BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LOCALS are dissatisfied with the way they are being treated when shopping and are crying out that quality customer service is lacking in some business places on St. Kitts.
They also claimed that they find it difficult to deal with a number of cashiers and other staff members employed at some business entities, especially in the Basseterre area.
This was revealed by several shoppers who recently spoke with SKNVibes Business while the media house was making spot checks on various business places to witness firsthand account of the service being provided to customers.
One such shopper explained that there is a frequency in the unmannerly way customers are being treated by staff at many large companies. She said the “facial expression and demeanor of some are discouraging and speak of discontentment”.
“The business is not there for the customers but the customers are there for the business, and without them the business would close down,” she stated.
She stressed that this should be something “that is across the board where, if I’m a seller I should treat them with the same warm friendly service that they would expect to receive…and it’s vice versa”, adding that some of the businesses in the Basseterre area would single out the tourists and speak politely to them but have a different level of service to locals.
“When the light skinned people come they be like ‘hi, how are you’? And they not giving anybody any breathing space. But when people who look like them, that is where the nasty attitude comes out. Maybe it’s where they say familiarity breathes contempt! A lot of it has to do with the colonial brainwash! We were raised to believe that their complexion is better than ours. Sad to say, when these people come and go back, who is there to maintain your business? It is the same dark skinned people.”
One male shopper, who claims to be a frequent traveller and had visited many countries, opined that his conception of customer service is not seen at many of the popular local entities and that management of these companies must ensure their employees are more customer friendly.
“I have been to many places and what I realise is that some places have good customer service while at others there is none or poor customer service. It tells you one thing…that some businesses do not place a whole lot of emphasis on customer service or customer priority and how important customers are to their entity. The others just think about business and not who support them.”
The man’s perception held true when SKNVibes Business visited several business places in downtown and Basseterre. Stores on Port Zante were visited and at several of them (Name withheld) it was noticed that staff members were unaware of the prices for most items and were deeply engrossed in conversation while prospective customers struggled to get proper information on the items.
At a large clothing company, one store attendant was seen flirting with one of the shoppers whilst others were left to struggle in acquiring what they wanted to purchase.
However, all was not loss when it comes to customer service, several entities that SKNVibes Business visited were providing an average to top quality service to customers, both local and foreign.
One of them is Tropical World on Port Zante. When this publication entered the building, the reporters were greeted by a warm, smiling gentleman at the door, who offered to assist them in whatever area of shopping they needed assistance.
The smartly attired gentleman quickly assisted them in the areas of price, dimension and size, and with a friendly gesture said, “Please come again.”
Another entity that stood out with its customer and efficiency is that of fast food chain Domino’s on Fort Street.
Staffers at the pizza and chicken outlet appeared well-trained, neatly dressed, spoke in a quiet, friendly and business-like manner, as customers orders kept coming on time.
Speaking with SKNVibes Business, General Manager of Domino’s Arthur Martin explained that his staff undergoes frequent training sessions and that customer service is one of the priority areas for the business.
Martin informed that the business entity has improved on its customer service and had employed a system in giving back to its customers.
“Customer service is our top priority. We have improved our service…improved our delivery. We also have specials for our customers and we have given back to them. Here you will find one of the ways we give back is by having discounts for them and remaking pizzas if the one they bought is not up to scratch.”
Customer service is the quality of service provided to customers before, during and after the sale of a good or service.
