raining and consulting firm Sycamore Consult says businesses must embrace continuous learning in customer relations or risk falling behind.
Its managing director Audrey Mwala said this in Mponela, Dowa, during a two-day Customer Service Training aimed at enhancing service excellence across sectors.
She said that customer relations continued evolution means that reliance on what the employees learned in college is not enough.
“That is the reason we work with various institutions to ensure they are in line with the transformations in the customer relations,” she said.
Mwala said, for instance, she said customer service stretches beyond the front office which is widely seen as the face of an institution.
“What we are training institutions is that customer care is beyond the front office or desk.
“Other departments also need to learn the customer relations skills. If they do not, then they risk denting the image of an institution because services are not offered at the front office only.
“What we are saying is there are some departments that offer key services where customers end up. A bad experience means they will source the services elsewhere,” she said.
The training equipped participants, drawn from various institutions, with practical skills in customer experience communication and service delivery to strengthen client relationships and improve performance.
One of the participants Thokozani Luwe, from the Institute of People Management Malawi, said the training has shaperned her understanding of customer relations.
“My understanding of customer relations is now deeper. In fact I have learned that customer services are supposed to form part and parcel of every sector of an institution,” she said.
