Features
‘Everyone will die some day so …’
As children at the Airforce Station in Takoradi, we were brought up to be disciplined, honest and truthful everywhere we found ourselves and people in leadership positions set good examples for the young and upcoming ones.
Religious believers such as Christians, Moslems and Traditionalists have reinforced this idea of good beliefs and practices so that after death we’ll be able to go to our Creator. Christians believe, for example, that we need to live good lives so that we can go to heaven where the Creator is. In the case of Moslems, they also believe that good behaviour as required by Allah, is what will take you straight into His bosom. These beliefs have influenced Christians and Moslems to behave well from time immemorial. When we come to Tradionalists, they also believe that to be able to get to the Creator, you need to be of good behaviour and refrain from sin or what is not good so that after death, you’ll become an ancestor or a living-dead, that is, people who though are dead, continue to live as good people who stay along with their Creator.
BELIEFS
These beliefs remind some of us as children when we were staying with our parents at the Airforce Station in Takoradi. The important caveat was a reminder to everyone that one day we will all move away from this earth and give an account of ourselves concerning the kind of life lived on this earth.
This belief is being taken for granted by the generation of today. The reason is not far-fetched. No one has come back from the dead to give an account of his or her experience on the other side of life. For this reason, people take it for granted that death is bound to come but forget that after death, there will be judgement.
One of the things we remember as children at the Airforce Station was that, behind that Station, there was one drunkard who often moved from a nearby village to the barracks, announcing from time to time in his state of drunkenness that “Obiara bewu but people don’t know” which simply means, “Everyone is bound to die one day even though people take it for granted.”
THE WORLD TODAY
In the world today, people forget about this advice and keep misbehaving, proving to be wicked to their neighbours and subordinates. In many workplaces, be it offices or workshops, many superior officers discriminate against their subordinates and suppress them in an unfair manner to such an extent that sometimes we wonder whether such people actually believe that there is a God somewhere who would expect judgement from us after death.
Many of these people in their wickedness only associate themselves with people who are prepared to toe their lines whether right or wrong in order to ensure that such people are given promotions even where this is not necessary or is needless. Such things go to show how unjust the world has become.
Sometimes those who are bold enough to cry out against such injustice are pushed somewhere else where they will not have any influence in social life. This behaviour must be stopped since all of us are bound to give account someday to the Creator.
It is also a well-known fact that many people today use charms and amulets as well as occultic powers to gain power into leadership positions using these powers to charm their own superior leaders, so that even when they go wrong it will never dawn on anyone to bring them to book. This is a very unfortunate and unpleasant situation, making us wonder whether, indeed, there is justice in this world.
INFLUENCE THROUGH MONEY
Many people have died from maltreatment. Where such maltreatment occurs, money is used to influence vociferous people in society, so that they will not speak about the evil they see.
The practice of journalism is a noble profession but some of the practitioners are easily influenced by money to turn a blind eye to what constitutes the truth.
Again, even though the law court system is supposed to render justice to all people irrespective of status, this does not often occur as expected, even though in some cases the law is given the appropriate interpretation by those expected to dispense justice.
In the legislature as we often see, many of our parliamentarians are so biased that they are not truthful to issues that come up for deliberation. If for example things are becoming tough for the country, and, therefore, should be helped to come up with generating more income, those in opposition for fear that the generation of more revenue may lead to massive development for people in society, may vehemently oppose such a move to the discomfort of everyone. The point must be made, however, it is not all parliamentarians who are so biased but that some of them try to be as honest and truthful as possible and pursue the national interest. These are the people we need in Ghana today. We hope the parliamentarians will stop fighting needlessly in the legislature, so as to earn the respect they expect as “Honourable Members”.
NEED TO CHANGE OUR LIVES
Many more people ought to change their lives for the better in society. Tailors and seamstresses must be truthful, so that they will be able to render quality customer service to those who come to them for their service, including delivering sewn items on time. In the same way, drivers and their helpers, often known as “mates”, should be polite to all manner of passengers. We also expect the passengers to behave well to these drivers and their “mates”.
Security officers like policemen and soldiers must be fair to all people in society. They should not allow themselves to be influenced by the rich in pursuance of injustice in society. We can go on and on but the list can never be exhausted, so the problems in society are caused by we ourselves.
We are always in love with the rich and those who can satisfy us with money, while the poor is allowed to suffer with no one caring for him/her. This trend of iniquity and bad behaviour cannot continue throughout this 21st century, so we need to put a stop to it without delay.
DISHONEST EMPLOYEES
It is important also to note that many individuals would want to set up businesses and employ people to work in them to earn their means of livelihood. Unfortunately, many people employed in this way are so dishonest that within a short time they collapse the business established by set ups in their own interest. So what a world do we find ourselves in? God has not created problems for the world but the problems and challenges we face are the creation of man himself.
Subordinates in organisations and workplaces must know that whatever they do in this world will be accounted for after death, so we all need to be careful and behave as honest people at all times. We should also learn to tell the truth even if we will be subjected to one form of victimisation or the other. This is how we can all make the world a better place for everyone and enjoy the fruits of happiness irrespective of where we find ourselves.
May God help us all. Amen.
