One Show Interviews CEOs

VIASAT 1’s flagship primetime programme The One Show, yesterday hosted an impressive line-up of Ghanaian professionals who spent their various interview sessions talking about the customer service attitude at most working places in the country as well as support for the needy and less-privileged.

In a creative twist that saw the show veer off from the usual glitz and glamour, show hosts Jocelyn and PY Addo Boateng and their guests once again proved that television can be more useful than what it currently offers to viewers.

A Customer Service professional and Chief Executive Officer of Service Care Solutions Yvonne McCarthy tasked Ghanaian businesses to place more emphasis on improving their customer relations as that was the only way they can get quality feedback for the growth of their business.

Yvonne said customer care service in most Ghanaian companies is very poor, adding that there would be the need for a change.

“When you offer good customer care services, it makes you confident and also positions you as a good communicator who knows what your customer(s) want. Companies must have customer service training for their employees. There is a need to treat customers equally no matter the size or age. As an employee, try to always put a smile on your face and never be rude to customers since customers are always right,” Yvonne said.

Internet business expert Mr. Joe Ankah who gave an elaborate presentation on how useful the internet is in today’s working environment said quality customer service has become a global working tool which Ghanaian businesses are not exempted. “The internet assists in educating our traders to transact their businesses on the net. We are in a computer world and people are making money on the net. Join the craze and you will make money no matter who you are,” he said.

Celebrated gospel musician Celestine Donkor who is about to embark on a charity project for slum dwellers at the Sodom and Gomorrah area in the Central Business District of Accra said the time has come for society to change its attitude towards the less privileged in the Ghanaian society, as part of good customer service provision. “Our attitude towards the less privileged in our society is very bad and there is a need for change. We all have a responsibility to help the disabled since some of us are in a position to do so”. She drew attention to the public places such as banks and shopping malls with little/no facilities for the disabled and called on corporate bodies and NGOs among other stakeholders to come on board to rectify this anomaly.

TV3 newscaster Frema Ashkar who also took her turn on the show also lent her voice to the cry of improving upon customer service in the country. Besides making a shocking revelation about sacrificing her career for a homemaker’s life, supported Celestine’s call for respect for the disabled. She commended UT Bank and E.TV for employing disabled persons at their workplaces. She however called on disabled persons to be cheerful at all times and not to be downtrodden by their circumstances.

Recent times have seen more and more Ghanaians calling for better client treatments by business entities. Some experts believe that in a few years to come client service budgets may very well supersede advertising budget allocations in businesses. Viasat 1’s talk show THE ONE SHOW appears to be on advocacy campaign for quality customer service in Ghana.