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The Chairman and Chief Consultant of TPT International Limited, Mr. Adetokunbo Modupe has asked the Customer Service Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CUSPA) to intensify its membership drive as a way of bringing the association to
national reckoning.
He gave the advice when the management of CUSPA paid him a courtesy visit in his PR Place office in Magodo GRA Phase II, Shangisha, Lagos recently.
In his words, “You must find a way of getting multinationals, financial services providers, government agencies, even restaurants and bars; I mean every organisation that render services involved in the association and its activities. You must intensify your membership drive. If multinationals, telecom operators, government parastatals and agencies, banks, insurance companies and other financial services related providers, among others come on board and subscribe as members of CUSPA you will have created a positive and credible image for the association and its activities.”
Modupe stated further that CUSPA must create enough visibility to drive its membership efforts. “I’m sure many service-rendering organisations will want to be part of this. If you improve your membership drive, many of these service providers will come on board. They need an independent monitoring and assessment body like CUSPA to balance the equation. It is not enough to be assessed and adjudged by government regulatory agencies alone.”
“They need credible independent regulatory agencies that will also monitor, assess and report back to them and the general public. You see, customer service is a two-way issue. This way, their interests will be protected. At any point in time, service providers need an independent assessors’ report either confirm or challenge the reports of government’s regulatory agencies which can sometimes be biased either towards the service providers or the consumers,” he said.
Commending CUSPA for its laudable programmes, activities and areas of interests, Modupe added that the association has come to bridge the huge gap that customer service monitoring, assessment and report had suffered over the years in Nigeria.
“That is why I believe many organisations and professionals will be eager and willing to join CUSPA. This will be more so because, membership of CUSPA will be a testimonial certificate of credibility to members.”
He said the visit has not only rejuvenated his belief in CUSPA, its mission and activities, but as a professional, I believed in service delivery that is hinged on customer satisfaction, that is why I believed in the role and aspirations of CUSPA.
“I’ll be more conscious of what is going on. I love the idea of CUSPA from day one. It’s something we all desire and must have. At the end of the day, we are bound to benefit from the activities of the association. After all, we all want to be well serviced; I mean who doesn’t want value for his/her money for a service he/she has paid for? It is the right thing you are doing and you deserve all the support you can get to make your association and its programmes and projects fly. However, as I said before, CUSPA management must step up the association’s activities to attract more multinationals, service providers and professionals. They exist in all sectors of the economy,” he said.
The Chief Consultant further charged that CUSPA could through its programmes, activities and focus, make itself relevant and aspirational to critical stakeholders across sectors. “With diligence and commitment to purpose, CUSPA can grow to the level where organisations will begin to aspire to have CUSPA logo proudly displayed on their letterheads. It will be a mark of credibility. It will be a sign that such organisation has willingly subject its service to independent assessment as a member of CUSPA,” he said.
Modupe stated that the desirability of an association like CUSPA in Nigeria cannot be over emphasised. “Customer service is huge. It is massive. From private sector to public sector, customer service is a huge phenomenon that we must pay critical attention to. Consumers must get value for their money. Likewise, service providers must be protected from conspiratorial connivance. This is why CUSPA is so important. CUSPA must grow to position itself as a credible and independent assessor of both the service providers and the service consumers.”
Earlier, Mrs. Uloma Umeano MD/CEO of Customer CentriCity Limited who led the CUSPA team had thanked Modupe for the warm welcome he accorded the CUSPA delegation. She stated that CUSPA was proud of Mr. Modupe as one of its board members given his pedigree as one of the sought after professional and a renowned game changer in the Nigerian economy and by extension, African PR industry. “We have no doubt that your experience and commitment to professionalism will be an advantage to us at CUSPA.”
She had explained the various activities and programmes the association has lined up for this year one of which will culminate in the Customer Service Week.
According to her, this year’s Customer Service Week will be grand in all ramifications. “We have taken cognizance of the fact Nigerians are very aspirational in nature. We always want things done in a big way. This is why we are planning grand awards ceremony this year.”
Umeano who said CUSPA is currently on courtesy visits to its board members to sensitize them about the association’s activities and programmes, added that “we have a lot going on presently at CUSPA that we need to let our board members know. We have planned activities ahead of the year that we need to sensitize critical stakeholders about, particularly you our esteemed board members,” she said.
She reiterated CUSPA’s mission saying “We are proud of our role as an independent arbiter between service providers, service consumers and the general public. We are an endorsement agency, a regulatory body that focuses on the establishment and management of quality standards in the practice and administering of customer service in Nigeria. For us, every service rendered and paid for, must be seen to have delivered value to the consumer and vice-versa. CUSPA is predominantly a private sector monitoring association set up to extend consumer protection to service-based situations,” she said.
