Business leaders, particularly chief executives and managers, have been urged to take a more active role in observing workplace interactions and customer engagements to identify service gaps and improve customer experience.

Founder and CEO of Customer Service Africa, Priscilla Wellington, says direct observation can help leaders identify problems, reinforce organisational values and ensure employees consistently uphold expected service standards.

Speaking on the Joy Business Masterclass with host Yaw Anim Barnafo, she said leaders must occasionally step away from their offices to assess how employees interact with one another and serve customers.

“Observe, name, and reinforce. As a manager, CEO, or head, once in a while, come out of your office and just walk around to get a real feel for the interactions taking place. How are people engaging within your organisation? How are they engaging real clients on the phone? Just stand and listen for a few minutes. Observe,” she said.

According to Wellington, regularly observing workplace interactions enables managers to identify behaviours that require correction and reinforce the standards expected across the organisation.

She recommended that leaders make such observations at least three times a week to gain a clearer understanding of how their teams operate and engage customers.

“Then you will be able to name it if you find something wrong because, if you commit to doing that three times a week, you’ll definitely find something,” she explained.

Wellington clarified that identifying service gaps should be followed by clear communication and reinforcement of the organisation’s values and expectations.

“Then you can reinforce it by saying, ‘You know, I’ve seen that, and it's supposed to be this way. I think this is how we should go.’ Then you reinforce the values and standards of the company,” she added.

She cautioned that leaders who fail to observe what happens within their organisations may struggle to enforce the standards they expect employees to maintain.

“But you're not observing. You're not seeing it. So, how do you reinforce it?” she asked.

Customer experience as a business growth tool

Wellington also highlighted the relationship between customer experience, customer retention and business growth, describing the experience customers receive as a feeling that can influence whether they return or recommend a business to others.

She identified customer referrals as an important acquisition channel and urged businesses to pay attention to the experiences they create at every point of interaction.

“Then, what is your cheapest acquisition channel? The feeling, the return, the referral. So, the experience we keep talking about is a feeling,” she said.

Her remarks reinforce the importance of making customer service a shared organisational responsibility, with leaders actively monitoring interactions and ensuring that the company's values are reflected in everyday service delivery.

The Joy Business Masterclass, hosted by Yaw Anim Barnafo, airs every Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. on Joy FM.