The Fish Rots from the Head takes the bull by the horns and addresses the challenges of poor customer service in Africa. The writer Richard Sssebaggala comes from Uganda but raises service challenges one sees everywhere on the African continent, often in establishments that lay claim to international accreditation.
“The book is important because it attempts to approach the age-old challenge of customer relations management from an African point of view specifically by illustrating that part of the problem is with cut and paste training programs as well as importing physical labor and standards that pay limited heed to the cultural mores of the natives.” Says Richard Ssebaggala the author.
Richard Ssebaggala adds, “What inspired me to write the book was the realization that Ugandans are friendly people who are kind and loving until it comes to service. All of a sudden they turn cold and that what the books tries to address. To unravel how we can be nice and hospitable in the service industry as we are in our daily lives. Like the title of the book “The Fish Rots From The Head”, by the time you get bad service at the front line, usually the service lies elsewhere. We shouldn’t punish service workers. We need to investigate the leaders. I’m passionate about service because everyone deserves good service regardless of their stature.”
The Fish Rots from the Head is important because it acknowledges that by the time the customer encounters unsatisfactory service, the problem already lies elsewhere with management. There is nothing new about this; what is new is admitting it in an African setting where it is always assumed that to invest money in setting up a business means that one is the owner of all wisdom.
This is a book intended for decision makers, managers, entrepreneurs, human resources practitioners, anyone studying administration and/or customer relationship management and those already struggling with how to improve seemingly intractable customer service standards in organizations that are already up and running.
