Partnership paving way for improvement

A decade later, the Nelson Mandela Museum was opened by South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture, in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, as a testament to Mr Mandela’s commitment to the principles of human rights, freedom and democracy.

Now, with help from a partnership involving a Yorkshire company, staff at the museum are being encouraged to achieve the highest standards of customer service.

Customer First offers accreditation to businesses and organisations that offer the highest standard of customer service.

The York-based company has launched a pilot scheme in South Africa which could be the first stage in the company’s global expansion.

Working with Proserv South Africa, an organisation that provides human resource and organisation development services, Customer First is hoping to make significant inroads into the African tourism and leisure sector.

The pilot comes after ProServ South Africa secured funding from the South African Tourism Enterprise Partnership to pilot Customer First’s programme with 16 organisations, including the Nelson Mandela Museum.

Frea O’Brien, chief executive of Customer First, said the museum was a successful heritage and research centre with 22 permanent staff and five interns.

In a message on the museum website, Mr Mandela says: “The Nelson Mandela Museum is a not-for-profit institution established by the government of South Africa as part of a portfolio of legacy projects that seek to transform the heritage landscape from our apartheid past. At the same time, it is a resource for promoting economic development throughout tourism.”

The museum also includes the Nelson Mandela Youth & Heritage Centre, in Qunu, which has become a major conference destination.

It has attracted celebrities such as actors Will Smith and Denzel Washington.

Tim Bennett, from Customer First, went to South Africa to train a team of assessors who ensure that staff respond quickly to customers’ requirements.

As part of the agreement, Proserv pays Customer First a licence fee of £60,000 over three years.

Proserv will aim to work with 500 customers over the next three years, focusing on the financial, motor, accommodation and education sector. Customer First also receives a levy fee on the number of customers it attracts, which will be around £60,000 over the next three years.

Ms O’Brien has an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and previously worked for JP Morgan Chase and Robert Fleming Private Banking. She also set up a restaurant, beach bar and guest house in Goa.

She said: “Proserv are very enterprising and want to work in other southern African countries. They believe there are opportunities in places like Dubai, Bahrain and Brazil.”

Customer First UK grew out of Business Link York, which had been supported by Yorkshire Forward. Its turnover is expected to rise from £250,000 to £1m this year. The company has eight staff and 20 assessors and consultants.

Ms O’Brien said: “It has gone from being wholly public-sector funded in 2008 to having no public-sector funding at all.

“Three-quarters of the UK population work in the service sector, which means there’s huge scope for this kind of professional standard.

“Last year, we had 560 organisations expressing an interest in Customer First, which is more than the total number of organisations who contacted us between 2004, when we were founded, and 2010.

“We have had strong interest from the NHS and educational establishments, including York University, Leeds University, Exeter University and the LSE.

“We want to reach at least one per cent of the service sector businesses in the UK. Our initial focus is on getting it right in the UK.”

Ms O’Brien said some of the bigger companies found it harder to put the customer first, because they were weighed down by bureaucracy and the pressure of stock market fluctuations.

In Yorkshire, Customer First is working with Skipton Building Society and Safemove, part of Yorkshire Water.

She added: “Now is our time. The recession has led to a huge loss of trust and credibility.”

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