In a fast-paced world of highly competitive businesses, customer satisfaction without doubt plays an important role in any profit or impact oriented organisation. Not only is it the leading indicator to measure customer loyalty, identify unhappy customers, reduce churn and increase revenue; it is also a key point of differentiation that helps you to attract new customers in competitive business environments. Someone once opined that the cheapest and perhaps the most impactful form of advertisement for a business is a ‘Satisfied Customer’.

However, in an environment and industry that is populated by companies with the least regard for exemplary customer services and obviously with little grasp of the time tested relevance of the above stated fact, a Nigerian Firm, GUO Transport Company, seems to be making great strides, away from the crowd but definitely in the right direction.

A satisfied client who recently patronised the company went on social media to share what seems like a fairy-tale.

His experience is narrated below:

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My first experience of a Nigerian company being different from the crowd……

Date; 16 September 2016:

I took my 2 daughters to GUO Company at Alaba international market and they boarded one of the company’s vehicles to Onitsha, Anambra State, the bus left at about 7:20am.

Around 10:30am, the eldest of the two girls called and informed me that their vehicle broke down along Ibadan expressway (let me not say how I felt while it all lasted). Anyway, around 2:45pm my daughter informed me that they are coming back to Lagos. The driver had wanted to continue with the journey but the passengers refused because the vehicle was still not in good shape so they don’t want to risk their lives. Thank GOD by 5:00pm they were back to starting point.

 

COMPANY’S RESPONSE

Around 7:30pm same day, a lady called me from the company:

Lady: Is that Mr Onochie

Me: Yes

Lady: Good evening sir

Me: Good evening

Lady: Sir I’m calling from GUO Company

Me: Ok, how may I help you?

Lady: Sir you wanted to travel with one of our buses that loaded at Alaba international this morning, but the journey was aborted halfway

Me: Actually it was my two girls going to Onitsha that boarded the bus

Lady: Oh I’m sorry sir. Actually I’m calling to sincerely express our regrets and apologise on what happened today. It was not our intention to dump passengers on the way and we are Sorry.

Me: It’s alright, but I didn’t bargain for this. My plan was for the girls to be at Onitsha by today evening before returning to school on Sunday; but it seems you people have messed it up.

Lady: The passengers would have not spent such a long time if the driver had called for help early enough, because according to him he thought he would have handled it on his own, so please accept our apology.

Me: That’s alright

Lady: Sir, do you wish to continue the journey with us tomorrow 17 September?

Me: I had wanted to join another company, but with this phone call I think I will continue with you people, no problem.

Lady: Thank you Sir for your understanding. Since what happened was our fault, the company will provide another vehicle to take the passengers to their various destinations and also REFUND their money to them, so the journey is FREE.

Me: (I thought it was for saying sake. I didn’t believe the REFUND Part. To me the apology was enough)

 

17 September 2016 – Time: 5:45am

I received a call again from another lady:

Lady: Hello Sir. Good morning. Please you are needed at the GUO park at Alaba International.

 

6:00am, same day at the park:

The company workers were identifying passengers with their tickets and by 6:30am when every passenger has boarded and the bus was about to leave, to our surprise and true to the company’s promise, PASSENGERS got their MONEY BACK.

To say the fact, I was shocked. Is this company truly a Nigerian company?

If you are not impressed, I am. That is why I decided to share it with you guys, and it is also my way of encouraging the management to keep it up

 

Source: Onochie Chukwudozie Peter Gabriel Facebook Page. (Posted September 17 at 3:20pm)

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