Jobs are being lost in South Africa because of bad attitudes to customers, training company BizTech said on Monday.
”Whether it’s slow delivery of infrastructure to people in poor areas, overcharging tourists or rude call-centre agents, South Africa’s poor customer service is developing a reputation that is stymying business.”
By 2008, South Africa should have created 100 000 new jobs in call centres, according to McKinsey research, but a lack of adequate training has seen often rude South African call-centre agents receive short shrift from international investors in an industry that helped underpin India’s massive economic growth, the company said.
Poor customer service and delivery failures have also been blamed for unrest in townships, which have resulted in people being killed and property burned or looted.
Training customer service agents was essential to economic growth and job creation, the company said. — Sapa