Union Bank CX Leader Calls for More Human-Centred Customer Service | ClipTV Online

By Olufunmilola ‘Funmie’ Aluko

Organisations should prioritise human accessibility in customer service, particularly when customers face urgent, complex or sensitive problems, Olufunmilola ‘Funmie’ Aluko, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Experience at Union Bank of Nigeria, has said.

Aluko made the call in a Customer Service Week article, arguing that while technology and artificial intelligence can improve service delivery, organisations must ensure customers can still reach trained personnel who can listen, take ownership and resolve their concerns.

She said customer-facing personnel extend far beyond call-centre agents to include receptionists, switchboard operators, security officers, public-agency staff and hospital admissions personnel.

According to her, these workers often represent the organisation’s brand and culture to customers, regardless of whether they are directly involved in formal customer-experience strategies.

Aluko, who has 25 years of experience in financial services, said the theme of this year’s Customer Service Week, “The Extra Mile,” should begin with organisations getting the basics right.

She identified reachability, reliability and human ownership as essential elements of effective customer service, arguing that customers facing difficult situations often need someone who can understand their problem and clearly explain what happens next.

Citing research from PwC, Gartner, McKinsey and Bain & Company, Aluko said consumers continue to place significant value on human interaction despite the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.

She argued that organisations should use technology to handle routine transactions and free employees to concentrate on complicated or sensitive customer issues rather than allowing automation to become a barrier between customers and service personnel.

Aluko also cautioned organisations against relying excessively on metrics that measure how many customer contacts have been avoided. She said contact deflection should not be confused with resolution, as customers may abandon their attempts to get help rather than having their problems solved.

She recommended that organisations pay closer attention to first-contact resolution, customer effort and whether customers would recommend the organisation after receiving service.

Another priority, she said, should be investment in frontline employees.

According to Aluko, the ability to remain calm during difficult interactions, understand the underlying concerns of customers and make fair decisions are valuable skills that should be properly developed and rewarded.

She particularly highlighted receptionists and switchboard operators, describing them as often overlooked despite being among an organisation’s first points of contact with the public.

On complaints management, Aluko said organisations should move beyond merely recording complaints to identifying and addressing their root causes.

She argued that frontline employees are often the first to identify recurring problems because they interact directly with customers, adding that their observations should feed into broader organisational improvements.

Aluko also highlighted the importance of consistent service across multiple channels, including USSD, WhatsApp, physical offices and social media, particularly in African markets where customers may use different channels depending on their circumstances and access to technology.

She further linked accessibility to customer security, noting that fraudsters increasingly impersonate trusted organisations. A genuine and reachable customer-service representative, she said, can help customers distinguish legitimate communication from fraudulent activity.

For Aluko, customer service should ultimately be measured by whether organisations take ownership of customers’ problems.

She encouraged business leaders to test their own customer-service systems by experiencing them from the customer’s perspective, reading complaints in their original form and engaging directly with frontline employees about the challenges they encounter.

While supporting continued investment in artificial intelligence and other technologies, Aluko maintained that technology should complement rather than eliminate the human element of customer service.

“Caring remains stubbornly and valuably human,” she said, arguing that organisations that combine technology with effective human support can strengthen customer trust and loyalty.