“Customer service isn’t a department, it’s a philosophy!” Cliché. Right? Not so for DTB. As a matter of fact, we live, eat and breathe this remarkable standpoint. Shep Hyken’s words are vibrantly alive and breathing in our organization. In the words of Betsy Sanders, Service is not what we do, but who we are. It is a way of living that we bring to everything we do…
The Customer Service Week: 2016 Edition
We celebrate our customers all year round. Nevertheless, the annual Customer Service Week gave us an opportunity to collectively celebrate and appreciate our customers in pomp and color. No border could confine our spirit of customer celebration as we joined hands with our brothers and sisters in Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi in extending our heartfelt appreciation to our customers. Pomp and color too, knew neither geographical nor cultural boundaries, as members of staff across the board departed from their everyday formal garb, to don stylish themed regalia throughout the week.
Our customers were not only colorfully surprised, but pleasantly surprised as they walked into a royal reception at our branches. This was not just a façade involving rolled out red carpets, but a grandiose welcome; or as articulated by ICS, “A red carpet that made customers feel presidential”.
It was time to show our customers just how much we value them…
Imagine, walking into the bank and having the CEO serve you… Or better still; picture walking into the bank and bumping into the CEO, who then reminds you that it’s your birthday (assuming you are the kind that pays little or no attention to the hands of time) with a cake and a gift at hand, a song and a blessing on the tongue…
Well, this was reality for a good number of DTB customers across the board as they got to meet and interact with DTB CEOs in their respective countries. An initiative dubbed “CEO on duty”. The initiative was steered from the top by none other than the Group CEO – Mrs Nasim Devji, or as we like to call her, “Madam CEO on Duty”. The CEOs on duty’s tasks for the week did not just stop there. They also went ahead to interact with members of staff at all levels, to give them words of encouragement and appreciation.
That is how DTB won the prestigious ICS award for “Leadership Engagement”.
Leadership by example.
“Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.” — Chris Hadfield
Baffled, excited, appreciated, honored and valued are all words that befittingly capture our customers’ sentiments and reactions throughout the Customer Service Week. The fact that our customers felt honored and valued by our show of gratitude during the Customer Service Week gave us the impetus to further nurture our relationship with each one of our customers and strive to give nothing but the best of DTB. The Customer Service Week was an eye-opener for both the junior and senior management at DTB, with one the illumination of one theme in particular…
“Going the extra mile for the customer.”
This was our key Customer Service Week takeaway.
Our customers are our most valuable resource and it is our onus to make each and every one of them feel like a VIP; from the minute they walk into our premises, until the moment they leave.
We are embracing and inculcating into our culture the words of a wise man who once said, “The customer is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing the customer a favor by serving him; he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so. A Customer is not an outsider to our business; he is part of it.”
In a service industry, it is our level of service that will determine how far our business will go. It is our attitude towards our customers that will decide what direction our business will take. It is our commitment to service excellence that will differentiate us and give us an edge over our competitors. It is our customers who will ultimately decide our fate. For this reason, we have committed to not just offer the best level of service to our customers, but a world class level of service. A level of service that will see DTB go an extra mile to ensure the customer is not just satisfied, but jubilant to be associated with DTB.
And to all our customers, it is an honor to serve you.
Post by Azra Thobani, Head of Service Excellence – @DTBAFrica
