Time truly flies fast when one is having fun. It seems like just yesterday when I sent in my first article to this newspaper. The past year has really flown passed me as I did what I love doing so much: churning out article after article on an area I am in love with-sales and customer care. I have been going through my articles from last year and just last Wednesday I came across one titled Wanted Urgently: Customer-Friendly Security Guards. It was an article about the use of private security officers (PSOs) by many companies around the country and the effect they have on customer care and the image of the firms they are suppose to protect.
The article appeared on page 32 of the Monday, September 29 edition of this paper. I remember advocating in that particular article the need for a change in designation of those PSOs from just ‘security officers’ to ‘customer care guards’ or something more reflective of one of the main tasks they perform, which is receiving customers. Readers who did not have the chance of reading that article should try and get a back copy from the offices of B & FT or sent a mail to Exsellers International, LLC for a soft copy.
I was attracted to this particular article because of an experience I went through last Wednesday morning. For the past one month, I have been doing a lot of walking on the streets of Accra, moving from office to office in search of data to fulfil an academic obligation. This experience is one that I would forever cherish. It has given me so much insight into what customers face on a daily basis in this ‘friendly’ country of ours. It is like having a ring side seat to a big boxing bout. It was one of these visits to the premises of a company at the North Industrial Area that really got me disturbed. I kept asking myself whether all the suggestions and advices we have been pouring into these weekly articles have been falling on deaf ears. It seems some corporate bodies are so set in their pre-historic ways that no amount of noise from some of us will make them budge. What else could account for these companies keep those unprofessional individuals at the gates and reception areas of their premises?
I am all for having adequate security on a company’s premises but I am also all for making the visitors feel royal, be they customers or non-customers. It is the duty of every corporate entity to make visitors feel at home on their premises. This simple task, I believe, is not one for the kind of PSOs manning the security posts, gates and in some cases, reception areas of companies. Great customer care does not necessarily start at the reception; it can start at the gate. Many of these individuals are just trained in handling security issues but have been located in places where they happen to be the first people customers meet.
Many companies are failing to realise that customers do not care what company the private security officer might be coming from; all customers know is that these security man and women were at the offices of ABC Limited or XYZ Ventures. Whatever behaviours they put up on the premises of firm goes to tarnish the image of the firm. Sometimes customers are not even aware of the security firm the officer might be coming from.
Research indicates that first impressions are formed about a business by new visitors within the first seven seconds. Seven seconds! That is all it takes for customers to create an impression about your firm. Customers decide whether they would want to do business with you within that short period of time. I think it is dangerous for businesses to leave those important first few seconds in the hands of individuals who are not professionally coached to make a good first impression. Day in and day out, many businesses in this country are losing customers because of horrible first impressions. Nothing is being done about this trend because business leaders and managers have not taken the pain to find out what customers actually go through at the hands of these over-zealous ‘keepers of the law and maintainers of peace’.
These past months have given me a clear insight into why nothing is seemingly being done about the woeful customer appreciation exhibited by some private security officers. These officers tend to show maximum respect to employees of the firms they are protecting. When they see a staff member approaching, they naturally change towards the one, becoming extremely courteous. However, when it comes to visitors or customers, attitudes change for the worse. The lesson I got from these observations was that some PSOs believe their job is to prevent officials of the companies under their watch from being bothered by members of the general public. They fail to recognise that those individuals walking in and out of the company’s premises are those bringing the money from which they are paid.
The situation is sadly not restricted to just one company or even industry. It is across board but I believe there is a way out. The Association of Private Security Organisations (APSOG) has a lot of work to do on some of its members. It might not seem too serious at this time but pretty soon the complaints will become louder and firms would start demanding customer-friendly service from private security agencies. The private security agencies that are savvy enough will begin to place more emphasis on making their officers more customer-friendly, without being less security conscious. Also companies that hire these officers should also ensure that whoever is assigned to their office premises is coached on the need to be friendly to anyone who walks in.
After studying the situation across many companies along the Ring Road Central, Graphic Road, North and South Industrial Areas and many parts of the capital, I came up with some observations. I believe businesses that intend to maintain a uniform customer-friendly image have to take a look at some aspects of the use of private security firms.
APPEARANCE
A person charged with maintaining law and order must exhibit some amount of orderliness in their appearance. A security officer’s appearance is extremely important since they are not only representing themselves, but also the security company and the client. I believe this is something many of the security officers I have come across are yet to be told. The appearance of some of these individuals at the doors and gates is a far cry from being professional.
I urge readers to take notice of the vast difference that exists between the appearance of the security officers at any of the nation’s banks and the appearance of the bankers. A simple rule for personal grooming tells us that no uniform should ever be worn for two consecutive days or more without cleaning. What do we see around us? I am fully aware of the myriad of financial difficulties these officers face including low remuneration and bad working conditions. I know their take-home pays do not take them home, but poor salary is a poor excuse for poor appearance. An early Saturday morning visit to Kantanmanto or Tema Station will support my belief.
One particular officer I came across at an office at the Ring Road Central broke all the abecedarian rules of personal grooming. He was so unkempt. His appearance was in such sharp contrast to those of the employees of the company I went to visit that he stood out like a sore thumb. I must state here that I have come across some security officers looking all smart and very professional. I must make special mention of those I met on the premises of one of the UN agencies behind the Ghana National Fire Service Headquarters. The female security officers had their hair style, make-up, and jewellery in a neat and tasteful manner. I left with a great impression of the place simply because of the appearance of the security officers.
Day in and day out, many firms are losing out to the competition because the security officers placed as the first port of call for customers are doing more harm than could be imagined. Companies are not doing much about these issues because managers are simply not aware. Remember that for every one customer that is bold enough to complain there are seven more who fail to do so. They just move their business to the competition. Appearance is just one of the many issues concerning private security officers that firms have to deal with. They are other issues that we will take a look at next week. Till then, readers can use this week to look out for just the appearance of these security officers. I know after that you will join me in making the case for customer-friendly security officers.
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