By Benjamin Mwibo
Atleast a total of 2.3 million people a year, 17745 monthly , and approximately 5915 customers on a daily basis are transported by 91 Link buses doing active business. This has been an eye opener that champions refresher courses aimed at improvement of customer care services in this specific transport company.
Current information indicates that the refresher customer care classes, being run on annual basis by the link management, targets the drivers, conductors, the security personnels and the maintenance team.
According to Link bus spokesperson, Mr. Tom Aliinde, in kampala kinsenyi Link bus terminal while speaking to company employees during a another phase of training, the company has long term visions towards expansion of it’s bus terminal networks across the nation and therefore he emphasized the theme under which the refresher training occured as ,” Customer Care and Value for Money.”
On Tuesday, Aliinde included that what drives the company’s agenda is to stick on the ten core values were customers have a wide variety to access their services, however, since the transport industry in Uganda is highly competitive, there is need to think outside the box to create meaningful innovations, staff motivation, resources and financing projects to match with the demand.
Security is part of the major service to customers , Aliinde described. This is followed by the fire extinguishers, clean water and first aid kits in addition to observation of road safety guidelines being a key to a successful transport business.
Explaining the customer rights, he said that a customer has a right to safety, right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services that are hazardous to life or property, a right to be informed, a right to be heard, right to choose, right to seek redressal and right to education.
” As customers expect the value for money, Link buses do not offer products but instead service which includes the safety, availability, reliability, niceness, class, uniqueness, impression, timelines, durability, consistency, quality, taste and speed,” Aliinde noted.
Be polite, do not use anger against customers, even when they are in wrong because a customer is your boss, he stated.