VALUE FOR MONEY

I can't forget an episode about a year ago when i was working for a local bank in Wajir town in North Eastern Kenya. A high net worth customer who was employed in one of the local NGOs was doing a transaction at the bank branch. Since he was earning a substantial salary, i tried to ' fish' him from his bank (mind you which has branches only in Nairobi, Nakuru, Thika,Kisumu and Mombasa) in order to open an account in our bank. The customer as usual played 'hard to get'. But it was only after my next question when i realised how hard it would be to indeed capture him. I told him that if he opened an account in our Wajir branch, he would not only enjoy quick salary processing but also have quick access to loan facilities without travelling 'long' distances. His answer still remains a bomb shell to date. He vehemently stated. . ' if i want a loan, i can still just call my branch or even just go there for it to be processed. Its no big deal!'. When i thought that i was saving the customer the hustle of such inconveniences, he was adamant; my bank shall serve me irrespective of the distance. Now, what would make such a person have such a resolve? Is it just prestige? Or is it just to prove a point? Well i learnt that the customer bore all this loyalty to his bank not because we were any worse off. Actually, we were even prepared to go the extra mile. He however loved his bank since they gave him value for his money and excellent customer service. Thats why he would rather bank over 700kms away from his work station. . .and still get value for his money. There are many reasons why some businesses fail in kenya but one of the most common reason is. . Customers do not realise value for their shillings and cents. You walk into a shop to buy daily groceries and you are met by a blunt and serious stare. . not even a greeting; you enter a public transport vehicle expecting to pay the fare indicated on the board only to be told to add ksh 50 on top; you walk to an office ready to offer your services or even inquire on a service to be offered only to meet an office assistant enjoying a day long conversation and laughing aloud while disregarding you totally; you walk to an exhibition shop to buy a pair of shoes only to meet shop assistants who are chatting and laughing and only respond shruggingly to your call for attention; you enter your bank only to find a repulsive snake long queue with no bank official on site to explain the long delays; you drive to the petrol station only to find the attendants interrupting their gossiping by asking you "WHAT DO YOU WANT? "; you walk to the electronic shop to report a malfunction of an electronic gadget while holding a valid warranty only to be told that. . ". .THE WARRANTY WAS NOT FOR SUCH EVENTALITIES. . ". Somewhat, there is a possibility that an average Kenyan consumer will return home at the end of the day even more frustrated than satisfied, more angry than happy, more resentful than appreciative of the customer service offered in different retail outlets. Small wonder that the few business people who manage to put a genuine smile on the faces of their customers RETAIN them. It doesn't matter whether they are 700kms away or not.