Reward for leaders in customer service
• Winning companies display an authentic commitment towards their customers and are ethically honourable, writes Lynette Dicey
The Ask Afrika Orange Index is the broadest service excellence benchmark in SA, measuring customer satisfaction, emotional satisfaction and loyalty.
The index, which has been tracking customer experience and the changing trends and expectations since 2001, recognises companies that show exceptional performance across client experience metrics, such as servicing and problem resolution, and provides a benchmark against which organisations can measure themselves.
“This year’s winning companies succeeded in delivering a consistent service experience with every engagement,” explains Andrea Rademeyer, founder and CEO of Ask Afrika.
“Similarly, their various customer channels enable a consistent service experience.”
Companies that do well as far as customer service is concerned are typically clientcentric in design, easily accessible and deliver on their promises both in terms of product and service, she adds.
“Winning companies tend to display an authentic commitment towards their customers and are ethically honourable: they adjust depending on the contextual societal changes, understand the role their industry plays in the lives of their customers and pivot to align themselves with the changing needs of their customer base. They make it easy for customers to engage with them from the first point of contact, demonstrate value for money and understand the importance of making continuous investments in customer relationships.”
Ultimately, Rademeyer says, companies that lead in customer service know what their customers value in service engagements and they deliver a superior performance on what matters most.
So, who exactly are this year’s Orange Index winners?
Discovery Bank moved up from fourth place in 2021 to first place this year in the banking sector. Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery Bank, says the bank set itself the goal of being the best bank in SA in early 2021.
“As a business we naturally do market comparisons of services and products. But, to truly know if we are making strides towards our ambition lies firmly with the customers we serve and the interactions we have with them.”
Discovery Bank was given top marks across multiple fronts, including satisfaction, problem solving and a highly rated call centre experience.
In the long-term insurance category Discovery Life took top honours while Auto & General Insurance won the short-term insurance category.
Among automotive firms, Toyota takes pole position.
Clicks, which has grown from humble beginnings into a household name with an expanding network of more than 840 stores and 670 pharmacies, won the pharmacies category. A key element of the brand’s success is understanding the needs of its customers and patients, knowing who they are and engaging with them across an omnichannel universe to add convenience, value and make a difference in their lives, says Dr Melanie van Rooy, head of Marketing at Clicks.
“Customers are at the heart of everything we do, including ensuring we provide convenient and affordable healthcare as well as a great customer and patient experience. After 54 years we’re proud the Clicks brand remains as relevant today as it did when it launched.”
Woolworths Food won the food retail category while Woolworths Home won the home and décor category.
Bestmed Medical Scheme, the fourth largest open medical scheme and the largest selfadministered medical scheme in the country, won the medical aid companies category. Denelle Morais, marketing and communication manager at Bestmed, says that receiving this accolade for the second time and being runner-up for many years is testament to the business’s commitment to quality service and healthcare. “Our ‘Personally Yours’ approach to delivering services adds value for our members and is a winning formula for us.”
Elmarie Jooste, the executive responsible for corporate services and wellness, says that after a challenging time in the industry for all medical schemes, this award is a testament to the perseverance and passion of its employees.
“As a scheme, we understand that benchmarking provides valuable insight to support its ‘Personally Yours’ services. It is part of Bestmed’s quality management process to improve member experiences and how we manage daily operations.”
Food Lover’s Market won the butcheries category. Simon Parker, GM of Butcheries for the Food Lover’s Market Group, says: “We’re geared to offer value and quality. We take the range of meat products we offer seriously as we understand our customers love to have a varied meat experience. With more than 700 individual meat items, Food Lover’s Market offers the widest meat retail in SA, designed to appeal to all palettes and preferences.”
Other winners include Mica in the building retail category; H&M in the clothing stores category; McDonald’s Delivery Service in the fast food delivered category; Burger King in the fast food/takeways category; Rocco Mamas in the franchise restaurant category; Dove’s Group in the funeral/ burial services category; Afrihost Internet in the Internet Service Providers category; Browns Jewellery in the jewellery and watches category; Tops in the liquor stores category; Outsurance Funeral Policy in the long-term funeral insurance category; MTN Mobile in the mobile operators category; Superbalist Online shopping in the online shopping category; Sasol in both the convenience store and stand forecourt categories; Sportscene Shoes in the shoes category; Russells in the furniture retail category and Adidas in the sport retail category.