The customer service culture prevalent in Nigeria is indeed very appalling. From the public to the private sector one only needs to see how apparent the disdain is for the very customers each sector is supposed to serve. The attitude to customer satisfaction is totally non-existent and provision of services to customers is conducted in such a way as to think a favour is being bestowed upon the customer.
A recent experience that further drove home the dearth of a customer focused approach to service occurred on my way to Lagos from Abuja. Due to non-availability of an early flight by Arik Air, my wife and I decided to purchase a flight ticket from the counter of Aero Contractors at the Transcorp Hilton hotel for 3:45pm. We rushed through our appointments in Abuja so as to arrive on time at the airport for check in. From the time of check in, the level of service was poor and the Aero Contractor attendants were so unhelpful in making our flight experience seamless.
After getting through the un-pleasant task of check in due to the unwelcoming attitude of the airline staff, we proceeded to go through security at the airport and one could only notice how pervasive the culture of ineptitude and disservice was. The security agents did not make any attempt to be courteous and they seem forced to carry out their duties. Even with this attitude they openly requested for money for lunch and this only added to my amazement at how brazen they were.
As the time for boarding drew near, there was no announcement for commencement and neither was any update given as regards boarding arrangements. At exactly 3:45pm, I decided to go down to the front desk of Aero Contractors and asked them if there was a delay in their flight to Lagos. My attempt at being updated was greeted by a non- response from the attendant at the front desk, it was annoying and frustrating.
When the lady attending deemed it fit to grace my inquiry with voice, she notified of a five-hour delay and I was shocked at nonchalant tone of her response. No apology was offered at the apparent discomfort the action of the airline she was representing might have caused neither was she remorseful that I had to source for information on their lack of effectiveness by myself. She did not seem to care that having a job with the airline was due to the continuous patronage of passengers.
Leaving her desk to intimate my wife of the latest development, I was engrossed in thoughts and this only made me more livid with anger as I reprocessed the hand I had been dealt by the incompetence of Aero Contractors. Not only had they succeeded in foiling my plans of getting to Lagos on time, they had made a further embarrassment of the service industry in Nigeria. How can any society move forward when services paid for cannot be rendered with the utmost sense of responsibility? How can any organisation worth its salt not care about the satisfaction of its customers? Why should any organisation that fails grossly at its core purpose of existence continue to exist?
As these thoughts rummaged through my mind, I concluded that until governments and organisations become ultimately responsible for services rendered, this culture of disservice will only grow in bounds. If the Aero contractor staff knew that her actions could jeopardise the existence of the company she is representing, maybe then she would have made more effort at providing regular flight updates to customers. Only when accountability becomes the norm in both the government and public sector we will begin to see the sort of services Nigerians deserve. I am writing this piece because I hope it will serve a purpose of feedback to Aero Contractors.
Olurode is an engineer working in the United States with Samsung Austin Semiconductor