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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can all admit that businesses worldwide faced various challenges to stay afloat. Customer Service delivery has been in the frontline since March 2020. I am a stickler for good customer service and have been acutely aware that some companies use the pandemic as an excuse for poor service delivery. Prior to 2020, we just got used to the fact that South African companies boasted some of the highest service delivery scores.  According to the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SA-csi), 2018/2019 results conducted by Consulta, 2020 results would give a different picture as businesses battled to uphold high customer satisfaction levels and growth due to an impending recession and uncertainty regarding the global pandemic. Companies, now more than ever, will have to focus on the customer experience and delivering high levels of customer satisfaction. Statistics taken from consumers in 2020 with regards to poor service delivery, found the following: Expanding customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. Customers who had an outstanding experience are three times more likely to repurchase and five times more likely to recommend a company than if they had an awful experience. 68% of customers believe the key to excellent customer service is a polite and well-informed Customer Service Representative. 89% of consumers switched to doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. 79% of consumers who complained directly to the company about poor customer experience had their complaints ignored. We can all agree that the customer service landscape changed entirely in 2020. Nine out of ten consumers admitted that they are willing to pay more if they receive good service. 70% will continue to do business with a company who quickly resolves complaints. If a company developed a bad reputation, they may also lose some of their best employees. And let’s face it, employees talk. With 2020 almost behind us, I hope to see an increase in exceptional service delivery in 2021. I believe coming out of this pandemic will be a challenging process for some South African companies, but very rewarding in the long run for others who focusses on the overall customer experience.   This article was written en published by Liesel Cloete. The Award-Winning CV Writer Behind SA CV Writing Studio With an extensive HR/Payroll background, I transitioned from the corporate world and founded SA CV Writing in 2014 to empower professionals in their career journeys. My clients report back on securing interviews with local and international firms.

As a working mother of more than 15 years, I know all too well the struggles, the guilt, and the feeling of not spending enough time with my children. Yes, I too have gone through and experienced the mixed emotions of having to leave my children with a caregiver. Wondering if your child will be warm enough on a winter’s day, did they forget something at home (and I’m not able to take it to them), missing their first rugby try… I can’t tell you how many times I cried in the car on my way to work feeling like the worst mother in the world for not “being there” for my children during the day. It’s not only mentally and physically challenging, but you also have to juggle your work with home life. Recent research shows that the stress levels of working mothers are much higher than those who are able to stay at home full time with their children. Coming from a corporate background I feel that having the support from your seniors makes a tremendous difference. If the company you work for understand you are a not only a professional working woman but first and foremost a mother, I believe will really make things easier for you. The fact is children do get sick and sometimes mommy is the only one who can make it better. The last thing you want is to feel guilty for taking leave to take care of a sick child. What makes it all worth it? Every second I spend with my children while I am not working is so precious. I tend to listen more, laugh more, talk more, and just enjoy them and me being a mother. So to all the working mothers around the world, we salute you! You are worthy, you are appreciated, and you are loved! Happy mother’s day.   This article was written en published by Liesel Cloete. The Award-Winning CV Writer Behind SA CV Writing Studio With an extensive HR/Payroll background, I transitioned from the corporate world and founded SA CV Writing in 2014 to empower professionals in their career journeys. My clients report back on securing interviews with local and international firms.

It’s a new year with thousands of wonderful possibilities. But if dreading going back to work or the thought of creeping through an eight hour work day makes you feel more than miserable, then this might be a sign that your job is making you depressed. Depression is costing South Africa more than ZAR232 billion due to lost employee productivity because of depressed individuals according to a 2016 IDEA study from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Your personal behaviour, thoughts, and feelings can be affected by work depression and might include the following signs: Your excuses are beginning to dry up on why you are not going to work. Performing at work is not on your list of top priorities anymore. “Irritability” is your middle name. You end up complaining about your job 24/7. You avoid any and all social work related functions that would entail interacting with colleagues. Physical health-related issues are starting to manifest, i.e. lack of sleep, chronic fatigue, and decreased appetite, etc. Staying in a “sane” and positive state of mind is very important, especially in the workplace. The truth is the average worker will spend 1/3 of his or her life at work…that is a staggering 90,000 hours over a lifetime! You can then see why it is important to be in a job and work environment that is good for both your physical and psychological health. The first and hardest thing to do is to admit that you are depressed as a direct result of your job. From there you will have to make some choices in order to change your situation and the way you are feeling. It might be that you will have to find a better work environment, change the type of industry you are in or leave the workforce for a set period of time. After all, your health, and especially your mental health, are very important to your overall well-being and should be looked after. This article was written en published by Liesel Cloete. The Award-Winning CV Writer Behind SA CV Writing Studio With an extensive HR/Payroll background, I transitioned from the corporate world and founded SA CV Writing in 2014 to empower professionals in their career journeys. My clients report back on securing interviews with local and international firms.