The Uganda Marketers Society(UMS) a body that brings marketing professionals in the country has announced awards that are meant to reward businesses that emphasize customer excellence in their day-to-day activities.
According to Sharon Kiggundu, the UMS president, customers are the most important part of any business but noted that some businesses never focus on the needs of their customers.
“Without the customer, you don’t see any sales and without sales, there is no revenue. With the negative effects of COVID-19 adversely affecting the economy, excellent customer service is increasingly becoming important to the success of businesses large and small,” she noted.
Kiggundu explained that in the past, people chose which companies they did business with based on price, or the product or service offered, but noted this has changed and that customer service is critical to effective competition of companies.
According to the Uganda Marketers Society president, customers are influenced by even a single experience with a positive being a factor for them to stick to a brand whereas a negative one could see them run to the competitor.
“It is for this reason that the Uganda Marketers Society (UMS) launched the Pearl of Africa Customer Excellence Awards (POACEA) to recognize and reward companies that have constantly endeavored to put the customer first through deliberate actions towards progressive customer care, excellent customer experience, and customer prioritization throughout their operations.”
She noted that the Pearl of Africa Customer Excellence Awards, the first of its kind in Uganda, will see companies rewarded for showcasing excellence in customer care and customer excellence efforts across various industries ranging from Finance, fast-moving consumer products, technology, health, and media with a deliberate focus on Tech, Health, and Media with a deliberate focus on micro, small and medium enterprises.
“For a long time, we have heard various perceptions of Ugandan businesses not being able to provide great experiences to customers and clients. With these awards, we want to reward those who are excelling at customer excellence meaning that they are the best at making their customers extremely happy,” Kiggundu noted.
The categories of the Pearl of Africa Customer Excellence Awards (POACEA) are as follows:
Best CX Cultural Adaptation Award
Best CX Training and Organizational Learning Award
Best Customer Retention Strategy and Execution
Best Use of Digital
Best Use of Customer Insights and Feedback
Best Customer Support
Customer Excellence Champion of the year
Customer Experience Team of the year.
UMS Honorary Award of The Year