying ahead in guest experience?

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on February 26th 2019 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu Almost a decade ago, a hotel allowed us to check in at 8am. We had planned to drive to Mombasa early in the morning but the car developed a mechanical hitch the day before. We therefore opted for the night bus arriving in the wee hours of the morning. In addition to an early check in, the hotel team invited us to breakfast. This was a true expression of outstanding guest experience. Some other hotels might have simply referred to their policies “you can’t check in till 11am” “if you want to have breakfast today you will be charged”. Most guests often grudgingly accept such policy guidelines as the norm. I have never forgotten the experience we had that morning and throughout our stay at this north coast hotel. As a result, we kept going back to the hotel every year. We…
robert
February 26, 2019
Evolve Insights

Happiness is good for you and your business

By Dr. Lucy Kiruthu As it appeared in the Daily Nation on December 25th 2018 When I started my first real job, I did not know what to expect. The new role in product research and development required working across many functions. Despite its meagre pay, the role was very demanding. There was every reason to be a miss grumpy. I was very happy mixing up concoctions in the laboratory and putting together reports. Soon, I realized that I had to go out to the market and pre-test the products. I pushed myself to get out of the comfort zone of the laboratory. I did not want to be miss grumpy when interacting with customers. I therefore had no choice but to develop an ability to interact with others. In my search for more information on how best to interact with others, I came across JoAnna Brandi who referred to herself as a happiness coach. Since…
robert
December 31, 2018
Evolve Insights

Safaricom Naming of First Chief Customer Officer in Kenya Could be a Game Changer

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on November 20th 2018 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu When Safaricom created the role of the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) a few days ago, I felt a wave of excitement. My excitement was not because I am a Safaricom customer but because I am a firm believer and an advocate of the need to have the voice of the customer loud and clear in the C-Suite. Anyone who has followed through the evolution of the C-suite knows too well that the CCO is a rare position in most organizations. The CCO role is possibly the newest entrant into the C-suite. I expect that in the next decade, this role will become widespread globally and even here in Kenya. Globally, the first CCOs were appointed in the late 1990s. The role started spreading slowly within the fortune 500 companies. By 2014, a CCO council study reported that 22% of Fortune 100 companies…
robert
November 22, 2018
Evolve Insights

Has your Business Planned Ahead for 2019?

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on November 6th 2018 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu The year 2018 is almost ending. Have you started thinking about 2019? Have you thought about what your business should accomplish in 2019? Have you decided what your top priorities for 2019 should be? Have you determined how you will position your business in the marketplace? Planning is critical for every business. Without a clear plan, a business is likely to meander through its life without any sense of direction. Planning brings the much-needed clarity into the direction that a business should follow in order to stay alive. Like many with a background in strategy, I believe that business leaders should have strong planning skills. These skills are important in supporting the businesses design its desired path and create its preferred future. Most businesses plan almost half a year in advance. Therefore, those that have not yet planned for 2019 need to…
robert
November 6, 2018
Evolve Insights

Are you using data to make decisions?

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on October 23rd 2018 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu Companies gather all sorts of data knowingly and unknowingly. Most have data that is financial in nature; they know their revenues per location and even per customer and the have other data relating to their financial performance. Those in retail know how many customers are visiting their shops every day and even every hour and why they are visiting. Other companies have data relating to the usage of their products and services and the variation in usage around the year. Many others are aware about web traffic. Companies are also collecting data relating to the demographics of their customers as well as the satisfaction and loyalty levels. In addition, companies have access to data relating to their staff, partners and even suppliers. The big question is “are companies just gathering data or are they analysing it and using it to make better…
robert
October 23, 2018
Evolve Insights

Is Yours a High Performance Culture?

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on October 16th 2018 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu I often observe staff at their places of work or during training sessions. My observations largely revolve around their behaviours and attitudes and to some extent their skills. As I make these observations, I often wonder about the staff’s understanding of how they individually and collectively contribute to their organization's performance. I also wonder about how their individual performance ranks. Are they A, B, C or even D performers? Sometimes, I am quick to pick the extremes. On one hand, the A-performers are more often than not upbeat, eager to learn and ready to make a difference. On the other hand, the D-performers have a negative attitude towards work, do not really care and like to blame others for their poor performance. To win in today’s business environment, it is not enough to conduct an annual appraisal. Organizations need a high performance…
robert
October 16, 2018
Evolve Insights

Happy Customer Service Week!

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on October 2nd 2018 Dr. Lucy Kiruthu It is that time of the year again when customer-centric organizations around the globe create awareness about the importance of customer service excellence in their organizations. Celebrated by many organizations, the Customer Service Week (CS Week) is commemorated every first full week of October. Many organizations have held different activities to mark the CS Week since 1992. In Kenya, CS week continues to be a flagship event and a number of organizations have been celebrating this special week for the last three to six years. I take this opportunity to wish all a Happy Customer Service Week and reflect on what CS week really means. Organizations that participate in the CS Week celebrations do so for a number of reasons. Many do so to communicate the strategic role that customer service plays in their organizations. Others do so to raise awareness about…
robert
October 2, 2018