Every first full week of October is special. That happens to be next week from 4th. For the last three decades, businesses worldwide have set the period aside to rejuvenate their customer service.
This year’s global theme is The Power of Service. It aims to celebrate frontline staff that have gone out of their way to serve their customers despite the pandemic.
In Kenya, the local theme is Customer Inclusion. The theme, I believe, urges businesses to involve different customers in co-creating the best experience and treat them as partners. There are numerous ways to participate in #CSWeek; I wish to share a few. Launches are exciting! They bring newness to the CS week every year. Monday morning is a great time to hold your launch event. Consider holding it internally. Have chief executive officers give the keynote address as chief experience officer.
It is not necessary to cut a big cake; cupcakes are a better option in this season. During the launch, which can also happen virtually, let your team know that their role is important.
Who does not like a little fun at the workplace? I urge businesses to plan fun events with their teams throughout the week. Fun is what your staff define it to be. However. I believe that sharing a meal, celebrating each other, going bowling or hiking, playing board games, having a quiz night are all fun activities that you could incorporate in your #CSWeek2021. These events can be physical or virtual. Make every activity exciting!
There is no end to building our skills. CS week is an opportunity to build them. We can learn from each other internally by spending time with colleagues. We can also invite guest speakers to share some insights. Personally, I am excited about learning during CS week. This is because on October 4th together with other members of the customer experience community in Kenya, we will be starting a journey to certification.
The initiative through the CX University will see the first cohort of 10 Kenyans start a 90-day roadmap to becoming certified customer experience professionals. We must keep getting better!
An text message is not adequate! Many Kenyans complain about too many Happy CS week messages. Customers are happy because of positive experiences. This year’s CS week is an opportunity to appreciate our customers in different ways.
Consider inviting a few to the CS week launch or as guest speakers at your staff events. Better still, hold special customer appreciation events where the longest-serving or largest customers are recognised. Courtesy calls to a number of your clients are a much better option than an effortless bulk SMS.
I asked Purity Mithika business development manager at ICX Kenya what else businesses can do. She says they can re-imagine feedback collection. As opposed to asking your customers to rate their experience, invite them to co-create experiences they would love. For internal clients, she proposes that businesses consider activities that include different demographics. For example, if the majority of employees are millennials, consider something special for Gen X and Gen Z to make them feel included.
There are many ways a business can mark CS Week. I encourage all businesses to participate this year. The starting point is to invite your team to generate creative ideas to make CS Week 2021 memorable. See you next week!
