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Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“The more advocates you have, the fewer ads you have to buy.” – Dharmesh Shah
THE recent announcement of the new Cabinet in Zimbabwe has inspired discussions about its potential impact on various sectors.
One area that is often overlooked but is of significant importance is customer service.
It is important to note that Government policies can have a significant impact on customer service.
For example, in America, there was a recent Executive Order that mandated federal agencies to prioritise customer experience.
It also asked agencies to consider the public as customers and called on high-impact government service providers to improve equitable delivery across their agencies.
This shift towards treating people as “customers” raises the bar for what many citizens across the globe want from their governments when accessing benefits and services.
After all, the aim should be to improve people’s lives and the delivery of government services.
I will explore how these changes might influence the customer service landscape.
Role of the Cabinet
The Cabinet plays a crucial role in shaping policies and a country’s direction.
It consists of individuals who are responsible for various sectors, such as finance, health, education, and more.
Their decisions can significantly impact the business environment, including customer service.
Importance of customer service
Customer service is the direct connection between customers and a business. It plays a pivotal role in retaining customers and extracting more value from them.
By providing top-notch customer service, business can recoup customer acquisition costs and even boost their brand’s reputation.
Research has proved that an improved customer experience has a measurable impact on customer’s willingness to increase the overall services purchased from an organisation.
Potential impact of the new Cabinet
The new Cabinet’s policies can indirectly influence customer service in several ways:
- Regulatory changes
The Cabinet could introduce new regulations that affect how businesses interact with customers. For instance, stricter data protection laws could necessitate changes in how businesses handle customer information. Also, changes in tariffs and trade policy can affect the cost of goods and services, which can indirectly impact customer service by affecting pricing strategies and customer satisfaction. Sometimes regulatory changes can focus on fairness and inclusion. This could mean businesses are required to ensure their customer service practices do not discriminate and are accessible to all customers.
- Economic policies
The economic policies set by Cabinet can impact the business environment.
For example, policies that stimulate growth could lead to increased consumer spending, thereby affecting customer service demands. A businesses’ bottom line can also be affected by changes in tax or labour laws, which could, in turn, affect its ability to invest in customer service. Some economic policies, such as those that stimulate economic growth, similarly affect consumer behaviour.
These policies lead to increased consumer spending and influence customer service demands
- Infrastructure development
Decisions related to infrastructure development can also affect customer service. Improved internet connectivity, for example, could enable businesses to offer better online service.
- Education and training
The Cabinet’s stance on education and training could influence the quality of customer service. If emphasis is placed on skills development, businesses might have access to a workforce with better customer service skills.
While the Cabinet decisions might not directly target customer service, their policies can have far-reaching implications on this crucial business aspect.
As such, businesses should keep a close eye on these changes and adapt their customer service strategies accordingly.
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer experience. For comments, suggestions and trainings, she can be reached at [email protected] or on +263 712 979 461, 0719 978 335
Online Reporter