With over 20 years’ experience working with C-suite leaders, Ope has built relationships and trust to gain cross-functional alignment and drive change. Today, she is the ‘Go to Expert’ to help organisations demystify the buzz words “Customer Service”, “Customer Experience”. She works with organisations to create the service culture that sizzles with measurable returns on investments.
She is a stronger believer in the belief that 50% of global population is too much to be described as a niche. Ope believes that every organisation can embed financial inclusion into how their business is carried out.
For Ope, the world all over is working on closing the gender gap. The top 10 countries who are most improved in closing the global gender gap index; which covers four fundamental categories namely: Economic participation & Opportunity, Education attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment are: Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Rwanda, Germany.
According to the Global Gender Gap report 2020, Iceland is leading for the 11th time. However, most worrisome is that globally, only 55% of women (aged 15-64) are engaged in the labour market as opposed to 78% of men, and there are 72 countries where women are barred from opening bank accounts or obtaining credit among other cultural limitations.
Therefore, Wemi-Jones asks if 50% of global population is excluded from economic participation, could there be a correlation between this low level of participation and the abysmal quality of customer service? “May be” she says but asks what businesses do to optimise the diversity that women bring to the table.
Read also: Yemisi Peters, lead facilitator at Yemisi Peters Consulting Limited
She lists three elements of Gold Service Standard.
Accuracy: Customers are seeking solutions when problems arise and women are natural problem solvers. The relationship orientation of women may be a success secret for businesses in the face of conflict if harnessed.
Speed- If you want it done fast, give a woman. Women have a stronger urge to get things done, they are not risk averse but risk aware, leveraging the power of intuition.
The third element Ope gives is Empathy- she asks, “Why is it easier for women to emphasize? Already women face family issues that pull them apart unlike men. In juggling work, life and family, women do not only pay attention to only their needs but that of others.” She says, insisting that a woman can make the traditional role of being a woman also work for the business because, according to her, it’s really not as tough for women to put themselves in other people’s shoes especially if it’s a customer.
