South African service providers can expect consumer backlash “to get bigger and angrier” if nothing is done to improve their standards.<\/p>\n
This is the warning from Aki Kalliatakis, managing partner of The Leadership LaunchPad, a customer service consultancy, who said that consumers are becoming increasingly antagonistic.<\/p>\n
Kalliatakis’ message comes after a disgruntled\u00a0 Cell C customer erected an outdoor advertising banner with the message: \u201cThe most useless service provider in SA \u2013 Cell C Sandton City\u201d on Friday.<\/p>\n
The display of a banner denigrating Cell C\u2019s service levels on a Johannesburg highway indicated a tipping point, said Kalliatakis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe customer who displayed the banner presumably incurred significant costs when commissioning and positioning this attack on Cell C. He then ignored legal warnings to desist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis shows the customer was \u2013 to put it bluntly – the hell in. This level of anger and frustration is no longer unusual,” he said.<\/p>\n
Kalliatakis warned that government, parastatals, the bureaucracy and corporates should not under-estimate the impact when consumers begin to scream \u2018We can\u2019t take any more of this\u2019.<\/p>\n
“The public could go to \u2018war\u2019, using protests and defiance campaigns to fight back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
State enterprises<\/strong><\/p>\n Kalliatakis pointed out that the private sector was vulnerable to \u2018collateral damage\u2019 at a time when state enterprises are charging more, but delivering less. He highlighted the Post Office strike as a case in point.<\/p>\n Eskom was another, along with Sanral.<\/p>\n \u201cEskom can\u2019t maintain regular electricity supplies. That\u2019s no surprise. It can\u2019t do its sums either. Tariffs may be going up another 13% because Eskom costs for the three years to 2011 were higher than projected,\u201d Kalliatakis said.<\/p>\n Eskom, supplier of 95% of the country\u2019s power, was both a monopoly and an essential service. The public therefore had limited capacity to hit back, said the customer service consultant. In other cases, however, we warned that customers may hit back hard.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s already happening,\u201d Kalliatakis said. \u201cBanks have reportedly cut their mail by 25% and retailers by 20% while Telkom has reduced mailed statement volumes by 80% in five years.”<\/p>\n \u201cPublic defiance is already making a mockery of Sanral\u2019s projected e-toll cash flows. Even if e-toll compliance increases, the odds are motorists will flood alternative routes, creating chaos and making new spending on Johannesburg roads unavoidable,” the consultant said.<\/p>\n \u201cPricing should be kept fair while service standards should be stepped up. You antagonise customers at your peril. Ask Cell C,” Kalliatakis said.<\/p>\n Cell C on why it went to court over billboard<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C takes legal action against \u201cmost useless\u201d banner<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Cell C livid over \u201cmost useless\u201d banner: report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on Cell C<\/h3>\n