Why do you buy vegetables or meat from the same vendor over and over again, to the extent that you have their telephone contacts? What happens when the vendor for some reason has closed their kibanda or shop? In such a case, there is a likelihood that the family menu of the day will change to accommodate their absence.
These people have found a way to make themselves indispensable in our lives. It could be the occasional cleaning lady, the newspaper vendor, the street vendor, the watchman who cleans your car better than the professional car wash etc. we can almost not imagine that service being provided by anyone else.
The big question is, how did we get here??
The most sincere and simple answer is the experience we get when doing business with them. These vendors have mastered the art of customer experience.
When you get to the shop, they refer to you by name and enquire after your day. They even know whether you like be referred to by your maiden name or family name and know your children’s names. They know your preferences, how you like your vegetables chopped up, the meat vendor knows the meat cuts you prefer, when you eat red or white meat, the gas vendor will deliver gas and set it for you. They offer more than you pay for and that is what keeps you coming back.
In your neighborhood, you can easily tell which vendor offers better customer experience by how well their business is doing. Such business flourish even in seasons of economic hardships.
Organizations that intend to remain competitive should borrow heavily from the customer experience that vendors offer their customers. It’s the attention to detail of each individual client’s needs, investment in knowing more about the customers without being intrusive and appreciating the customers even when they are not spending too much on your products.
When you proactively invest in enhancing your customers’ experience, then you will gain a competitive edge over your competitors who may not have mastered that art.
The future and success of organizations is heavily dependent on how well they not only meet the needs of their customers, but also how well they treat them as they deliver the services.
Source: ICX Kenya
