DO WE REALISE THE DISGUISED OPPORTUNITY OF ADDING VALUE & UTILITY AS CONSUMERS OF GOODS & SERVICES? - LODGING COMPLAINTS & CLAIMS

DO WE REALISE THE DISGUISED OPPORTUNITY OF ADDING VALUE & UTILITY AS CONSUMERS OF GOODS AND SERVICES? - LODGING CLAIMS & COMPLAINTS

"The customer is king", "the client is always right..." These are common cliches in the business of dealing with clients and customers. They are premised on retaining a client even in the worst case scenario where the client is seriously aggrieved about the service rendered to them or the quality of goods consumed and rightfully so because the clients part with their valuable and in most instances hard earned money for goods and services daily.

However there is another angle and twist to the customer services situation which many a consumer misses, we are HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS in the business equation. This is contrary to the popular belief of being powerless vulnerable victims of corporate greed and disregard for the little ordinary person on the street.

There is hidden opportunity in every consumer complaint situation, yes in that very moment when we have received shoddy appalling service from a service provider and we are so
dismayed and frothing at the mouth with anger. It is a ripe moment for us to legitimately present acceptable tangible feedback backed by first-hand experience. This is where we get to show up as stakeholders and directly influence the design and delivery of the product or service we consume in exchange for our valued money.

If we pause for a moment and let off the heat emanating from our anger and grievance we see clearly the chance to articulate our expectations to the service provider and highlight the flaws of the product or service in its current state. As I write this article  I have been dealing with a major failed banking transaction inconvenience situation due to system challenges.

Just to put it into perspective; In Zimbabwe there is a massive drive encouraging the use of plastic money and e-banking owing to cash shortages of the US Dollar which is the main trading currency in our multi-currency system, however as the uptake gathers momentum the systems have inevitably gotten overwhelmed and require capacity upgrades.

It is this upgrading that has resulted in failed and incomplete transactions where a client finds their accounts debited for transactions that have not gone through successfuly. The funds are not showing in one's account anymore yet the intended recipient and beneficiary usually a creditor has not received them and they continue to scream at their loudest threatening all sorts of legal action with costs in the case of formal business creditors  and other horrible means in the case of private and individual creditors.

So I took up my issues with the particular bank and registered my complaints which is no easy process as it takes a lot of effort convincing and proving to the bank officials that the claim is legitimate and valid, having been understood, phew!

The next stage is a formal process of filling out claim forms and herein lies the hidden opportunity to influence the product design and service delivery going forward because one gets to articulate the facts of the matter and lodge the claim and complaint as well as comment generally about the service, make recommendations and highlight expectations.

It's an opportunity which we would not ordinarily take up, let alone notice  when we have not been aggrieved to the extent of lodging claims and disputes. It is common to hear people complain about particular products and service providers yet continue to tolerate it because we are busy running our lives until that product or service has got us stuck in our tracks. Only then do we swing into real action because we need a solution to a  problem we did not create and would not have seen coming.

We get so tense and emotional, justifiably so given the threats alluded to above of creditors breathing down our necks and the general inconvenience caused, however a little step or two back evaluating the situation reveals our power and influence, we remember that we are not just powerless victims but influential stakeholders presented with a platform to transform the product and service for the better.

 Recently a major and legendary  automobile manufacturer was in the media with bad publicity for one of their car models bursting into flames resulting in a massive recall of the cars. The backlash and anger was serious because of literally life and death problem. It is a fact though that prior to the incidents and recall, consumers were enjoying this particular model without any fears or worries.

The same aggrieved consumers are now presented with an opportunity to make their recommendations and  expectations known legitimately and acceptably as stakeholder feedback. So it is with all the goods and services we consume daily, we ought to realise that as big as the corporates maybe and tiny as we might look relative to them we are able to give our feedback with influence and be heard.

The CEO of the bank with which I have lodged complaints like many other aggrieved clients has publicly acknowledged the situation without reservations, apologised to the clients and promised resolution of the problems expeditiously.
Such is the power of the consumer and even more when the consumer not only complains but articulates the expectations going forward resulting in improved and consumer-centric products and services.

What hidden opportunity have you seen today as a consumer? Are you using your influence effectively to solve the problems and improve product and service quality?

THE GOLDEN WORD FOUNTAIN - (TGWF)