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Dar companies told `client charter` strategies outdated
2007-11-29 09:48:58
By David Mambo
A marketing expert has rebuked a trendy malpractice by Tanzania`s companies typified by their massive spending on marketing, instead of customers` retention.
The trend is pervasive at corporate levels and was brought to the fore recently by the president of the US-based Service Quality Institute, John Tschohl, whose research had come to conclude that poor handling of customers could be one of the worst mistakes businesses are committing in Tanzania.
The expert was addressing a seminar that attracted more than 100 domestic companies from different sectors including mining, hotel, aviation, banking, tourism, health, education, industry, communication and construction.
Client charter marketing strategies which heavily borrow from promotion campaigns are rarely engaged in activities that will retain customers.
``According to my research, most companies in Tanzania spend a lot of money in marketing than keeping customers, a business with no customer is dead , what matters is the transactions between both partners`` , he stressed.
He counselled companies to always have budgets that focus on training and empowering their employees on safe ways for handling customers.
``Empowering is giving employees the authority to do whatever it takes on the spot, to take care of the customer to that customer’s satisfaction and not to the company`s satisfaction`` added Tschohl.
His study suggests that local companies should learn how to handle the local market if they are seriously nurturing dreams of selling their commodities beyond boarders.
“Tanzania is one of the countries where even locally made commodities are imported, at the same time the country exports materials that produce similar commodities” he added.
In his view, Tanzania has lots of business opportunities since the country`s economy was currently growing steadily, but urged the government to untie some of the policies that hinder domestic investors from achieving their goals.
For instance, he said, it comes as bad image to see a sensitive sector like that of hotel being largely colonized by foreign investors.
He also named lack of ``speed`` as another barrier that is hindering local entrepreneurs from prospering in terms of trade competition.
Giving an example, Tschohl was apparently amazed to see most Tanzanian banks opening at 8:30 am and closing at 15:00 hrs.
``In America banks open at 7:30am and close at 21:00 hrs, thus creating room that gives them much time to interact with their customers, people should be serious with time``, he said.
It was now up to organisations, companies and individuals to abolish policies that are seemingly barriers to speed as a way of empowering their staff.
The country Managing Director of Service Quality Institute Limited Rosemary Harry said that local entrepreneurs have to rise up to the challenge of competing on the global scale.
``It is our observation that competition is tough since most of the country’s investors are foreigners that are coming from countries where competitions started long time ago``, she noted.
John Tschohl works as customer service strategist who has been instructing and motivating employees, managers, supervisors and company CEO`s for 35 years across the world.
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