Nigeria's telecommunications sector last August, celebrated a decade of its revolution. It moved from a meager of 400,000 lines to over 90 million. This growth, in no doubt has been fueled by innovations from players in the industry, which in one way or the other has affected consumers' lives. As the year 2012 moves on, telecoms consumers want to be recognised as kings. ADEYEMI ADEPETUN in this report writes on the need for deeper consumerism in 2012. Excerpts:VARIOUS studies have shown that customer satisfaction plays a key role in the health and future success of any organisation. In fact, in Commerce, the customer is referred to as 'King'. This is not limited to the service industry alone; it cuts across other sectors of the economy.As such, when customers are satisfied, they keep coming back to the same store, service and even invite their friends to do the same and partake in the largesse.A new study from the University of Missouri found out that Chief Executives Officers or companies who/which pay attention to both customer satisfaction and 'repurchase intentions,' or the number of customers that intend to purchase products from the store, tends to have more competitive advantages than others.In Nigeria, the telecommunications industry, though had landmark achievements in 2011, but the successes were greeted by various unresolved customers' complaints that followed both service delivery and customer satisfaction.Investigations conducted by The Guardian among telecoms service consumers both for telephony and Internet services revealed that subscribers are in dire need for improved services, they want faster responses to their enquiries, more innovative solutions among others in 2012.For a subscriber, Oluwaseun Adekoya, a graduate of Accounting, Lagos State University, one of her greatest desire in 2012, aside clamouring for better quality of service from the telecommunications firms, the need for a faster customer response to enquiries are critical.Adekoya, who virtually is a customer to all the four major networks, stressed that, the era of putting customer on hold for hours on Customer Care lines, when trying to either lay complaints or seek information should be over by now. 'We are in a digital revolution, where things are done at the speed of light. I believe that any serious operator who indulge in keeping customers for hours need to be sanctioned by the regulator. There should be no room for nonsense in 2012.'Recently, The Guardian had reported that even after the supposed completion of the N6.1 billion Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) registration exercise, SMS fraud, and poor telecommunications services persist. Worst was the issue of responses from Customer Care lines of some of the service providers, including MTN; Globacom; Etisalat; Airtel and the CDMAs' as customers would either be cut off after a short pre-recorded voicemail or treated to a repeated barrage of the networks' audio advertisements and promotional jingles.The fact remains that, while there has been astronomical growth in active subscribers' base on all the networks, operators are yet to match the growth in subscribers with adequate and timely response to customers' complaints.According to some stakeholders in the sector, the reason for the lull in this area of customer service is that there is still a wide margin between the ratio of total subscribers in the country and the facilities put in place by the operators to solve speedily, customer complaints.Speaking in an interview with journalists recently, a telecommunications expert, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said it was worrisome that operators are only interested in growing their subscribers base without paying adequate attention to efforts at ensuring satisfactory customer care experience.He said: 'If there is any major excruciating experience being faced by telecoms subscribers in this country today, aside the so obvious intermittent challenge of quality of service obtained on the networks of operators, it is the poor customer care response that is becoming a thorn on the flesh of our service providers.'According to him, whether a subscriber wants to make a request about new service offerings available or to resolve a service challenge, 'it is often the case that you either find it difficult to access the dedicated customer line of the concerned operator or where the line goes through, you are made to wait for minutes or hours before a customer service representative attends to you. Atimes, you could be asked to visit their websites, which means you spend extra money to browse before your problem could be resolved.'Ogunbanjo urged the Nigerian Communications Commission to be up and doing in this area, stressing that the commission must bark and bite in 2012.Another telecoms expert, who doesn't want his name to be mentioned posited that operators were aware that without subscribers, there would not be operators, but stressed that, definitely operators are working and would continue to work to ensure all these challenges are resolved, 'but there are challenges, which are limiting operators. The absence of basic infrastructure, most especially, power, which should have been the major focus of the government.'But to further empower consumers of telecommunications services in the country, the NCC has set up machinery to review the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations of 2007.This move, according to NCC, was aimed at curtailing sharp practices identified with some telecommunications service providers in the country.To achieve this, the commission in December 2011, established an Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), in collaboration with other industry stakeholders such as the Consumer Protection Council, the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association of Nigeria, telecoms advocacy bodies, as well as, other key consumer advocacy representatives in the country.Speaking at the ICAF forum in Lagos, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said the forum would act in advisory capacity and make recommendations to the telecommunications regulator regarding the interest and concerns of consumers of Information and Communications Technology products and services including persons with disabilities and the elderly.Besides, Juwah explained that this move by the NCC came from investigation conducted with the discovery of some sharp practices in the industry, which negates the tenets operators pledged to abide by, 'consumer constitutes a major stakeholder in telecoms industry and as such, enjoys a primary focus at the commission.'He added that it is a core responsibility of the commission to see that the industry at all times satisfies the various needs of consumers where possible.As such Juwah said whether in establishing call centres, providing computers and internet facilities in schools, ensuring the operators deal promptly with consumer queries and requirements, holding consumer Town Hall meetings, developing an NCC consumer contact centre, conducting SIM card registration exercise across the country, facilitating number portability, supporting the various consumer advocacy groups are all efforts geared towards ensuring that consumers are better served.'Consequently, the ICAF initiative is therefore very much in keeping with the focus of NCC, which remains that as the regulator, we must ensure that the interest of the consumer is at all times protected,' he added.Chairman of ICAF and Director General of Consumer Protection Council, Mrs. Ify Umenyi noted that the creation of ICAF by the NCC is recognition of consumers as a major stakeholder in the telecoms industry.Umenyi noted that the composition of ICAF comprising consumers, operators, the academia, non-governmental organisation and all other members of society, is a reflection of the seriousness that NCC laces on consumer issues.According to her, in as much as ICAF is representative of the Nigerian society, it has been though wise to make the fourth quarter meeting of ICAF an open forum with a view to harnessing firsthand the views of all those affected in one way of the other by problems in the sector.This, she said, would avail ICAF members with all shades of opinions in carrying out the Herculean task of advising the NCC and preferring appropriate suggestions to some nagging problems in the telecoms sector.She also pointed out that government in recent time has placed high premium on effectively customer delivery in all sectors of the economy.Speaking, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Company of Nigeria, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu said while the telecoms service providers have continuously invested in network to provide better quality service for the consumers, the operating environment has been making the quality a little bit difficult for them.Listing expectations from the industry players to drive customer centric situation, the ATCON president said there was need for continuous research and market study deliberate attention to customers' inadequacies, deliberate attention to people with disability, and discriminatory tariff, not occasioned by promos but by requirements of consumers.Speaking recently at a capacity training in Lagos, MTN Nigeria's Customer Experience Manager, Pamela Emordi said customer centric service revolves round the people and technology.According to her, every customer's wants from their service operator include efficiency; security; accessibility; partnership; simplicity; reliability and dependability.She informed that the telecommunications company is working assiduously towards ensuring that every customer on the network is treated as a king.'As an organisation, the essence of our strategy is the customer. Customer Care (service plus experience) is the key in winning the battle for the soul of customer.
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