Culture can be seen as the social behaviour of a particular people in any society, this reflects in the attitude, customs and ideas of the people with their culture, x-raying the three dominant cultures among over two hundred and fifty cultures and tribes in Nigeria, you will agree and reckon with Owambe that can be referred to the social and expressive culture of a Yoruba’s and people that dwell in yoruba land.
You must have also seen the dress of an average person from northern Nigeria (Babanriga), it is even accepted as a corporate dress if it includes a cap. More so it is said that the northern Nigerian love sweetened food and beverages, and more sugar is added to attract sales in the north, even though some argue that it is because of the weather.
Igbos are well known for their variety of soups, made from locally grown vegetables, fruits, and seeds. The most popular Igbo soups are oha, nsala, akwu, okazi and ofe owerri, Igbos are industrious & entrepreneurial in nature, they boldly engage in businesses
Looking at the basic definition of customer experience (CX), refers to how a business engages with its customers at every point of its buying journey, from marketing to sales to customer service and everywhere in between. In large part, it’s the sum total of all interactions a customer has with your brand.
Marketing and sales as a point of interaction need to be approached through experience that reflects the culture, customs and beliefs of the customers, and any cultural contradiction according to Nigeria mystery shoppers provider will turn into a pain point for customers.
Most call centres adopted local languages at the call centres which makes it easier for customers to communicate, it simply shows that the recruiting processes consider customers’ cultures and languages.
In most of my customer experience management training in Lagos, Abuja and Nigeria at large, it is always that customer experience can only be completed by factoring culture of the people in the environment, except for blue chip companies that must consider global acceptability.
You will remember the irresistible overture by coke that fixed people’s names on a coke bottle, you surely know that person’s name is his identity, it is personal and special to him or her. Having your name printed on a bottle of Coca-Cola is mind-blowing and tells you the brand recognizes you as a person and not a sales statistic, this also conforms with localizing the experience strategy.
In my book understanding customer experience in Africa 2018, a chapter was dedicated to what I call locserve and In-location services, it deepens the fact that what is obtainable in china may not be taken in Nigeria simply because of cultural differences and ideology, we must adapt service to suit the customer and ultimately the consumers.
Shep Hyken a renowned Customer service and experience expert who forwarded my Understanding customer experience in Africa Book also appreciate the chapter that speaks to the importance of adapting service to the ultimate users, it will surely bring more sales and create customer loyalty.
Aliyu ilias is the author of Understanding Customer Experience in Africa,He writes from Abuja
