Analysis of +7,300 Tweets from Kenyan Customers & Corporates During Customer Service Week 2017

Every year for the last three years, the Institute for Customer Experience — Kenya (ICX) initiates a week-long celebration of customers and the customer care/experience/service industry. Brands and employees are encouraged to go out of their way to seek feedback, delight, and excite their customers.

Organisations in Kenya take it seriously start hashtags of their own during the week, others launch full-on above-the-line campaigns to coincide with the week. Many share & celebrate their staff, the front-line individuals who work hard to keep customers through photographs, recognition and storytelling.

In our assessment of #CSWeek2017, the conversation was mixed. Brands did get a hard time with customers seeing through the short-lived antics while other customers expressed a dissonance between their everyday experience and CSWeek.

Voice of the Corporate

Each year during CSWeek, the corporates cajole and converse with the customers through word and deed. Those that had the most to say, in our study, were Liquid Telecom, KCB Group, Huduma Centres and Kenya Airways. That is, outside of ICX Kenya itself — which had a mix of original content and amplification of existing members and their initiatives during the week.

Voice of the Customer

One of the best ways to tell how effective the conversations that mentioned the hashtag were, was through analysing Twitter mentions of the hashtag.

KCB emerged first, especially given that they initiated a user-generated content activity through their #TweetLikeKCB caption-guessing Twitter game.

Keyword analysis

The most-used phrases tell us what was most important to everyone during this time of study. We learn that the desire of corporates to express their thanks was among the most-seen instances. There was an award at the end of the customer service week and customer service reps were being awarded for being champions for the organizations they represent.

Thumbs of the Customer Speak Loudest

57.02% of the tweets sent during the week were sent from mobile devices with Android leading the charge — a reflection of cyberspace in the region. Given the volume of brand engagement, our hypothesis is that Tweetdeck was the preferred tool for brands and their agencies alike.

Conclusion

CSWeek2017 showed that when brands put their hearts, minds and muscle to it, they know how to make an impression on their customers. All sorts of antics and activities were coordinated to make it a memorable week. From goodie bags, random surprises, SMS blasts and personal appointments at clients’ offices to deliver branded merchandise. The brand that ‘owned’ the conversation is the one that made their audience ‘do the work’ and participate. That goes to KCB.