By Chinenye Anuforo
The West African Association of Customer Service Professionals (WAACSP) has released its 2024 “State of Customer Service in Nigeria” report, highlighting the challenges and areas for improvement within the telecommunications, e-commerce and sectors. While there’s been some progress, both sectors indicate a need for significant enhancements in customer service experiences.
The report, presented to the press and industry stakeholders on Monday in Lagos, was based on surveys conducted in 2024 encompassing various sectors, with a strong focus on telecommunications and e-commerce, among others. Over 16,215 responses were analyzed.
“While we see some improvement, the overall picture is that customer service in Nigeria still has a long way to go,” stated Mr. Olatunji Adeleye, a fellow WAACSP, during the presentation.
“We hope that this report will serve as a wake-up call for organizations to prioritize customer-centricity and drive meaningful change”, he stated.
The report detailed that the telecommunications sector improved slightly to 63%, with MTN leading in the GSM space and FiberOne leading among ISPs. However, this still indicates room for substantial improvement. E-commerce, on the other hand, experienced a decline, landing at 60%, with Jumia at the top. This 8% drop in e-commerce likely stems from issues like slow processing and lack of transparency, directly impacting customer satisfaction.
“Nigeria’s customer service scored 67%, placing it in the poor category (60-69%) according to WAACSP’s grading system,” the report detailed. Specifically, e-commerce within that overall 67% average fell to 60%.
Across both sectors, trust emerged as the most important factor for customers, highlighting the need for organizations to prioritize transparency and communication. The report emphasized the importance of digital channels in meeting evolving customer expectations. Organizations need to invest in self-service options, proactive customer service, and AI-powered solutions to enhance efficiency.
WAACSP emphasized that the findings should be interpreted with caution and that further research is needed.
Addressing concerns and defending the methodology at the press briefing, Sola Salako Ajulo, Patron/Fellow, WAACSP, emphasized the report’s independence and its reliance on customer feedback.
“This is the opinion of people. If you want to fight with anybody, fight with the people. If you want a better representation, treat your customers well,” she said.
She highlighted the association’s long-standing experience in conducting similar surveys in other West African countries, ensuring a level of professionalism and credibility. “We are not trying to impress anybody. We want to grow customer service in Nigeria. And we feel that giving this feedback to the practitioners would help them to understand that they need to improve,” she said.
She urged organizations in the telecommunications and e-commerce sectors to embrace transparency and prioritize customer-centricity, emphasizing the importance of measuring customer satisfaction and using the report as a benchmark for improvement.
On his part, Adeleye, pointed out that, “What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get improved. We want a report that can show us where we are as a nation in terms of customer service.” He encouraged customers in these sectors to share their experiences, contributing to informed decision-making and driving industry improvement.
Ajulo further reiterated WAACSP’s commitment to driving customer service excellence in Nigeria and the West African region, with a specific focus on the telecommunications and e-commerce sectors. They emphasized the importance of continuous improvement and the need for organizations to adapt to evolving customer expectations. “We believe in transparent and proactive communication. Our approach is to keep customers informed at every step which is essential in building trust and ensuring and enhancing satisfaction,” she said.
She called on organizations in these sectors to utilize the report’s findings to enhance their service delivery and contribute to a better customer experience for all Nigerians.