…Have We Remembered the Men Behind the Service?
When we celebrate Customer Service Week annually, we often applaud the frontline employee who smiles at the customer, answers the phone, attends to complaints, or delivers the product, and that’s okay!
But before roll in the drums till next year October, have we paused to think about the person who created the platform on which that service happens?
Think about the entrepreneur who takes a risk, invests hard-earned money, employs people and opens a business because someone, somewhere, needs a solution.
In Nigeria, that decision can demand extraordinary courage. In fact, Dr. Olumide Emmanuel often says it this way: “If you are an entrepreneur in Nigeria, you are a miracle worker!”
It means navigating unstable electricity, rising operating costs, limited access to finance, unpredictable demand, infrastructure challenges and the constant pressure to remain afloat.
A 2024 PwC MSME survey identified inadequate access to finance (35%) and poor infrastructure, including unreliable power (21%), among the leading challenges reported by surveyed businesses.
Now imagine the business owner who has not paid himself in months but ensures his employees receive their salaries. The woman who borrows to replenish stock because customers are depending on her.
The entrepreneur who loses sleep over a failed delivery, a damaged reputation or a business that may not survive another difficult month.
These are not merely business stories. They are stories about people creating platforms for service.
Every service platform begins with somebody accepting responsibility for making something possible.
And that is why the business owner deserves a place in our service excellence conversation.
This is not to suggest that every employer is selfless or every business deserves applause. Customers and employees deserve fair treatment, and business owners must be accountable for their decisions.
But perhaps, as we celebrate those who deliver service, we should also recognise those who create the opportunities, mobilise the resources and carry the risks that make service delivery possible.
So, this Customer Service Week, spare a thought for the person behind the service.
The person who creates the opportunity to serve is also part of the service story.
Who makes service possible? We should remember to ask and acknowledge.
Now, Tag a great service platform provider or driver that you know in the comments to celebrate them. The CSW is over, but service allegiance only just started!
Have a great week.
I am Bosede Olusola-Obasa, Character Development Trainer, Corporate Culture Strategist and Best
