‘Technology is disrupting customer service experience’

The Nigerian start-up space is disrupting every industry and creating new ones where none exist. Resolve.ng is one of the start-ups helping to create an entire industry that is connected to the very heart of business – the customer service. Subomi Owo-Odusi, chief executive officer, recently spoke about the company’s unique business model and how they help restore good relationship between the customer and the company. Excerpts:

 

Share with us what led to creating resolve. Did you have an issue that no one could handle?

Resolve was birthed from seeing the need for effective customer service in our society and an opportunity to change the customer experience and culture in Nigeria as a whole.

I once came across a complaint and I was shocked as to the amount of time it took to get a response from the company not to talk of a resolution.

I thought to myself why not give our consumers a platform where they can express their experiences or give feedback about a company, but more importantly…help engage the company on behalf of the consumer to resolve the issue. This way the consumer does not get more upset or frustrated.

Resolve helps consumers get what they deserve from businesses. How do you determine what a consumer “deserves” from a business?

Every customer deserves the best service experience, that should be the priority of the provider of such service and when they don’t get it and a case is lodged with us online via our website we engage the company on their behalf to resolve appropriately as the case may be.

When a customer files a complaint about a company and backs it up with proof to show a legitimate claim without getting some sort of appropriate resolution, the customer clearly carries a grudge and begins to feel cheated which shouldn’t be as all customers deserve the best services from the companies and should be viewed as the most important stakeholder. That is the power of technology in the digital era. It is disrupting even customer service experience.

 

What resources do you employ when resolving a complaint?

Our resources are human and digital resources.

We also work via our partners in companies who assist us in the resolution process.

 

When you get complaints in a field where you have limited resources or knowledge, how do you handle them?

That has been tricky in some cases we’ve had to resolve; however, we make all efforts to contact the company in question, once appropriate contact has been made the resolution process then becomes seamless.

 

How much cooperation do you get from the companies and how do you get them to finally see reason to resolve the problem?

Getting them to see reason and cooperate with us has gotten much easier, every company needs their customers, slower response time or no response makes you lose a customer and in that you also can lose 3-4 potential customers as word of mouth is still one of the greatest ways to make or mar a business.

Cooperation wise it has been great because smart companies see the potential brand impact, although some have to be contacted consecutively to get a response, majority have been very responsive.

 

Tell us how you get the human resources that you use to bring a resolution?

We have a team of resolution champions who leverage on our partners and contacts in some firms. Our team is trained in house on our unique resolution process which combines service delivery and digital processes. With this we ensure that the customer is updated every step of the way while relieving him or her of the burden of following up as this is also what pushes them away from engaging the companies for resolution.

 

What growth level have you attained since starting resolve.ng? 

We have attained eight thousand visits to our website since our launch in April and we have also resolved over 400 cases to date.

 

Getting resolve.ng is free, but how do you cost your mediation services?

We don’t offer mediation services as we are not a law firm. We offer our services free of charge on a best effort basis to assist customers resolve their complaints with respective companies.

 

So how do you make money as a business?

Resolve.ng has two unique service offerings.

Resolve.ng On demand Customer Service where we assist individuals handle their complaints and feedbacks to companies they have had service issues with.

“Resolve For Business” which is our customer service solution for businesses, dedicated to handling and helping them with their customer inquiries, complaints and feedback, enhancing productivity and achieving customer retention.

We take on the role as their Customer Service Agent for a fee.

 

After a successful resolution, do you offer advice to customers on ways to prevent a recurrence?

Yes we do, it’s also part of Resolve.ng’s user experience. Making sure we provide advice as well as recommendations to prevent any re-occurrence.

 

What are the reasons that will make a company not meet a customer’s service expectations?

Basically the culture of the company, if a company views their customers as an essential part of the business majority of their strategies will be tuned to creating a customer experience that allows for retention, referrals as well as expansion.

 

As a business what regulatory framework do you come under?

Service delivery

 

Do you have any form of partnership with Consumer Protection Council?

We have had engagements with them and aligned visions which is to improve the consumer experience by raising the service delivery bar to meet standard expectations at the very least.