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  Ensure your clients return

Many business enterprises in Uganda have contravened the code of providing value added service and lost customers to rivals due to poor customer-handling.

For many enterprises in the country, the customer is never king. However, business is brisk for those who have keenly treated the customer the way they should be treated.

Susan Kitariko, utl’s customer care manager, says customer satisfaction equals more business for enterprises. She shares some customer care tips that have greatly assisted them in the process of delivering quality service to their esteemed customers.

She explains that today how you deliver your products and services is just as important as what they are. Competing goods and services don’t differ much, so customers shop basing on the level of service they get. Often, customers only judge quality based on the service they get.

“How can a patient judge a doctor’s competence, or a litigant assess the skills of their legal counsel? How can a novice tell whether a computer is right for them? They all depend on a service that inspires confidence and shows attention to their needs,” Kitariko asks. She says some of their objectives include, delivery of quality customer care, addressing customer complaints expeditiously and offering solutions without any complications, as well as offering satisfactory service and assistance to customers in order to have their loyalty.

Kitariko says they identify benefits for customers, staff and the organisation, in the provision of good customer care and produce an action plan to improve customer care.

She emphasises that there are certain customer care attributes that have to be followed. These include wearing a smile as one serves the customer, since smiles break barriers.

Dress too is important and staff should look smart and dignified at all times.

Confidence is another attribute and this involves establishing and maintaining eye contact as one serves the customer.

Magic words like “Thank you,” “Please,” are a must and should be uttered without duress or effort, but should flow seamlessly as one communicates.

While dealing with customers, it is wise to be tactful, she advises. One should be a good listener, polite and respectful during the transactions.

She advises that even when things go wrong, one should endeavour to apologise and rectify promptly to the wronged party. Kitariko explains that there are some factors that enhance customer care and have to be followed religiously.

There is also need for adequate organisational understanding of procedures, honesty, integrity and courtesy, she says. Other attributes include teamwork, and handling customer complaints promptly and efficiently.

Kitariko stresses that companies should realise the importance of selling quality, services and benefits and not the price.

Customers at the forefront

THE ‘customer is king’ just sounds an old adage. But, Celtel’s legacy reigns for providing more than value to its customers.

Martin Sebuliba, Celtel Uganda’s marketing manager in charge of communications, says customers are Celtel’s most important asset and they stand at the forefront of the company’s business.

“We are proud of the service we offer and we have led the way in giving the best customer service to our subscribers,” Sebuliba says. In the contemporary world, innovation and problem- solving are key attributes that businesses have to take charge of given the unpredictable nature of customers who are always yearning for more. Sebuliba says the industry’s competitiveness has kept customer innovations at the front end of its business with its products being backed by a concern for quality.

This has meant the brains at Celtel have had to be more innovative to create new products, “We intend to remain consistent in making the customer get the ultimate experience on our network,” Sebuliba says. Celtel operates a 24-hour, seven days a week customer care centre which deals with customer problems. The department handles customer issues, which include queries, phone activations, airtime problems and providing product information.

The work by the company’s customer care department is supplemented by its ever present army of distributors who transverse the entire network coverage areas with products and solutions to customer needs.

Celtel enhanced its network efficiency last year by upgrading its network to provide the customer with faster connectivity and stronger signals. The network upgrade also helped ease congestion problems.

On the network with the increase in subscriber numbers on the company’s network as well as cater for the increase in its customer base.

Earlier this year, Celtel introduced a new Ush2,000 top up card to provide customers with a flexible airtime top up option. The company has also rolled out more public payphones with charges at Ush200 across all networks to cater for people who may want to make just that single important call.

A ‘Who Called’ service to enable subscribers track their callers when their phones are switched off or are out of reach is also available on the network.

Dealers reach out to the community

There’s buzzing activity with dealers, subscribers, prospective subscribers and admirers walking in and out a shop on Ben Kiwanuka Street in kampala.

All in common is that it is about Celtel.
It is such a strong bond that the telecommunications company has built with the community through its dealers that is seeing it grow each day.

Martin Sebuliba, Celtel Uganda’s marketing communications manager, says the brand is having its impact, courtesy of the strategic partnership between the company and its dealership.

The shop on Ben Kiwanuka Street is the headquarters of Cellular Galore, a major dealer for the telecommunications company.

Steven Kavuma, its managing director, says he is proud of his association with the company for its ambition and innovations in a break-neck competitive sector.

“We have grown from a small entity to a big dealer over the years because of the competitive ambition to hook up the next subscriber. To achieve this we have employed a ‘push strategy to get the products down to the people,” Kavuma says. “We sell is airtime and since we know Celtel is out to give the best to its customers, at Cellular Galore we do promote that,” Kavuma says.

The firm opened as a sales outlet in 2003 after taking over an ongoing business, but with over time it has grown to a major dealer in the central region distributing Celtel products as far as Mityana and Buwama. Kavuma says the growth of Celtel as a quality and reliable network with seamless communication solutions, no drop calls and increased coverage have helped boost its growth.

Sebuliba says the experience the company is enjoying in the market today is a result of the partnership that has taken the products to the people.

“The experience of our customer is because we have to make them feel the value we see in them. And this, we are doing with our dealers,” Sebuliba explains.

He points out that the intensification of the relations with its dealers has created a direct linkage with the customers as the dealers have been ever present in the communities.

Sebuliba says “Our dealers are part of our customer initiatives because in many cases, they are the ones reaching out to that customer at the farthest point and they understand them better.”

In northern Uganda, Richard Onyango is happy with his achievements in taking Celtel to the people. His Yello Mot Auto Parts holds the dealership for the northern region and things are flowing well for him.

“When we began (the dealership) many people were already on other networks, but we are making a presence everywhere and the results are impressive,” Onyango says.

Onyango says the Celtel promotions have had a big impact on the customers and boosted new subscriptions.

“Celtel is now in the remotest areas in northern Uganda and everyday we continue reaching out to people since it is a competitive market and the more we work to keep the brand up, the better stand our stand is in the market,” he says.

“Our dealers countrywide have been an integral part of all that we are doing to make life better and they are doing a great job. Much as we may not have total control over what they do in the field, we know they represent our interest for the customers,” Sebuliba says.

The network of local dealers sell top-up cards and SIM packs is also present in Jinja through the Keshwalla group, Sky Pharmaceuticals (Eastern region), Sena Distributors (Western Region), Enlighten Com (Fort portal) and PalMart in Arua as well as through Richi Richi Distributors in Masindi.

Celtel products are also available at Total fuel stations, Shell stations, Caltex, Kobil, Petro, Engen and selected Gapco stations as well as shops that sell mobile phones and groceries. Celtel also operates shops in Arua on Rhino Camp road, Mbarara (High Street) and Hoima on the main street.