Here is my fantasy: One day I will wake up and Eskom won’t be in the news. I will turn on lights and laptops (responsibly) and won’t think about when they will need to be charged because there is loadshedding. Eskom will have clients and competition. As a client of Eskom, they will communicate clearly to me what they are doing and what I am paying for – I will receive a good service and be happy to pay for it. The amount I pay won’t be determined by a third party – it will be a business decision and I will treat it accordingly. If the competition charges less and offers the same service I will move my electricity account. If they charge more and provide a better service – I may move – if they provide a worse service – I probably won’t move.
That’s my fantasy. I’m not sure I’ll ever see it – but the first part would be nice at least and the bit about Eskom being a business, being run like a business and treating its customers fairly.
Can you imagine if Eskom was in the financial services industry and had to follow the TCF principles?
We would have to know and believe that at all times Eskom put the interests of their clients first, and everyone at Eskom put knew their clients were the most important part of their business. Eskom would have to demonstrate this.
Outcome 2 – my service from Eskom would be targeted to me and meet my specific needs. So as a retail client with minimal use I would have a certain product available to me at a certain cost.
I would also be provided with clear information – Eskom would not keep me in the dark – and if they did I would have recourse.
Eskom would also provide me with a product that I was expecting and that they had ‘promised.’ If I wanted to switch suppliers I could, I knew how to complain and that complaint would be listened to and acted on.
I live in the financial services world. For too long this world was not really viewed too favourably. In cases – this view was justified – but as a whole there has been a lot of cleaning up and there is a very high accountability. Of course there are going to be scandals – it’s about money and money attracts rascals and msicreants. But overall – compare financial services to other industries and think about how much work the industry has put in to really recognise the customer and their needs.
This is in keeping with how the 21st century is unfolding – consumer power is strong in all spheres. Financial services has recognised this and that places it head and shoulders above many other industries. It is a very exciting place to be – and very definitely an industry that has two feet in the future.
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