Mobile providers dial into customer pleasure

If customer delight means a healthy bottom line, then Cell C, insurance company Outsurance and cellular giants MTN and Vodacom should be laughing all the way to the bank after emerging top of South Africa's fourth National Customer Service Delight Index.

Cell C was named as the company which most consistently delights its clients, however, companies like Nedbank, Telkom and Ster Kinekor will need to do more to get their customers beaming, the Index found.

The Index differs from the usual customer satisfaction matrices in that it measures customer retention and loyalty. These directly affect the bottom line of companies operating in a service-driven environment.

Ask Afrika managing director Andrea Rademeyer says that overall, the state of service in South Africa is not a pretty sight. "There are pockets of excellence, but people are slow to measure themselves," says Rademeyer.

The Index canvassed nearly 6000 respondents, and involved 24 leading South African companies across nine industries, including entertainment, banking, life, telecommunications, food and beverage and assurance. It evaluated service delivery in various industries, and provides research recommendations that can help companies achieve extraordinary customer service levels.

The success of the three cellular providers was largely instrumental in Telecommunications being named as best overall service industry in South Africa, ahead of Banking and Life Assurance. The top two call centres belong to Cell C and Nandos, 10% clear of the next best companies.

"Service has improved over the last four years, but the fact is that pleasant surprises delight customers. Every customer contact should be treated as an opportunity to create a rewarding relationship. Companies should get inside the mind of the customer to anticipate their needs before they even know what they want," said Rademeyer.

The survey found that simply focusing on satisfaction in an increasingly competitive environment won't yield success. Companies will have to understand and focus on delight to ensure that service impacts positively on the corporate reputation and image to ensure customer loyalty.

"A delighted customer is likely to buy from you again and again, buy additional items from you, give you a larger proportion of their spend, be easier to deal with, spread your good reputation and be less concerned about price," said Rademeyer.