ALMOST every Telecom consumer has one or more negative tales to recount.
Only two Thursdays ago at the Etisalat new office at 31 Marina Road, Lagos, one of my colleagues with a newspaper was lamenting about what he was passing through in the hands of Airtel. He said that for over three months now, though he can receive calls, he has not been able to make calls on his Airtel line.
If he tries to call others, he will not get through or even decipher what they are saying, but still money will be deducted from his Airtel account. Explaining, he said though he has complained to Airtel officials, rather than solve his problem, they are sending him to various Airtel offices.
This is not limited to Airtel alone. Subscribers to GLO, MTN, Etisalat all have one or two agony stories to tell. All of us subscribers are all victims of unsolicited calls and messages from the telephone companies and third parties.
Most Nigerian Telecom subscribers are under intense pressure. Some have gone as far as lodging complaints at the National Communication Commission (NCC), the federal government agency that has the sole mandate of regulating the services of the Telecom providers and also of protecting subscribers’ interests.
We all believe that the NCC is not doing enough or wielding the big stick over the providers. All these, plus much more, is why I was mildly excited at the Etisalat Flagship Experience Centre office, listening to the managers on how the centre was opened with the sole aim of resolving customers’ complaints in a speedy way in a very relaxed environment.
Taking me and my fellow colleagues on a media tour, Mr. Anthony Iloh, Head of Retail Operations and Strategy, Etisalat, said that the ultra modern centre is fully equipped with special services tailored to meet subscribers’ requirements and cater for any challenge their consumers may be faced with.
“We have over 15 staff ready to attend to customers but also specially trained professionals called ‘Geeks’ on hand to resolve consumers’ queries.”
Going round the experience centre, which is the only one the Telecom provider has in the country, Mr. Iloh pointed out the VIP lounge furnished with books and chairs and a massage chair for customers who wish to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Island.
The centre boasts a free meeting room for loyal customers, an interactive display stand that allows customers a test of what they want to buy and games that can engage one while his complaints are resolved.
Speaking further, the company’s Retail Head enthused that the centre also provides free limitless WI-FI for customers, adding that plans are in top gear for coffee and snacks bar.
Further listing the strong strengths of the centre, the store manager, Mr. Oluwaseun Ayebiwo, took us round the spacious centre, including the Nokia and Samsung sections manned by professionals where wide assortment of Nokia and Samsung devices are displayed.
At the customer interactive point, which is quite easy to use, customers can get any information about Etisalat and can even recharge phones while browsing through other services the company has to offer.
In a separate chat with the store manager, he said that the GEM card which is the loyalty card qualifies a customer to all the free services including a bottle of drink when purchases are made “though any customer is free to walk in and have his/her complaints resolved.”
How do you create and retain loyal customers as competition for them is fierce? “By building relationships and ensuring issues are resolved. I believe that the way I interact with you will determine if you will come back again. We see customer service as an opportunity to launch our product.”
The centre being very close to a major bus stop, ‘CMS’ bus stop, ensures that there is steady number of people coming into the centre.
Mr. Ganiyu Salami, an optician, walked in quite agitated. Thirty minutes later, I just about saw him making his way out. Accosting him, I introduced myself and asked what brought him to the centre. “I borrowed N500 from Etisalat last night and to my surprise in the morning I noticed am left with only N25 and I did not stay long with my system.”
Smiling, he said that the staff in the centre had resolved the problem to his satisfaction.
On how long he has been subscribing to Etisalat services, “I have been using it since they started, though they are charging me high on internet, the service is fast and reliable.”
“They are spot on,” that’s how Engineer David Oni described Etisalat’s services, adding that “on a scale of 10, I will give them 9.”Regarding the centre, he said, “This place is amazing. People can come here and refresh and catch up on the news. Maybe there should be coffee and snacks bar to make it look more attractive.”