General News
Excellence Customer Care Key to Service Industry Growth -DHL
For many consumers, the satisfaction from purchasing a physical product often increases significantly from the moment they unpack and begin utilising the product (i.e. such as a new technological device).
However, when it comes to services that consumers utilise, the satisfaction delivered as a result of the service rarely increases to the same extent once the service experience has come to an end, according to Olayemi Olusona, head, Customer Service for DHL Express Nigeria.
Olusona, said that due to these lower satisfaction levels post a consumer’s experience, businesses within the service industry need to constantly look to truly exceed a customer’s expectations to peak satisfaction during the process of delivering a service, and this is often achieved through a seamless and positive customer experience.
The recently released Global Customer Service Survey by Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. highlights the importance of a positive customer experience.
It revealed that 64% of consumers would tell others when they had a positive customer service experience and that 45% of consumers tend to make purchase decisions based solely on customer service.
“The professionalism and attitude of a company’s employees, especially in the services industry, can have a massive influence on a customer’s experience and perception of service, and in turn, how a customer promotes the company to other potential customers. Customer service therefore plays a significant role in a business’s bottom line,” said Olusona.
She added that that the world of logistics is a key area where customer satisfaction levels need to be managed.
“When a customer is paying you to deliver something within a specific timeframe, the upside, at first glance, is limited. You can get it there on time, in one piece. But that’s what the customer expects. Even getting it there earlier might not be welcomed. For example, if the customer is not at home or their warehouse is not yet ready to take receipt of more stock. At the same time, the potential to disappoint is huge – delivering something late, not at all, or in worse condition than when it started the journey is almost guaranteed to create immense dissatisfaction.
“Add to this the numerous interactions a customer has with diverse interfaces in many service companies and another important dimension comes into play: human relationships. In most businesses – even in today’s digital, automated world – there are still numerous people who provide different aspects of service to the customer.
“From the account manager who makes the pitch, the booking agent who takes an order and the operational employee who delivers the service, right through to the billing department that issues the invoice and follows up on payment – every single person can impact customer service levels. It is for this reason that we at DHL see huge potential to help service companies deliver additional value beyond what a customer is paying for,” she said.
Olusona also listed three key areas which DHL believes are crucial to delivering service excellence to include;
“The voice of the customer: Ensuring that the voice of the customer resonates throughout the organisation is essential to great service.
“Initiatives, such as the Net Promoter Approach (NPA) management tool, which measures promoters and detractors among your customer base and proactively sources feedback from them, can have a huge impact in identifying areas for improvement and enabling the company to make the necessary changes to enhance their offering and continually offer better ways to deliver excellence to customers.
“An insanely customer-centric culture: An employee who simply smiles at a customer can have a huge impact on the customer’s perception of their experience.
“The only way to drive this perception in the service industry is through promoting a culture that is intensely customer centric, with the customer at the forefront of every activity. Service is not just the responsibility of the customer service department.
“However, the customer service function, given its expertise in this area, can play a key role in focusing the whole organisation on its customers.
“Transparent key performance indicators: While a service culture is largely an intangible thing, the “measurables” are still important.
“When these are set correctly, they help to focus teams on achieving a common objective, and managers to identify areas for continuous, incremental improvement.
“Performance indicators should also be built around service quality from the customer’s viewpoint, and they should be constantly visible to top management.
Olusona maintained that the service industry, despite its name, can be one of the most difficult in which to consistently deliver great customer service and to exceed customers’ expectations.
“However, through focusing relentlessly on the little details that drive quality, listening intently to what your customers are telling you, and making sure that every individual in your business understands the impact they can have on the customer experience, businesses can deliver value beyond the “transaction” level and ensure long-term success,” she added.
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the Federal Government’s alleged tax evasion case against Binance Holdings Ltd. cryptocurrency exchange, until September 24, 2026, to allow both parties more time to pursue an out-of-court settlement.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the new date on Thursday after Moses Ideho, counsel to the Federal Government, informed the court that discussions aimed at resolving the dispute amicably were still ongoing.
Ideho, a deputy director of Legal and Prosecution at the Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly the Federal Inland Revenue Service), told the court that the matter, which had been scheduled for a report on settlement or continuation of trial, could not proceed.
According to him, one reason for the delay was the reported elevation of Justice Nwite to the Court of Appeal, while the second was the continued reconciliation efforts between the parties.
“The parties are still exploring settlement in the charge that led to this case,” Ideho told the court.
Sunday Agaji, counsel to Binance, did not oppose the application for adjournment, following which Justice Nwite postponed proceedings until September 24 for either a report on the settlement discussions or continuation of trial.
The case was previously adjourned on May 12 after both the Federal Government and Binance informed the court that negotiations were underway to settle the matter outside the courtroom.
Binance had first indicated its willingness to pursue an amicable resolution on March 24.
The cryptocurrency company was re-arraigned on July 12, 2024, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged tax evasion.
Ayodele Omotilewa, Nigerian representative, pleaded not guilty on behalf of the company.
The re-arraignment followed the removal of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from the charge after the Federal Government amended the case to make Binance Holdings Ltd the sole defendant.
Justice Nwite had, on June 14, 2024, discharged and struck out the names of Gambaryan and Anjarwalla after the prosecution filed the amended charge.
Binance is also facing a separate criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses the company of laundering about $35.4m.
In addition, the Nigeria Revenue Service is pursuing a separate civil suit against Binance before another judge of the Federal High Court, seeking approximately $79.5bn in alleged economic losses linked to the company’s operations in Nigeria.
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