Contact email/ahatsApp of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
BY DR KOFI AMPONSAH-BEDIAKO
Features
Fix It Fast or Lose Them Forever: The Ever-Rising Importance of Service Recovery in Competitive Industries
Yes, in literature and in practice, differences exist regarding customer service, service failures, and service recovery.
But have you ever considered the latter (service recovery) and its potential impact on service experience, brand building, and sustainable growth?
Well, in today’s fiercely competitive service economy, customer experience has become one of the most powerful determinants of business survival and long-term success.
Across industries, from aviation and banking to telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, retail, and digital platforms, customers now expect fast, seamless, and reliable service delivery at every touchpoint.
Yet despite technological advancements and operational improvements, service failures remain inevitable.
Systems experience downtime, deliveries are delayed, reservations are misplaced, payments fail, customer inquiries go unanswered, employees mishandle interactions, and digital platforms experience disruptions.
In the midst of these, what increasingly separates successful organisations from struggling ones is not whether failures occur, but how quickly and effectively they recover when they do.
Service Recovery
Simply put, it is the process of fixing a service problem and restoring customer confidence after a failure has occurred.
Examples of service recoveries are; an airline offering compensation after a flight delay, a telecom company restoring interrupted service and providing bonus data, a restaurant replacing a wrongly prepared meal at no extra cost, a hotel upgrading a guest’s room after a booking problem, and finally a bank reversing an erroneous transaction and apologising promptly.
As competition intensifies and customer expectations continue to rise, service recovery is rapidly evolving from a routine customer service function into a critical strategic capability.
Businesses are discovering a hard truth of the modern marketplace: fix customer problems quickly, or risk losing them permanently.
Customers are More Powerful Now Than Ever
Customers now possess more power than at any other time in business history. Digital technology, social media, online reviews, and mobile connectivity have fundamentally changed customer behaviour.
Consumers now easily compare competitors instantly, publicly share negative experiences, switch providers with ease, and influence the purchasing decisions of thousands of others online.
This evolution has made customer loyalty increasingly fragile. A single poor experience can quickly damage years of brand-building effort.
In highly competitive sectors where products and pricing are often similar, customer experience has emerged as one of the few sustainable competitive advantages.
Modern customers no longer evaluate organisations solely by product quality or pricing. Increasingly, they judge businesses by their responsiveness, reliability, transparency, empathy, and effectiveness in resolving problems.
Why Service Recovery Matters More Than Ever
Failures are no longer viewed as isolated operational incidents, especially in competitive service sectors. They are moments that directly influence customer trust, brand perception, and future purchasing behaviour.
Research across service industries consistently demonstrates that customers are often willing to forgive mistakes when organisations respond quickly, communicate honestly, show empathy, and resolve issues effectively.
Conversely, poor recovery experiences frequently create stronger dissatisfaction than the original service failure itself.
For many businesses, the greatest reputational damage does not arise from operational errors, but from delayed responses, poor communication, lack of accountability, and unresolved customer frustrations.
This has elevated service recovery into a central component of customer relationship management and competitive strategy.
Speed, a Competitive Weapon
In the modern service economy, speed is no longer merely operational efficiency; it is a basic customer expectation.
Consumers increasingly expect: immediate responses, real-time updates, fast complaint resolution, and proactive communication. Delays are often interpreted as incompetence, indifference, or organisational inefficiency.
Consequently, organisations are redesigning their service recovery frameworks to prioritize rapid intervention and customer reassurance.
A cursory assessment revealed that some businesses now operate dedicated customer experience teams, 24/7 support systems, AI-powered service platforms, automated escalation systems, and real-time issue monitoring dashboards.
The ability to resolve customer problems quickly is now a major source of competitive differentiation.
Technology Is Transforming Recovery Strategies
Technology is fundamentally reshaping how organisations manage service recovery. Across industries, companies are leveraging artificial intelligence, customer analytics, chatbots, predictive monitoring systems, and integrated digital support platforms.
These tools allow organisations to identify service failures earlier, monitor customer dissatisfaction, automate responses, personalize engagement, and accelerate resolution timelines.
Some organisations now proactively contact customers before complaints are formally lodged, using analytics to identify service disruptions in real time.
This means that the future of service recovery is increasingly preventive rather than purely reactive.
Service Recovery as a Brand Strategy
Forward-looking organisations are now treating service recovery as part of brand management strategy rather than operational damage control.
The logic is straightforward because, acquiring new customers is expensive, dissatisfied customers influence others, and loyalty is increasingly experience-driven.
Businesses are therefore measuring customer satisfaction, response times, complaint resolution rates, customer retention, and net promoter scores more aggressively than before.
In many industries, service recovery performance is now discussed at executive and board levels because of its direct relationship with profitability, reputation, and long-term growth.
A call to action
As industries become more digital, interconnected and customer-driven, service recovery will likely become even more important.
Therefore, organisations that succeed in the future will likely be those that respond rapidly, communicate transparently, empower employees, leverage technology intelligently, treat customers fairly, and place their (customers’) trust at the centre of recovery strategies.
Remember, customers now have more choices, less patience, and greater influence than ever before, a clear message to forward-looking organisations that when service breaks down, recovery is everything. Fix it fast or risk losing customers forever.
Writer: Mohammed Ali
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
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