The Vice Chancellor’s Forum 2019 was held on May 23, 2019, with several speakers and stakeholders sharing their ideas and experiences. Speaking during the forum, Vice Chancellor Prof. Kamau Ngamau encouraged members of staff to embrace an attitude and approach that is more Customer-Focused citing the importance of teamwork in ensuring excellent customer service. He also reiterated the benefits of a good strategy to remain competitive in the higher education sector.
“Don’t delay on picking phones, don’t make promises that you cannot keep. Always tell the truth. Be attentive and listen to customers keenly. Be helpful and friendly to all. Meet and exceed customer expectations to make the Co-operative University of Kenya reach the pinnacle of excellence”, he added. In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance Planning and Administration, Prof. Esther Gicheru, urged all staff to be more responsible for excellent customer satisfaction. In her address, Prof. Gicheru encouraged the staff to commit themselves for harmonious employer-employee relations.
Speaking at the same event, Prof. Ludeki Chweya, Director General, Kenya School of Government challenged the staff to perform their duties with excellence in accordance with the regulations set by the relevant regulatory bodies. “As Kenyans, we reflect multiple heritage in our culture and public service; Public service is designed to meet the needs of a rapidly growing industrialization”.
In his one hour address, prof. Ludeki echoed the need of Institutions to ensure a hierarchy of authority: not royal patronage where the king appoints family lineage people to a position of authority as it happened in the pre-industrial revolution period. He also mentioned the need for salaries to be paid according to qualifications and seniority basing his presentation on the expansive work of renowned sociologist Max Weber, a German scholar in the vast field of Management.
On her part, Ms. Angela Rarieya from Institute of Customer Service Kenya, ICX, engaged the staff majoring her presentation on customer experience where she defined customer experience as meeting the needs of the people we serve. “We can no longer afford to educate today’s students for tomorrow’s world with yesterday’s schools”.
She emphasized. We are living at a time when ICT and social media are causing disruptions; She pointed out the need to embrace technology in order to engage customers because the sustainability of any institutions depends on its ability to generate revenue continuously over time through sustained customer-focused service.
“As an institution, you should be empathetic to your students (who are your main customers), understand them and support them to be what you would like them to be. When you change the way you interact with your customers they will change the way they interact with you”, she affirmed.
The one-day forum came to a close with staff represented by their CUK staff unions officials airing their views which the university management board promised to look into the issues.
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