At the current rate, customer service in South Africa may soon have to be termed customer disservice. As an INFJ who is always keenly aware of the feelings of others, I think our front office staff deserve some time off. What else could explain the dismal service I have received this past quarter. In four months, I’ve had shockingly bad service from representatives from one of our major banks, a real estate company, popular cellular service provider and one of our country’s major retailers.
Kindly note that government departments were not on the list and that all of these companies are privately owned. The pandemic’s effect is still keenly felt by many businesses, but some of these companies appear wholly uninterested in winning our business. While many of the blue-chip names have lived up to their reputation, COVID-19 and lockdown has revealed the flaws in antiquated business practices. Dear C-Suite, your employees on the frontline, those your customers encounter first, could do with a day off.
Global trials on several continents have already proven that time off allows for a more refreshed and motivated workforce. For someone helping out in the family business since high school (more than 20 years ago), I have strong feelings about customer service excellence. Over the years, I have also encountered several colleagues who delivered above and beyond what was expected. These days, either employees are no longer interested in earning a salary or they’re just really stressed out.
People have feelings and these feelings tend to follow them to work. The responsibility is on the owners and managers to take better care of their staff or suffer the consequences. Excellent customer service should not be an added benefit, but a key feature. Gift your employees with an extra day off and who knows, they may stick around long enough to live up to those core values on display in your social media campaigns.
4 Day Week SA, INFJ, dear INFJ, 4 Day Workweek, 4 Day Week, Future Of Work, Entrepreneurship, Lead With Empathy, South Africa’s Digital Revolution, Work Time Reduction, Reduced Workweek Revolution, Wellbeing In The Workplace, Proudly South African
David-John Wayne Bailey is an INFJ from Cape Town, a proud pioneer pilot participant of 4 Day Week SA and an advocate of a four-day week for everyone working in South Africa.