Its Customer Service Week Again!

I am pretty sure that a good number of us would have received text messages, e-mails and maybe calls from our banks and certain businesses we patronize often with good database to appreciate us for our patronage and re-affirm their commitment to remain the best, all in celebration of the ongoing Customer Service Week.

The media has equally be engaged with lots of jingles and promo to create awareness on the freebies made available by firms to mark this unique celebration.

However, with the activities for the third day wrapping up gradually, let’s take a quick one down memory lane to see how this all started, the motive and establish if we are doing it right. 

The Customer service Week was instituted by the International Customer Service Association ICSA in the U.S.A and was first celebrated in 1984. By 1992, President George H. Bush signed a proclamation setting aside the first week of October to celebrate the National Customer Service Week with an annual theme defined by ICSA. 

The theme for this year's event is 'United By Service".

The essence of this annual occasion is to appreciate all front line staff, customer-facing and interacting executives for their hard work and the important role they play in sustaining every business as they determine to a large extent whether or not a customer would make a repeat purchase or leave never to return.

While many employers of labour are “band wagon celebrant” who have joined this annual event simply because other organizations are and have no idea or have lost of the essence. They therefore channel resources and efforts to appreciate only external customers leaving out the internal customers (staff) who determine the fate of their businesses.

As such, as we strategically visit those banks and stores where cakes, candies and branded items are provided solely for patronizing customers (on a lighter note), let us also make time out to share a smile and a word of appreciation with that security man, sales girl, teller, contact centre agent, waiter etc. to encourage them in the course of performing their duties.

One good turn deserves another you know. 

We would therefore like to hear from you to know how it has been at your end? Are you being appreciated as a staff? Has it been all about the customers alone or maybe it was not even celebrated at all due to many reasons best known to your employer.

Kindly share your view with us as many readers would like to learn from you.


Bimbo,