Who Is a Customer?

Many organisations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa are overwhelmed as they make efforts to thrive in an environment of rapid changes in technology, persistent globalisation of business activities and markets, coupled with intense competition and customer complexities. There is a basic underlying assumption that customers are the central focus of a business’s purpose and survival. Our assumptions and understanding of what it really means to be a customer remain important. The notion of customers has mostly been explained simply as an assumed buyer of business goods and services. It is fairly straightforward and appears normal and within our understanding. However, extending the notion of customers to include employees as an important customer service management component, as highlighted in this chapter, is reasonably an altered order from the ‘traditional customer’ realm historically courted by marketers and business owners.